I finally brought the snake to a vet last Wednesday. He drew some blood and swabbed her mouth. On Friday, I was up there again and he said that she did indeed have a respiratory infection and a mild case of mouth rot. He gave her a shot, cleaned her mouth out with some kind of anti-septic, and sent me home with some anti-septic mouth wash to be used daily. Today I took her to the vet's office for another shot. She's scheduled for one more shot this Friday, and then a thorough checkup.

She has her energy back, the swelling in her throat has significantly decreased, and although her mouth is still swollen, her lips close all the way. Her eyes are beginning to cloud over and her skin has a dull appearance. Hopefully she'll shed soon.

I have the light set on a timer, a new thermostat installed, and a much smaller humidifier that I modified so that it could be adjusted easily and safely. Her bedding, hides, and everything else has been replaced with newspapers and plastic bowls for the sake of keeping the cage clean and sterile.

As soon as I have the resources together, I will start building a larger cage for her, but not out of glass. I'm wanting to build a wooden enclosure that is long enough for her when she's full grown, with dividers in place that can be moved as she grows. I'm looking into other methods of heating such a cage, and any modifications I may need in order to incorporate the thermostat, humidifier, light, and ventilation. I intend to use Plexiglas in the front, but with a hinged door, not a sliding door. If all goes as planned, I'll have what I need in about a month, two months at the latest.

The temperature in the cage has stabilized and the humidity only fluctuates by 5% or less. I can only hope that things will get better.

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