Reptile & Amphibian Forums

One of my adult female hondurans has been showing slight signs of an RI for the last week or so. It started with a shed and I know that hondos sometimes show RI signs when they are just about to shed but she has since shed and the wheezing is still there. She has a very small amount of mucus near the mouth but is still eating very well. I have upped her temps for now and I will be taking her to the vet ASAP. Should I be keeping the humidity high or low? None of my other hondurans have colds, what could I have done wrong with this girl?

Erik

I am having a similar problem with a couple snakes. It was first noticed in an older snake which I brought home from a show but I beleive I have narrowed the source down to some type of parasitic infection from food. I had to get some bigger mice/rats from another source since I didn't have any big enough to feed this snake in stock. The mice were not professionally raised and were usually prekilled as opposed to frozen and thawed.

I did a week of oral treatment and injections every other day for 10 days but symptoms are still the same. I forget exactly what it was, Flagyl or something, although I will doublecheck and update you. Whatever it was he said it would not kill parasites so I think this will be the next step. Unfortunately I am still waiting for my vet to return from holidays this month before I can bring the snake back again.

Your symptoms sound similar - Sometimes bubbles could be seen but never very much mucus or anything like mouthrot. Raising temperature didn't do anything at all and I was worried about humidity also but was told from different sources that this shouldn't be too much of a problem. I am currently at around 60-65 humidity (rainy weather lately) and have added a dehumidifier to my room just to be on the safe side. Tanks and water dishes have been exceptionally clean lately also.

For mine I'm suspecting some type of lungworm/hookworm or something althoug I have zero experience with reptile parasites. Any other guesses from anyone?

In regards to dealing with a minor case of R.I., jack up the temps as well as the humidity. There has been some confusions on this subject because some medications require lower humidity to do their job.

I would think that fi you have a hook/lung worm problem, flagyl would take care of it after a few treatments. Are there any regurge or general "wasting away" problems with your collection? These usually, but do not always, accompany lung/hook worms.

Also consider that SOME breathing sounds are normal. Sometimes when being held, they need to exhale or inhale a little bit harder, the problem comes when it becomes consistent with every or every other breath.

Thanks for the reply Andy. In my opinion my collection of snakes is very healthy. All of my animals eat and gain weight like they should and I do not have any other sick animals in my collection. I have this female quarantined and her temps are 88 with 90% humidity. She has already shown some signs of recovery as there is much less mucus near her mouth and less sneezing. How long do you recommend keeping her hot?

Erik

Personally I would keep her warm and humid for a week after all of the signs are gone. Good luck with her.