Husbandry help please, my girl might have RI

[bobbyd6929]

Hello,
I currently have a May 08, what I believe to be a female.(I watched and re-watched the 8-ball pythons popping vids and did my best to be gentle and found no hemipenes) I purchased this girl in september from her first owner that bought her from a local reptile show. she has never missed a meal for the first owner(a good friend of mine) and never for me. she has shed 3 times since i have had her and has grown remarkably since i have gotten her. I am worried tho because I currently am in college in Dekalb IL and our winter days are super cold so I have been struggling with humidity, and today I had her out of the tank and i heard a squeak.... I put her head close to my ear and after a few seconds another one, they are very faint and not every breathe but definitely noticable, i also noticed her in her humid hide with her head up against the side, clear sign of RI... So I made an appt. for thursday with the local exotic veterinarian and i am hoping I caught it early as there are no signs of mucus build up or bubbles on her nose or mouth.
I am sorry if this post seems wordy, I am just trying to do everything I can for my girl; Hope I can get some help

20g long tank


Cool side (sorry for glare just want to show the tank)

It is hard to make out but there are two hides on this side. One in the corner(cool hide) and one adjacent to it in the middle of the tank with a UTH underneath. I currently do not have a thermostat so i have a light dimmer setup with a digital thermometer ontop of the glass.(until i can afford a nice herpstat!) the snake loves both hides because they are small and has no problem switching inbetween the two.

Warm side

In the right corner i placed I small tupperware that is her Humid hide, it has a breathable lid and about 3/4inch of water in it. i changed the water everyday to everyother(as often as I can)

Top



Okay.. I have the Temp gradient set... cool side is 82-84 with a night time low of maybe 76-79... warm side temp is 90-92 but my humidity stays under and around 30% depending on the time of the day, i do have a digital hygrometer/thermometer and it is currently on the cool side reading 25%. I also spray the tank 1 or 2 times a day and several times when i notice she is going into shed, and that will bring it up between 60-70%. her last shed was perfect but now i question why she is wheezing? is it because of the constant low humidity?
As for a substrate I am currently using astro-turf with 2 layers of papertowel underneath. could this be the culprit? it made cleaning very easy for me because i can just replace it with a new sheet and thoroughly clean it. I had been told by my friend i got the snake from that the turf was okay and his older brother has used it for several of his snakes in the past without a problem, but now I am thinking that I need to switch to aspen or cypress or desert snow to maintain the humidity. Please help!!!

thank you.

I previously posted this in cage setup section of the forum

[Michelle.C]

Astro-turf is a breeding ground for bacteria. If you switch to Cypress or Aspen, you will be able to hold the humidity much better. You can also use newspaper or paper towels, but they won't assist you in keeping the humidity up.

I also don't see the need for a night time drop. Keep your basking temperatures 90-92 and ambient temperatures 82-84 twenty four hours a day. You aren't breeding, so there is no need for night time drops, they will just cause you problems.

Your Veterinarian will be able to tell you if she has an Respiratory Infection or not. It's impossible to tell why she has a Respiratory Infection. Low temperatures and low humidity certainly can cause RIs, but if you correct your husbandry issues, it shouldn't be a problem in the future.

Good luck!

[llovelace]

I would raise the humidity add some spagnum moss it helps, also if this is first trip to reptile vet with this animal have a complete exam done with fecal etc.

[bobbyd6929]

I would raise the humidity add some spagnum moss it helps, also if this is first trip to reptile vet with this animal have a complete exam done with fecal etc.

Would I need to bring it in? because she hasnt gone yet since her last feeding!

[Michelle.C]

Would I need to bring it in? because she hasnt gone yet since her last feeding!

Most veterinarians can do a fecal swab/wash. If they are unable to yes, you need to bring a sample in. If you aren't able to bring it in when you are getting her checked for the Respiratory Infection, wait until she has a bowel movement and the veterinarian should be able to check it without seeing the snake. If she happens to defecate in the middle of the night, when you don't have access to rush it over to their office right away, etc. Place it in a ziplock bag and put it in the refrigerator, I believe the sample is good for 24 hours.

[bobbyd6929]

So my last question would have to be this, the local petco has aspen so I believe that will be my new subtrate, should I wait untill after the vet appt to change to it? should i wait until all of her medicine is finished? I am planning on going to the petco to get the substrate today and then ill put it in the freezer for a day or two to kill germs.

I had just found out that one of my roommates had left a window open over the weekend and when he returned sunday the tank temp was 55 degrees and the heating pad temp was 90 and stella was in the tree directly under the light so I am assuming that led to the RI...

[Michelle.C]

Go ahead an change her substrate now. Freezing it or baking it at 350 will do the job.

[bobbyd6929]

The Vet was amazed at how healthy and beautiful my girl was, he also said that since the wheezing had subsided, that it would be better to wait until more eminent signs appear, if any do. the fecal exam showed that she has round worms so he gave me some panacur to put on her rodents for the next 5 weeks then Shell have a follow up fecal exam.
Thanks for the help!
My girl is happy and my tank is set! and my girl is happy and had a great feed today!