Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Ok... when I take one of my Columbians out she is constantly opening her mouth... not like shes yawning or fixing her jaw or even gonna strike. She just opens it alot. Also I here a clicking coming fom her nose when she breaths and when she breaths you can really hear her not normal... What do I do?! Do I have to bring her to a vet or is there anything else I can do. I'm kinda low on cash right now... I just recently lost my job so I'm looking but if I NEEDED to go to the vet for her I would. Please help... any suggestions would really help...
Thanks alot!
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2.0 Cats
1.0 Chihuahua mix
0.2 Columbian Red Tails
0.2 Leopard Geckos
0.0.1 Sulcata Tortoise
0.0.1 Leopard Tortoise
1.1.0 Kenyan Sand Boas
0.0.1 Western Hognose
1.3 Sugar Gliders

Lord knows I hate RIs. This is what I do that seems successful.

First-One thing to keep in mind- BCs are notorious for getting RIs. And once they get them it almost seems like no matter what you do they dont go away. (the bigger they are the more difficult to conquer) However Im convinced that when a larger boa has been treated and all other precautions are taken to ensure a healthy habitat, sometimes you will still hear a little weezing for what may seem the rest of there life but as long as theyre not opening their mouth to breath or bubbling at the mouth theyll probably be fine. My biggest female has like a permenant weezing. My vet said that sometimes when theyve had an RI it scars them a little and they may never fully get over it but it doesnt mean theyre real sick. My girl weezes occasionaly but doesnt open her mouth to breath or blow bubbles. I treated her with Baytril and Im not realy sure if it did anything but she seems ok for the most part.

1) If you are absolutely broke then the best thing you can do is turn up the heat. If you were planning on breeding this girl then all I can say is whats more important to you?...a dead snake or a live snake that could breed another day? I dont mean to scare you. But Ive lost a few snakes in the past to RIs when I was first starting out. Sometimes you learn the hard way right? Well thats me for some reason.
Anyway....
I would set he/she ambient temp in the mid 80s and the hot spot in the mid 90s. maybe even a tad higher. just dont cook it with an ambient temp in the 90s.

2)If you can spare $50 for a vet visit GOOOO!!! Its worth it. If you can find a vet who has more experience with reptiles (even better if they like reptiles-lol) try them. After inspection the vet may prescribe you an antibiotic like Baytril or something. Im not a huge advocate of the stuff because Ive had mixed results. I purchased my first bottle through my vet and she gave me some syringes to inject it. If youre not comfortable with needls you might try the oraly admitted version. I hope your snake aint too big.......have someone help you get that crap down its throat.
The vet can show you what proportion to give your boa.

The thing Ive noticed about Baytril is that I dont have much success if I: 1) administer it late in the RI and 2)lack of more heat while recovering. I have had good success when I administer it at the first sign of popping in the nostrils and keeping the animal warm. Ive lost a few ball pythons under the less effective conditions but never a boa. However I know people who have had boas die from RIs. Its a gamble depending when you start treatment and how.

Dont worry friend. Im trying to make you think your boas going to die. If you can scrounge $80 ($50 for visit and $30-40 for baytril) or so then take it to the vet. Most of all keep it realy warm. Too warm could stress it more. I made that mistake once too. I hope this helps you man. Good luck. Im going to bed.

Heres my big girl. ***the snake duh! I dont even know the chick.

Brendan
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And God said to Noah,"Let there be plenty of room for the serpents".
--not doctrine--

Ok thanks alot... I'll be sure to get it real warm in there and no shes real little... about a year not too bad. I'll see how it goes from there and if it gets worse I'll be sure to get her to a vet. Also is it contagious???? I have another female in there also.. I will take her out until i get a resopnse to this but would it be alright for them to be together?
Thanks again
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2.0 Cats
1.0 Chihuahua mix
0.2 Columbian Red Tails
0.2 Leopard Geckos
0.0.1 Sulcata Tortoise
0.0.1 Leopard Tortoise
1.1.0 Kenyan Sand Boas
0.0.1 Western Hognose
1.3 Sugar Gliders

Respiratory Infections are contagious big time. They are not air born so you dont need to evacuate your snake room however I would certainly not house her with other snakes if youre suspicious that she has a cold. It is a contact virus.

I read the other feedbacks and your comfirmation that she is in shed. I agree that occasionaly a boa may exibit the popping noise prior to shedding but if shes opening her mouth to breath or slobbering every where you have a situation that requires you immediate attention so just be cautious and as prepared as you can. Hopefuly a little warmth will do the trick. Alot of the time it does, especialy with a smaller animal.
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And God said to Noah,"Let there be plenty of room for the serpents".
--not doctrine--

This happened to my guy a few weeks ago. Mouth opening and clicking /popping sound. I contacted the seller of the snake, and he said it was most likely due to pre-shedding. My other boas I owned years ago did the same thing. It [most likely] is a direct result of beginning to shed. As soon as he shed the popping went away. Did your snake's eyes blue recently? If so, you can almost bet it's just pre-shed action. I'm not a vet, so take it with a grain of salt. But it was the same behavior...mouth opening and popping sound from the nose/mouth area. Let us know how it turns out.

- Damian

OMG that's the best news i've heard yet! I know for a fact she is shedding. Her tail has become very dull and a couple flakes of shed are hanging from the end. Great! Well I hope that is the case... That would be wonderfull... Thanks alot! You just made my night!
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2.0 Cats
1.0 Chihuahua mix
0.2 Columbian Red Tails
0.2 Leopard Geckos
0.0.1 Sulcata Tortoise
0.0.1 Leopard Tortoise
1.1.0 Kenyan Sand Boas
0.0.1 Western Hognose
1.3 Sugar Gliders

smiling...no problem. Glad I could make at least one person happy during my day. I was a little worried too when it happened with my new guy. Even though it had happened to snakes I had owned years ago, I couldn't quite remember what the cause or solution was. I'd be willing to bet that's what it is with your guy/gal too. Good luck

- Damian

If the skin looks dry and flaky try to up your humidity a little man. Just use a spray bottle and mist her and her cage once or twice daily while shes in shed so she can have a clean shed. No one likes a dry shed.LOL
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And God said to Noah,"Let there be plenty of room for the serpents".
--not doctrine--

lol no its not dry and flaky just a couple pieces.... I made sure to mist her as soon as i noticed she was shedding... I haven'd had a bad shed in a long long time...
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2.0 Cats
1.0 Chihuahua mix
0.2 Columbian Red Tails
0.2 Leopard Geckos
0.0.1 Sulcata Tortoise
0.0.1 Leopard Tortoise
1.1.0 Kenyan Sand Boas
0.0.1 Western Hognose
1.3 Sugar Gliders
0.1 Chinchilla