Snake making a light wistle

[Swizzle]

I was playing with my snake not to long ago and had it around my neck and noticed thatwhen he breaths, some of the time a like wistle like sounds ...very dull, come out of his mouth. I dont think this is anythign serious.

Thanks in advance,
Keith

[jknudson]

Take him to the vet. It may not be a RI but why take the chance, spend a little money to make sure he's healthy. It may just be a stuck piece of shed near his nostrils whistling, but I wouldn't assume that. Better to be safe than sorry.

[Swizzle]

I played with my snake a litle last ngiht after i heard the wistle and didnt hear it again, and today when i got home from school i took him out and he still wasnt wistling, what does this mean

[tigerlily]

It's possible it scales loosened before a shed, but that's only a guess. Whistling would make me nervous. I would just keep a super close eye, and if you hear that noise again I'd run to the vet. But that's just me.

[Swizzle]

ok so its been two days now and ive tried not to handle my snake as much because ithoguht it was sick but i took him out yesterday for like 1 min and he wasnt wheexing and again today and he wasnt wheezing, should i still take him to the vet??

[RWillinnable]

Shahrazad does the same thing once in a while. Every time with me, a little bit of moist moss in his warm hide usually does the trick with no problem. I think that sometimes they just need a little moisture.

Rachel

[Jeanne]

Please, please, please, I cannot stress this enough times….. IF YOU THINK IT IS AN EMERGENCY OR YOUR ANIMAL IS SICK, CALL YOUR VET IMMEDIATELY! Get your animal to a qualified herp specialist or veterinarian. We are not doctors, we cannot provide you with the info necessary to treat serious stuff. We can however give you advice as what to do in the mean time till you see your vet with your animal, can provide a bit of encouragement and give you ideas as to how your animal got sick and how to correct the problem so later re-occurence don’t happen.

[frankykeno]

Jeanne could not have said it any better. The simple fact is that if you are concerned about your snake, only a vet with a good hands on exam and any appropriate tests can really tell you what is what.

Your new best friend needs to be a good, experienced herp vet. If you haven't got one lined up already, it's best to do the work now to have that phone number handy just in case. They aren't always easy to find and you need to ask about costs as it seems to be all over the place for vets that will treat an "exotic".

Just my lil ole 2 cents.


~~Jo~~

[4theSNAKElady]

Hey there!
New to the BP forum, but i have had a similar experience. I would keep your snake a little warmer than usual, and double check the nostrils to make sure there is no discharge or leftover shed skin. if it is the start of a respiratory prob, the extra heat will help. Good luck.

[Adam_Wysocki]

Hey there!
New to the BP forum, but i have had a similar experience. I would keep your snake a little warmer than usual, and double check the nostrils to make sure there is no discharge or leftover shed skin. if it is the start of a respiratory prob, the extra heat will help. Good luck.

I agree that the extra heat will help, but it won't eliminate the infection (if it is actually an RI). A trip to the vet and a culture to identify the bacterial cause of the infection if it exits will allow the vet to prescribe an anti-biotic that will attack the infection in a very specific way and destroy it completely.

The bad thing about turning up the heat and not getting treatment is that if the snake does have RI, the increased heat can potentially cause the symptoms to subside, masking an infection that will inevitably return in the future.

Respiratory infections are nasty, contagious, and can kill a ball python dead if left to fester without treatment. If you even think you might have something wrong with your animal and aren't experienced in diagnosing and treating ailments in reptiles, seeing a veterinarian with experience treating reptiles is the best thing to do for your snake.

-adam