Early signs of RI ? Help please.

[dakski]

When you eat, is there saliva in your mouth?

Not saying your snake doesn't have an RI, or isn't getting one, but that's not necessarily the tell tale sign. The fact that he/she is eating is a good sign. I recently got a carpet python, who are veracious eaters, especially compared to a BP, and there was a big delay in transit. Instead of getting here in about 16 hours, it was about 30 hours. He developed a severe RI within a couple of days. I am still, 40 days later, fighting it off. He hasn't eaten yet. When sick, snakes tend not to eat.

You say your snake isn't wheezing. Okay, if you hold his/her head up to your ear, do you hear "popping sounds" when he/she breathes?

Is he/she keeping their head up/elevated when resting? Nose to the tank top? Sometimes vertical and resting on the side of the tank, or a hide, etc? What substrate are you using and what type of tank? Can you see mucus on the substrate or smeared around the tank walls? Doe his/her nostrils look stuffed?

Up to you, but if you are really concerned about the "saliva/mucus" in the mouth, you can hold you snake by the neck, behind the head, gently but firmly, and use the middle of a q-tip, or something else sterile and thin, to gently push his/her mouth open. If the throat and mouth are clear, you are probably fine, assuming no other symptoms. I would not do this if you have not done it before or are not comfortable doing this. Especially if he/she is showing no other symptoms.

Finally, what is his/her (or both) enclosure(s) like? Size, type, substrate, hides, temps (hot side, ambient, cool side), humidity? How are you measuring temps and humidity?

Have there been any sudden rises or drops in humidity or temps lately? A power outage, for example?