Gaining Back Trust

[KingWheatley]

I'm making a separate but related thread of an ongoing topic of mine.

To catch the uninformed up to date, my little BP (Cookie/Wheatley) is suspected to have RI. To get a better look at his air way, I had to open the poor babe's mouth.

This is how I did it. I -gently- but firmly held his head in a three point grip. Two fingers on either side of his head, where his jaw bones meet, and one supporting his head as he was being a wiggle worm. I used a freshly cleaned pair of tweezers (as sterile as I could get them with rubbing alcohol then thorough washing and drying with warm water so the tool itself wasn't cold.) I used the soft edged part (where you hold it) to gently pry his mouth open. At first he bit at it a couple times, kind of vibrating his jaw a bit. Took a peek at his windpipe as much as I could see, and stuck my ear close to him. I couldn't hear anything. I slowly let go of him and took the tool away from his mouth, being sure not to touch any of his little needles the wrong way.

While he had his mouth closed, I put his nose close to my ear, and heard the clicking noise again.

I repeated the process of opening his jaw to listen as carefully as possible. Nothing. No clicking/bubbling. No visible mucus. And the flesh looks like a healthy gum color. (Like people who brush their teeth as often as they should. A soft light pink.)

He held still during all this, freaked out, of course.

I increased the heat in his tank out of concern, his cold spot sitting at 80°F, the hot spot being close to 100° should he choose to go in his warm hide. My room has been chilly, so I have not been removing him as often as I used to. Other than to check his mouth, and while preparing him food, he had not been out since he got home.

I haven't had time to see if he distrusts me now, but I have no doubt in my mind that he does. So is there any way to earn that trust again? Handling and such like you would with a new BP?


Herp Derp

[PythonBabes]

I would say that he'll get over it with time, handling is not the way to go in this situation especially with the RI, it'll just cause stress which will make the infection worse. With the RI situation, is he still eating? That's usually when I get a good look at Karma's mouth.

I'm just curious, but why the increase of temps? Wouldn't the hot spot being 100 be too hot, even if the snake does have an RI? I've never heard increased temps holding off/treating an RI...

[KingWheatley]

I would say that he'll get over it with time, handling is not the way to go in this situation especially with the RI, it'll just cause stress which will make the infection worse. With the RI situation, is he still eating? That's usually when I get a good look at Karma's mouth.

I'm just curious, but why the increase of temps? Wouldn't the hot spot being 100 be too hot, even if the snake does have an RI? I've never heard increased temps holding off/treating an RI...

RI isn't confirmed. Just suspected. It's disproven in a way since the clicking noises do not seem to be coming from his airway. I suspect it's coming from his nose holes...

However, because of how cold it is in my room, increasing the heat for him doesn't change anything but his hotspot.


Herp Derp

[Jeanne]

1st..100 degrees is wayy to hot..seriously. Get it back to where its suppose to be, w his hot side being too hot now, you will likely cause him to stay on the cool side to avoid cooking.

Even if he distrusts u now...he will get over it, trust me.

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[Jeanne]

And how often did vet say to open and check in his mouth? Any way you do it...its stressful...and atm, stress isnt gonna help. Also do continue to not handle while getting treatment or on meds for stuff.

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[Yzmasmom]

Definitely get the hot spot back to 90! Being almost 100 will cause thermal burns, if he even goes on that side.

[KingWheatley]

1st..100 degrees is wayy to hot..seriously. Get it back to where its suppose to be, w his hot side being too hot now, you will likely cause him to stay on the cool side to avoid cooking.

Even if he distrusts u now...he will get over it, trust me.

Sent from my VS980 4G using Tapatalk

Good point.... set it back down.


Herp Derp

[PitOnTheProwl]

So a burn and RI are what you are wanting??

Why would you ant to raise the hot spot so high?? This WILL cause a burn.
Why can you not let it be for a while?? HANDS OFF...... Stress WILL help cause an RI.

Nose/Nasal is also an airway.

It is your animal and do with it as you wish but you keep asking questions and getting the same answer over and over.
Ball Pythons are not a real hands on type animal, if you want something you can play with everyday then get a dog cat or even a rat/mouse.

[Scosta56]

Before you think he is sick... If you do not see mucus or bubbles in his mouth he might just have a piece of stuck shed in his nostrils especially if you hear the "clicking noise" coming from his nose. Also from personal experience if your animal is still on the small size "under 600 grams" it could be stress driven his "wheeze". Some little ones will let out clicking noises under serious stress. Doesn't necessarily mean they are sick. I would leave him be. If you want to increase temps to attempt to help burn it out no more than 2 degrees. If he is still feeding that is a good sign this is stress induced. I would leave him alone for the next few weeks. Let him relax, feed, and shed. See if it was stress induced.

[PythonBabes]

It is your animal and do with it as you wish but you keep asking questions and getting the same answer over and over.
Ball Pythons are not a real hands on type animal, if you want something you can play with everyday then get a dog cat or even a rat/mouse.

This is exactly what I said in a previous post of theirs. I know for a fact that they said something about mice/rats being stupid. If I'm being honest though..sometimes I feel bad for feeding such a smart animal to something that is only run by basic instincts.

But yeah, ball pythons are not pets you just cuddle and hold all day. Karma gets handled twice a week at most, sometimes not at all. And with me 'handling' is really just taking her out and letting her explore around on my bed or my floor, sometimes in the den area if none of my siblings are home. That's it.

If you don't like rats/mice, maybe guinea pigs or a chinchilla, they're both a joy to own. Rabbits... if you can handle and keep up with their smell.