Quote Originally Posted by stevey_t123
you mean a booger, would you go to the vet cuz u got a booger up your nose? ya know the vet would really stress her out.
So you obviously don't have a clue about reptile physiology, veterinary medicine, or proper care of captive animals ... point taken.

Dried mucus (or "boogers" as you so maturely and eloquently phrased it) is indicative of a respiratory infection in captive ball pythons ... these animals don't posses the natural ability to expel mucus and phlegm from their lungs like people do so as it builds up internally it seeps out of their nostrils and mouth and dries. When a respiratory infection gets to that point in a ball python, the only way to permanently cure it is with anti-biotics that can only be prescribed by a licensed veterinarian.

Comparing the way ailments in people are treated to how they are treated in reptiles is not logical. Warm blooded mammals (ie. people) generate their own body heat and are able to stimulate their immune system to fight disease ... if the disease is mild enough they may be able to combat it without medication. Reptiles on the other hand do not generate their own body heat and have an immune system that is easily compromised by low temperatures and the general stresses of living in captivity ... medication is a critical component of managing their illnesses.

Of course there is stress associated with a trip to the vet for a reptile, but the animal is already stressed from the illness itself ... Personally, for my snakes, I'd pick stress that is treatable over DEAD any day.

-adam