Lots of questions for a noob

[ENA Reptiles]

I ordered an 1800g male VPI Axanthic and when he came in he had gotten RI :/. The vet gave me 2 weeks of oral antibiotics because I couldn't afford the shot. So it has been 2 weeks and I thought he was better but sure enough today he's opening his mouth, breathing like he's congested. I understand that Bps are about a week behind because of their slow metabolism. He does look better than before, i don't see anymore bubbles. Should I take him to the vet again to get the shots? I was doing a Vicks treatment that I had seen a lot of on the internet with no success. I am starting to get worried about him he hasn't ate in about a month and a half which I know is normal sometimes for bps but I still worry for him. I know RI infections are really contagious and I have 9 bps in the rack. I may have gotten a little BP crazy and may have bitten off more than I can chew. Im only 15 so my source of income is selling chips at school. I really want to breed them but now i see that I have to address the medical issues before I try to pursue breeding. And I feel terrible I let this happen. I just want him to get better.

I built my rack system that houses 3 40 at tubs and 6 6qt tubs. And I'm having trouble regulating the heat through it. I have a Herpstat 1 hooked up to 6in flex watt Heat tape. I keep the lids on the 6qt shoeboxes but I take them off the 40qt. I had the probe in the 40qt tub. Where should I put the probe? I have my 200g female spider in one and I think she may have gotten a burn. From to much heat.

This is a noob question but does every enclosure really need a water dish? Or could I soak the snakes everyday? Just wondering because the snakes seem to spill it every time I put the water in.

[ENA Reptiles]

[Paul's Pieds]

you don't need to fill the water bowls. just put enough in for them to get a drink when they need.

[Stewart_Reptiles]

Did you get a culture?

Based on the prescription and length I would suggest another vet one that specializes in reptiles.

Oral antibiotics are not adequate for reptiles and prescribing this was just a waste of time and money.

The first step is to get a culture to established with certainty which type of RI you are dealing with and which anti-biotic will be a better fit, treatment will injection lasting at least a month.

Right now feeding this animal is far from being the priority given it's size, animal that are sick and under the stress of treatment rarely eat.

Do not soak your snakes on a daily this with a combination of bad husbandry and stress will lead to more issue such as RI, provide a water dish that cannot be tipped.

As for the rest a little food for the thoughts. You could not afford the initial treatment at the time but went on with buying more animals (Knowing this one was sick) while having no quarantine procedure in place............. that is a recipe for disaster, hopefully the RI is just that a RI and no something worse that could claim your collection.

You are young and you need to slow down a bit and learn, wanting to breed is one thing getting the basics ironed out at this point is a PRIORITY, that means proper husbandry, quarantine and make sure to have funds in the event something happens rather than buying more animals.

[ENA Reptiles]

Also my friend picked up a desert ball yesterday at the super show. He's beautiful and we were holding him and he was like a puppy. But suddenly we brought him to my house so he could set up his cage and the thing is going mad! Every time something goes by he strikes. And I just put him in a 10 gl aquarium which I know isn't best but she keeps striking and he his hurting his mouth.

[bcr229]

So you have a sick snake you can't afford to treat, another one that may be burned and require a vet visit because you don't know where to put the t-stat probe (it should be secured between the heat tape and the rack shelf BTW), no quarantine process for new snakes or isolation enclosures for sick ones, and you're buying more BP's?

[Sweet4serpents]

Get ceramic dog water dishes. They don't tip those over.

[ENA Reptiles]

Criticizim is not going to make the snakes better. I need help. I clearly know i messed up but i dont need to hear it from u guys all i need is your advice on where i should go from what i have. It doesnt take a snake proffesor to know i dug myself a huge hole. Can u guys just help?

[Kibbleswhites]

Okay I am going to try. For 15 years old, that rack looks pretty good! BUT.....it looks like those two big bins are using the bottom of the shelf as their lid is that right? Looks to me like that is some sort of chip board or press board. When that stuff gets moist, it can secrete toxic vapors and or grow mold on a microscopic level. This could be what is making your snake sick. You need to fix this by either using lids with the bins or fixing the rack so the chip board is not exposed. Do not get any more animals, you do not have space or money to take care of them. Focus on what you have. Were me, I would try to get everyone well then sell some of them and only keep a few for a while until you get the hang of things. The burn: pics are really bad but it does not look like a burn to me. Just in case keep her on clean paper towels until her belly looks normal Put the probe in the right place (directly on the heat tape stuck with metal tape not inside a bin) and read a care sheet on this forum.
http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...s%29-Caresheet
Buy a temp gun to be sure your herpstat is doing what the animals need. The snake with a URI will need injections. A reptile vet will teach you how to give them. Oral meds are stressful and don't work well in ball pythons. Do not even try to feed that snake until it is better, it wont eat and it is stressful. Breeding costs money, don't focus on that until you know all the ins and outs of this hobby.

[ENA Reptiles]

Okay I am going to try. For 15 years old, that rack looks pretty good! BUT.....it looks like those two big bins are using the bottom of the shelf as their lid is that right? Looks to me like that is some sort of chip board or press board. When that stuff gets moist, it can secrete toxic vapors and or grow mold on a microscopic level. This could be what is making your snake sick. You need to fix this by either using lids with the bins or fixing the rack so the chip board is not exposed. Do not get any more animals, you do not have space or money to take care of them. Focus on what you have. Were me, I would try to get everyone well then sell some of them and only keep a few for a while until you get the hang of things. The burn: pics are really bad but it does not look like a burn to me. Just in case keep her on clean paper towels until her belly looks normal Put the probe in the right place (directly on the heat tape stuck with metal tape not inside a bin) and read a care sheet on this forum.
http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...s%29-Caresheet
Buy a temp gun to be sure your herpstat is doing what the animals need. The snake with a URI will need injections. A reptile vet will teach you how to give them. Oral meds are stressful and don't work well in ball pythons. Do not even try to feed that snake until it is better, it wont eat and it is stressful. Breeding costs money, don't focus on that until you know all the ins and outs of this hobby.

thank u so much i am definetley taking a break on buying. i made an appointment with the vet for wendesday. i wil keep u guys posted but things should be easier now. I was under the impression that i already knew it all but i really didnt.