Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i have a baby hognose that i bought around december. It has not shed since then. I have not been lookng after it for most of the time, so I am not exactly sure what is going on. I am assuming at some point it was ready to shed and cleared up but never did. Now, it is being still arching its head up and opening its mouth; it appears to be having trouble breathing. The housing is fine as far as i can tell. any idea what is wrong/ what to do?

oh yea he has been eating fine and is usually pretty active and usually appears to be healthy.

This is NOT a good sign at all!!. it sounds like he could have been neglected, and kept way too cool!, and now has a respiratory infection,....You didn't say what species it was, but regardless it needs to see a qualified vet ASAP!.....more than likely he needs some antibiotics(only snake tollerant), wether or not your snake pulls through depends entirely on your swift action!.........................................Doug
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Better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open mouth and remove any doubt!

as far as i know he was well looked after in my absense. I think that he does have a respiratory infection, but im really concerned that he has not shed in 4 months since he has been eating and growing a lot- 2-3 inches.

Just to make sure, put the snake in a small container(with air holes) filled with very moist spagnum moss or something similar and keep him in it overnight. Make SURE the snake does NOT get too cold during this process!as this will make his respiratory condition even worse!!. keep the snake at around 85 degrees. Don't guess at the temp., use a thermometer. By the next day, if it had old shed skin on it, it should have been able to slough it off by then.......double check to see if there is old skin on the snakes body, it will look separated from the new skin on his body, and might have been too weak to remove it on his own due to the infection. If you do see this separation, gently grasp the snake behind the head, and gently push up on his upper lip from underneath to get the skin to start separating, repeat this process on the bottom lip as well, then you will be able to start the process for him. Make SURE the lenses(ocular scales) come off of the eyes, and ALL the old skin comes off, regardless of how it gets done, this is VERY important that all of it comes off!.......okay, now that that's been addressed, you are still left with a snake that most likely has a severe respiratory infection. It still needs antibiotics, and kept around 84-86 degrees so his "auto-immune" system can help combat the infection!.....when snakes hold their head up and gape, it is pretty bad at this point!....you can verify this by listening very carefully to see if you can hear any "wheezing", or bubbles coming from the nostrils.....in any case, it needs medical help, and SOON!........hope this helps steer you in the right direction....hope the snake pulls through!,...............Doug
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Better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open mouth and remove any doubt!