Clicking + Updates

[KingWheatley]

This morning I took Cookie out because he was exploring around. He's been doing that a lot lately. Knocking things around in his tank and spilling some of his water.

I had recently switched from aspen bedding to paper towels in part of the little bugs. So his humidity has skyrocketed to the point where a humidifier is not necessary. (50%-60% humidity when covered.) I've had to cover the heat vent because it got in the 80's in the room itself at night, and each time it got uncomfortably hot for me, Cookie would start exploring a lot and would try and push the top open. When it's 70, he will explore around still. It's not until it's 65-69 that he calms down and goes into his warm-cool hides. That was before I had replaced the cool hide.

I had gotten him a temporary cool-side hide, because the one he used to use he is big enough to knock over... I have not seen him use it at all. So next chance I get I'll be visiting the pet store again.

Today I found him exploring around, as I mentioned, so I took him out to let him explore a larger environment while his mouse (its feeding day) thawed and warmed. After a couple minutes in the living room, I started hearing that clicking noise again.

It happens on and off. I'd taken him to a vet before and mentioned that to them, but I got the generic answer of "well it could be a list of reasons, let me know if he does anything else."

There is no wheezing. No excessive salivating, except when he was shedding and having difficulty getting it off his nose. I had to assist shed him, and he was rubbing his nose against my finger when I got him out. I got a little bit of snake drool on me from that. But that's all. He doesn't star gaze. Takes large mice very well. Amazing food response. His skin is whitish pink looking under the scales, and his scales are still as Cookie-looking as before. I looked at his mouth as he ate the mouse, and it's pink. Doesn't seem pale around the gums, doesn't look irritated. No swelling. Nothing but a clicking noise. Which is happening now even when he grabbed the mouse.

I'd imagine that it's possible that he was salivating due to it being feeding day, and that when he had the mouse, he was clicking because of the saliva. No excessive drool seemed to drip from him. Nor have I seen mucus of any kind...

I can't take him to the vet for a while. My fiancé and I just purchased an apartment (move in day this Saturday! I'm excited) and money has been tight since I got fired (still.) I have a new job, but it will be a while before I catch up on all my bills and stuff with the car and my maxed credit card.

Does anyone else have a clicker? Most of the time the clicking is due to an RI, but Cookie has been clicking on and off since day one, and no other signs have been present.

If it is an RI, what other things should I look out for, other than what I already mentioned? I'm trying to look up videos of seriously ill snakes, and not finding many good ones to compare to. (The one that comes up a lot is the seizure on the road snake...)


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[dr del]

We recommend the cool side hide be around 80-82f.

You should measure the temps where the snake is ( inside the hides most usually ) and use that as your guidelines.

65f is about ten degrees lower than I allow my cool hides to get.

But ri's are usually assessed with multiple signs as clicks can be caused by unshed skin on the nostrils or even a snake going into shed and the fluid layer restricting the airways. Look for additional signs like mucus smeared on cage furniture or in the water bowl or the snake spending a lot of time with it's head elevated and it's mouth slightly open before assuming that is the problem.


dr del

[CALM Pythons]

Every now and then i hear a click & ive now realized its their tongue.. I would always turn off the TV, tell kids to hush, and lock the dogs up trying to concentrate & listen... I watched the tounge and heard a click lol.. And they are perfectly healthy. I think its just the sound threw the hole for tounge i assume.
maybe watch & see if you can match it too.

[KingWheatley]

Every now and then i hear a click & ive now realized its their tongue.. I would always turn off the TV, tell kids to hush, and lock the dogs up trying to concentrate & listen... I watched the tounge and heard a click lol.. And they are perfectly healthy. I think its just the sound threw the hole for tounge i assume.
maybe watch & see if you can match it too.

Hm... quiet ones. But none as loud as feeding day.

Today no other clicks.


Herp Derp

[Slither Seeker]

how many thermometers are you using? have you verified that your thermometer is correct? I've seen 5 degree differences in thermometers and rarely one just outright goes hay wire, especially if it's ever been over heated. I'm still a nube but I've read just about everything I can get my hands on about BP's here and other places and it seems like the consensus is that 75 f is the lowest things should go anywhere in the enclosure. thanks to the suggestions here, I got a temp gun and it has put a lot of fretting to rest since you can get the actual surface temp of the body of the snake and surface area of hides, floor etc. if you don't have one, it's money well spent! I shoot for upper to mid 70's in the coolest spot in the tank. ours are active at night now that I have things dialed in and I think that's normal if they are comfortable. "calming down" by going into a hide at night may be a sign it is cold, not happy. but if your thermometer is reading low when it's actually more like 75-78, that could explain it to. I have not noticed any clicking yet, it may be a respiratory anomaly or it could be a sign of low grade fluid in the lungs, which seems possible without infection (like walking pneumonia sometimes is). does raising the temps make the clicking go away?

[KingWheatley]

how many thermometers are you using? have you verified that your thermometer is correct? I've seen 5 degree differences in thermometers... I got a temp gun and it has put a lot of fretting to rest since you can get the actual surface temp of the body of the snake and surface area of hides, floor etc.... does raising the temps make the clicking go away?

I have a standing thermometer that measures the cool side which I try to keep at 75-80. If I leave the red light lamp on, it can get things too hot, so I turn it off when I leave for work when I can't see it. The temp doesn't go any lower than 70.

(And I have a temp gun which I use all over and to verify the temp in the warm hide, which has a warm spot of 93 and is generally 90)

The clicking happens very off and on, and it didn't matter what temp. It's been about a week now since I've heard it. And since my apartment is kept no lower than 70 (rather than 60-80 at my previous place) I think I may have found a solution.


Herp Derp