I have a 5yo male Burmese, a rescue, who is 8 1/2 feet long, 30lbs (was stunted as a baby). He is in excellent health in the summers, but every winter he gets a respiratory infection, of varying strength. He had pneumonia when I rescued him three years ago, and has had it again this year. Don't know if it was the antibiotic, acupuncture, herbs, or advance of warm spring weather that has finally knocked it out. Has anyone else had this problem? In terms of housing: I had a friend build an enclosure, but it is of a wood/acrylic mix and the wood tends to warp and crack because of the humidifiers I have to keep going during the winter (not to mention the heat). I wonder if there is a good commercial maker of enclosures, not just a box, but a real environment, that will be easier to clean, i.e. bleach wash once a month. Also: what is the best substrate to use for pythons? I have used everything from butcher paper, newspaper, and CareFresh commercial bedding. Would sphagnum moss hold humidity better, but without mildew? And what about spot-cleaning? I've also looked at Cypress bedding, but would like to know more about it. Any advice, especially from those who have chronically sick snakes like I do, will be greatly appreciated!
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best enclosure/substrate for Burmese?
Replies (2)
Humidifier? just use newspaper and mist him in shed. Make sure there's a good water bowl and that's about it. Dont like newspaper? Use coco husk . Too much humidity and not enough heat makes for a good resp. A little bit of squeeking is nothing to worry about as long as it cycles itself out but if it gets noticeably worse then up the temps.
we have a big ol' burm that gets the same infection every winter- we go on injections early and we're almost done with them now. I normally use newspaper- we have a lot of animals and its cheap (free) and readily available- for the burm i mentioned- I use bath towels- those really big ones- i guess they're beach towels. the cage doesn't have much ventilation so it hold humitidy pretty well. i change the towel when needed- poop, shed, more than a week old, etc... easy to wash- easy to get from thrift store for cheap and we can feed on it- no worries about ingesting wood chips, or dirt, etc...
you might try that.
Beth
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The rescue site: www.freewebs.com/okreptilerescue
