Questions about a soaking BP

[dakski]

I am sorry you are so stressed about your BP.

A few things to think about.

1. RI's are caused by too little humidity and too much humidity.

2. Snakes can have green urate. Not necessarily a big deal.

3. How did you treat her RI's? What parasite did you the vet treat for? How were both diagnosed?

It sounds to me like your snake may never have fully recovered from the RI. Additionally, are you sure there are a) no mites and b) temps are correct? on the latter, how are testing them? Also, how often is your tank fully cleaned and sanitized?

Snakes often soak when they are too hot or are having issues with their skin. This can be anything from an imminent shed to mites, or a skin infection. How often is she shedding?

I think you are correct that she doesn't feel insecure with the hide situation and soaking in the open.

How much does she weigh and what is she eating and how often?

The fact that she is eating is a good sign.

I unfortunately have experience with RI's. I treated a BP for one a long time ago who had one when I adopted him. Additionally, a few years ago, a got a Carpet Python (Yafe) who was lost in shipment and had an RI within a day of getting him. It was severe and took a lot of intervention to cure him. We did and he hasn't shown any symptoms in years. Having said that, consistent RI's can cause damage and really need to be fully treated. In order to do that, a tracheal wash has to be done to determine what is causing the RI. First, it has to be determined whether it is a bacterial cause (most likely) or a fungal cause. Then it must be determined what kind of bacteria or fungus and therefore how to treat effectively.

We determined immediately with Yafe that it was bacterial and what type it was. When they test the type, they are also able to see what antibiotics (if bacterial) work best. Yafe needed 1 month of injections with the an appropriate antibiotic and also nebulizer treatments for another month.

Same with parasites. The feces must be tested to determine what type and therefore how to treat effectively.

IF your vet didn't do a tracheal and "poop" sample, they will not be able to treat your BP effectively.

Finally, high humidity can lead to issues with fungus and/or bacteria in the tank. You would need to be cleaning the tank monthly (completely removing all substate, sanitizing, putting in fresh substrate, etc.) with appropriate substrate that can handle high humidity. That assumes a tank with appropriate airflow. More often if there airflow isn't excellent.

Skin issues are also easier to diagnose with a simple substrate.

I would have your BP on paper towels or printless newspaper (paper substrate) until you are sure there isn't a skin issue that is causing her to soak. I would also continually check the water for mites and have a white water bowl just for this purpose.

Please let us know about testing for the RI, parasites, how temps are being taken, how clean the tank is, food type and how often, etc.

That will help us help you.

Good luck and keep us posted.