Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi I have a female Honduran Milksnake that is about three-four years old and in the past few weeks has begun to "clear" her nostrils when she breathes (not exactly every breath but like once or twice when i hold her for about 10 minutes). Nothing comes out of her nostrils, she never breathes with her mouth open and doesnt seem bothered by anything (she stills eats every time I offer food). She lives in a 50 gallon tank and the substrate is aspen shavings. the temp over the heat pad is 95 degrees F, overall is 75 degrees and the humidity is about 50%.
Should I be worried? thanks.

I would drop the hot spot down to about 85 degrees or so. I would also raise the humidity by covering much of the top as I assume it's a screen top. Just cover most of the top with something like newspaper leaving just a 1 to 2 inch gap on each end of the top for circulation. Put a large water bowl in the aquarium that is big enough for the snake to get into which will help raise the humidity. You dont really need to keep a close check on the humidity level as these changes should keep it in a suitable range. If the snake continues to "sneeze" a while after you make these changes I might try newspaper although I have never seen a honduran have problems from aspen bedding. Good luck. Randy W.

Is the snakes going to shed - i.e. were the eyes blue recently?

If so, soak the snake in tepid water about 1/2" deep only, maybe for 5 minutes or so.

In the wild, these snakes practice water balance by staying underground during dry periods to prevent water loss. In captivity they can't do this in many cases, so they need hydration sometimes.

The wheezing will go away after the shed. If that is the cause.
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Mark

She's not in shed actually and i have two waterbowls in the cage but i will cover some of the top and drop the hot spot down.
Thank you.