Howdy, Rotten!



I think you're on the right track in the way your thinking about causes of RI but let me try to explain it the way I see it with hopes that it'll help you.



Bottomline:

RI is caused by caging conditions. Different cages can have different problems that cause RI. For example: 1 - A tank w/screen lid doesn't hold heat or humidity well and snakes kept in these types of cages usually get RI from low temps and/or low humidity. 2 - Commercial and homemade enclosures can have too restricted of an air flow, allowing mold growth. Inhaling mold spores can cause RI. Most young snakes seem to be more tolerant, resistant to mold.



I'd venture to say that about 75% of today's keepers fall into example #1, tank/screen lid cage and that's why I believe low temps/humidity is the leading cause of RI.



However, the situation you described doesn't fall into that category, so it's likely that mold could be the culprit. Regardless of the type of cage it's a good idea to clean every inch of the cage when cleaning it, not just the visible mess. A 5 - 10% bleach to water solution will kill mold but want stop it from coming back. As far as I know antibacterial soap won't phase it. (I know you said you use it on their waterbowls, not cage, but just making sure everyome reading knows.) I use the same bleach solution that I clean cages with to clean waterbowls, too. I rinse them thoroughly afterwards, and if I have time I let 'em dry out but I don't worry too much about drying 'em out.



If you suspect mold you should try to increase the cage's ventilation as stagnant humid air is resident evil.



As far as newspaper & kraft paper goes, kraft paper might be a little more mold resistant since it's not as absorbant as newspaper. There's still a chance for mold to grow under it, though.



Just for this information to be somewhat complete, another cause of RI is it can be passed from an infected snake to another snake. I've seen it said that they have to come in contact with the infected snake's feces for it to happen but I'm not too sure about that. Maybe, maybe not.



Take care, Jeff!

Mike
-----
Due to political correctness run amuck,

this ol' hillbilly is now referred to as an:

Appalachian American

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