Is my snake sick??

[onewaylife4all]

Hey everyone. I just got an adult Ball python about a month ago. I'm wondering if he is having symptoms of RI. It always stays quiet warm in his tank, but I'm worried that it may have gotten to cold at night. Anyway, he is making noises when he breathes, like little clicking or popping sounds as they describe in RI. He also seems to be holding his head up allot when on the ground as well. What's weird is that he is still eating, is still very active at nights, and has no drainage of any kind that I can see anywhere. I've even looked in his mouth a couple times when he yawns and can't see anything...

If this is an RI, would it still be in the stages of me being able to raise his temperature to simulate and autoimmune response? Can a regular animal vet, or hospital take care of snakes too? I've looked and looked and I don't see anything in this area called a "reptile veterinarian."

???


Thanks so much

[Spaniard]

Sounds like you need a vet visit. Try looking for a good herp vet in your area, look for a local herpotological society and see if they can refer you. Good look.

[xdeus]

Welcome to the site and congratulations on getting a new Ball!

First off, I would suggest that you read our caresheet to answer any questions you may have about your setup. An ideal environment will maintain a temperature gradient from the low 80s to the low 90s 24 hours a day.

Now to get to your questions... those are symptoms of a respiratory infection but the only way to tell for certain is to take him to a veterinarian that specializes in reptiles. Also, please don't assume that your snake can get rid of an infection on its own. They have a different immune system than we do, and an URI is much more serious than a common cold in mammals. Quite often URIs will be fatal if not treated by antibiotics.

Here are a couple sites that might help you find a qualified vet in your area:
http://arav.org/Directory.htm
http://www.herpvetconnection.com/


Good luck!!

[onewaylife4all]

Thanks everyone. I took him to a vet and they said he did have a URI, so now he is taking antibiotics for it. Hopfully that should clear it up. He seems to be doing better after his first shot but just tonight he started opening and closing his mouth over and over again. His next shot is tommorow so we'll see what happens.

Thanks again.

[frankykeno]

Now that he's getting vet treatment the next step needs to be figuring out your husbandry so this doesn't happen again. What sort of enclosure do you have? What are the temps and humidity and how do you monitor them?

[dyhutton]

Hi,
I am also a new first time owner of a male bp. I bought Slinky from a reptile show in South Africa three months ago. He had the same symtoms but he wasn't eating. Took him to a vet where he was put on antibiotics and then later was also given a parasite shot. Then not long after that he swallowed a stick with his food which lodged sideways in the back of his mouth.
Now he is busy shedding for the first time. Good luck, hope he is better soon!

[sosa]

How much did the treatment cost

[JLC]

How much did the treatment cost

This thread is over three years old. I doubt you'll get an answer to your question, and even if you did, it wouldn't exactly be recent data.

Costs of vet visits vary a lot from place to place and vet to vet. If you need more specific information, feel free to start a fresh thread asking for help.