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i think my ball python might have a respiratory infection? sometimes he "yawns," but i've only seen him do that a few times since i got him almost a year ago. i've noticed a faint wheezing sound when he breathes, but it wasn't loud and it might not have even been coming from him. and sometimes when i hold him this clear, mucous-y substance comes from either his nose or his mouth, i've never seen him do it, just felt it on my hand. i keep him on a mulch i got from the pet store, spray him like once a day, temps are on the cool side around 75 F and hot side around 85-90 F. how can i tell if he actually does have one? what causes a respiratory infection? please help me!

The weezing and mucas is a pretty clear sign....Bump that cool side from 75 to 80-82...some might say warmer too. keep that hot close to 90 and bumo the humidity up too....

and him to a vet!!!!
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Dave
Phila, PA

www.DNReptiles.com
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Your snake does indeed have a respiratory infection. Untreated your snake will begin producing more bubby saliva, its throat will become increasingly inflamed, and it will start gaping. Your snake will also most likely stop feeding and become lethargic and gradually waste away. I have never had a problem with ball pythons and respiratory infections however I did have a pair of dumerils boas that just would not get better. It was about 12 years ago and there were no vets in my small town that could treat reptiles. I had an experienced friend give each one a shot of Baytril and it cleared right up. Acting on the advice of my friend I also moved them to a much smaller enclosure to control temps and humidity. Now having the internet I have learned the respiratory infections were my own fault. I was keeping my Dumerils in too big of an enclosure while they were juveniles. They were stressed out causing a weakened immune system.

I agree with Dave in the post above. Heat the enclosure up to an acceptable range and you should have two hides. One hide on the heat and one on the cooler side. If you mimize stessors and provide proper temperature the infection will clear up quickly. Take the snake to vet.

Brad Ratliff

Are you using a heat pad or a heat lamp?? If you're only using a heat lamp and turning it off at night, then its getting too cold at night. Ideally, you should have an undertank reptile heat pad turned on 24 hours a day, and a lamp that only comes on during the day. That way the snake can always warm up at night if it gets too cold.

This may not have a huge impact on the respiratory infection, but some substrates can cause respiratory problems in ball pythons and other substrates don't hold humidity very well. The SAFEST substrates available at most pet stores are: Aspen wood chips (most people use this for ball pythons), Cypress mulch, and Carefresh.

Also, if you're using Reptibark or NatureBark, you should probably get rid of it. These substrates have a lot of dust that the snake will inhale, and tiny splinters that can get lodged under the snake's scales. They also don't hold any humidity. Pine shavings are also dangerous as they contain small amounts of phenols, the same thing that makes cedar toxic to reptiles.

Definitely raise the temps and take the snake to the vet, some Baytril should clear it right up!

Hope this helps,
kasey

i keep an under tank heater halfway under his hiding place so that he can choose if he wants to sleep on the cool side or the warm side of the heat pad. i also have a ceramic heat emitter for the hot side. The tank is between 35 and 40 gallons, and he is a year and two months old, barely pushing three feet long. Is this too big of a tank? I have a 25 or 30 gallon tank available if it is..?

Well I will start off by saying I do not think it has a R.I. based on what you said alone . It is possible and it is always better to err on the side of coition and bump up the temps by 5 -10 degrees as it will not hurt it if it doesn’t have a R.I. . As for the wheezing sound all Balls make a slight wheezing when they breath so that is not a help when you said a slight wheezing and not shore it came from the snake , and as for the saliva ,mucus like stuff on your hand , I have had several type snakes occasionally leave the same on me or my examining table and that is also normal under some circumstances . A-typically a Ball with a R.I. will have fluid coming from there nose in some amount or another even before there mouth starts to gape and can or will have bubals around the mouth and nose . So keep a close eye on it for further symptoms and do bump up your temps and if your still not shore and need to know for shore take it to a Vet. Thanks David of DS Reptile Rescue , Removal & Rehabilitation

thanks for all your help. but if he doesnt have a respiratory infection, why did he "yawn," or gape his mouth?

95% of the time that a ball python yawns, it's immediately after he has eaten and he is just realigning his jaw. Occasionally they will yawn for no reason, but a ball python normally never keeps it's mouth open for more that a few seconds during a yawn. If the mouth is actually "gaping", or if the the snake is open-mouth breathing EVER there is a very good reason to have him seen by a vet. If you let it get to the point that the snake has bubbles coming out of his nose and difficulty breathing it is going to be much harder to cure, and it may be too late. RI's are very gradual and the sooner you get them cleared up the better.

how do i tell the difference between a yawn and open-mouthed breathing? can he die from a RI?

p.s., the opening of his mouth is very occasional, if that makes a difference.

Balls tend to yawn more than any other snake I know of and will yawn after eating to realign there jaws and after waking up or for know other than to stretch there mouth but the gaping we are talking about for a snake with a R.I. is when there mouth is slightly open so they can breath better .David of DS Reptile Rescue

Low temps and high humidityis one cause of RI. From what you described, to me it sounds like it is.
Your temps should be:
90f - 93f on the warm side
80f - 83f on the Cool side
Humidity 50% - 60% (70% when in shed)
What are you using to measure your temps/humidity?
I hope it's not dial gages... they are Very unreliable.
There should be 2 hides - one on the Warm side, above the UTH and one on the Cool side.
Snakes are cold blooded, so they use their suroundings to warm them up.
I have Never heard that slight weasing is normal for BPs. I have 2 and they crawl around my neck/ear area and I have never heard Them wease.
I would make a trip to the vet asap