Concerned about James

[Psychicbutterfly]

So this past Sunday was James feeding day and we tried nice from a different source. Well he seemed to have a bit of difficulty getting the mouse down and ended up gagging it back up before he could fully swallow he then sat with his mouth open for a minute or two before attempting the mouse again this time gobbling it right up.
So here's the concern... since then he has been showing symptoms of respiratory infection with the open mouth and the occasional wheeze.
Could this be a result of the difficult feeding or was the feeding a result of the ri...
Ps I will be taking him to the vet straight away..

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[Bogertophis]

His difficulty eating was the result of his having an RI...do take him to see the vet a.s.a.p. (thank you!) I guarantee he had this before struggling
to swallow that mouse...but his symptoms were subtle & you just hadn't noticed before that.

Snakes have the most amazing physiology in that they can breathe easily even while swallowing whole prey items; what they cannot do though is
cough up secretions that block that tubular structure that allows them to breathe while swallowing.

I hope he makes a quick recovery...being unable to breathe is miserable for a snake & nothing to mess with.

[Craiga 01453]

Sounds like the vet is your best bet. If you have access to a snake that specializes in snakes, or exotics at least, that'll be your best bet. Often times vets are not very well educated on snakes and primarily see mammals.

Anyway, good luck and keep us posted!!

[Psychicbutterfly]

So I have made an appointment but with the long weekend we can't get in until Tuesday only one vet specialises in reptiles.

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[Craiga 01453]

Thanks for the update. Wishing you good luck!! Please keep us posted

[Psychicbutterfly]

Ok. Bit of an update. I forgot to mention that during his last feed James. Was going through shed. So yesterday I found the shed but noticed his eye caps were stuck. Nothing unusual for him. So this evening I was helping him with his eye caps and noticed the shed on the top of his head would get an air pocket when he would exhale. So we worked together and got the stuck shed off.
So here's the thing. Could the stuck shed give the same symptoms of RI? Since the shed has been removed he has not opened his mouth once.
I am still going to take him to the vet on Tuesday regardless.
Cheers

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[Bogertophis]

Ok. Bit of an update. I forgot to mention that during his last feed James. Was going through shed. So yesterday I found the shed but noticed his eye caps were stuck. Nothing unusual for him. So this evening I was helping him with his eye caps and noticed the shed on the top of his head would get an air pocket when he would exhale. So we worked together and got the stuck shed off.
So here's the thing. Could the stuck shed give the same symptoms of RI? Since the shed has been removed he has not opened his mouth once.
I am still going to take him to the vet on Tuesday regardless.
Cheers

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Yes! Snakes actually shed the skin from their outer nostrils along with the skin on their face/head...so it's possible that was his only problem, but listen
closely for any whistling or crackling sounds, & watch to see if he breathes with his mouth open as before. If he's truly without symptoms before your
appointment, you might want to cancel & let them know what happened. But be very sure those symptoms are really gone. Fingers crossed...but I have
a hunch that he may still have an RI, it's just that it was more symptomatic due to the shed.