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Sorry, I know I've brought this up a couple times before. My Brooksi just seems to sneeze from time to time. It's been going on for so long now that I'm almost totally convinced there is no health concern. But I just can't seem to find a definitive answer as to what this might be. A search through forum archives comes up with everything from it's normal to it's alarming to it's something else because snakes don't sneeze.

Yesterday she ate a pretty big meal, and I was watching her for a while afterwards because I gave her a bigger hide on her warm side and was curious as to how she liked it. I saw her 'sneeze' three times in about a half hour. A distinct 'Psss!' sound accompanied by a twitch of her whole body. It sounds like air is coming out, there is no unusual liquid or moisture around her mouth or nose, her behavior is otherwise normal and she appears on all other accounts to be healthy as an ox.

Another thing that comes up in my forum searches is the dry skin in the nostrils before a shed, but she is not approaching a shed. All in all I've seen her do this maybe a dozen times in the past six months, so it's not 'chronic,' but I wish I understood it better so I wouldn't worry about it.

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0.1 Lampropeltis Getula Floridana
1.0 Elaphe Guttata Slowinskii

Just normal bodily functions. Nothing to worry about from what you have described.

Look for:
1)Runny or smelly stools
2)hard masses or growths (tumors)
3)mouthrot
4)mites
5)regurges

The latter 3 are not serios and can be easily fixed.

I also frequently see my Florida kings with their mouth agape. This usually happens pre-shed and is nothing to worry about if their is no ecessive buildup of mucus around the nostrils. Also check for mouthrot if this happens. Others not "normally" a concern either.
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"Yeah ya told me, and ya wrote it down too. But how the hell am I supposed to remember!"

Look for:
1)Runny or smelly stools
2)hard masses or growths (tumors)
3)mouthrot
4)mites
5)regurges

Thanks Bluerosy.
1. Well they sure don't smell pleasant but I believe they are normal. I assume you're not looking for 'April Fresh' here.

2. I handle her a lot and would definitely notice something. Looks good here.

3. What does this look like? Her mouth is pink and looks healthy to me. But I haven't seen the inside of many snakes' mouths.

4. No mites.

5. She's never regurged.
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0.1 Lampropeltis Getula Floridana
1.0 Elaphe Guttata Slowinskii

3. What does this look like? Her mouth is pink and looks healthy to me. But I haven't seen the inside of many snakes' mouths.

White causeus deposits along the teeth and gumline. Usually start with just a small white spot and then spreads quickly if left untreated.
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"Yeah ya told me, and ya wrote it down too. But how the hell am I supposed to remember!"

I will give her a close look this evening. Can you open a snake's mouth to look inside? My descriptions come from just catching her yawn or adjust her jaws. She doesn't mind being handled, but I don't want to traumatize her trying to look inside her mouth.
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0.1 Lampropeltis Getula Floridana
1.0 Elaphe Guttata Slowinskii

just use any dull instrument (like a popsicle stick) and use it to open the mouth. Florida kings don't stress that easy. She will struggle but will be fine as soon as you are done. Bad stressers are long time handling and general husbandry. Those are the ones that are detrimental to a snakes health.
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"Yeah ya told me, and ya wrote it down too. But how the hell am I supposed to remember!"

your honor(mr.bluerosy,can i call you that?)....the above list of five symptoms-all things to look out for as a hobbyist-but i don't really see a one that directly relates to the suspected most likely/possible culprit here-a respiratory infection...if the guy is noticing sneezes all of a sudden,that could be of substance right there-the fact that he's noticing it now indicates perhaps an increase in their frequency?.....ok,no discharge,that's a good thing.i would measure the % r.h. in the room,make sure the enclosure is staying dry,poops are being remoevd as needed furthermore bedding is replaced frequently;do the dried poops have any mold spores growing on them?if so that's bad....is the snake warm enough?equally important,can it thermoregulate within it's enclosure(temperature gradient present?).....is their sufficient ventilation?....hold the snake up to your ears-wait until it breaths.do you hear wheezing?how about a clicking sound,that's no good either....this is like a cold and yes it's contagious.short term,try increasing the temps a bit and run down this list as well.
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"with head raised regally,and gazing at me with lidless eyes,he seemed to question with flicks of his long forked tongue my right to trespass on his territory" Carl Kauffeld

I wouldn't say an increase in frequency. I've noticed it for several months and we got her in April. And it's infrequent enough that you have to be staring at her when it happens to notice. Room isn't very humid, last time I measured was in the 30s. Enclosure is dry, poops removed, aspen replaced periodically. Her warm side is between 86 and 87, I don't have a thermometer on the cool side but it's a 30 breeder so there's plenty of room to thermoregulate. And ventilation's fine. I haven't taken her out tonight to examine her but I will...
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0.1 Lampropeltis Getula Floridana
1.0 Elaphe Guttata Slowinskii

Usually if you increase the temps in the cage and have a few inches of substrate. A snake with an infection will burrow down to the hot area. They do this on their own to battle infection and it is usually all they need. But if you snake does not choose the hot area it may not have an infection.

I suggest increasing the overall and hi point temps to battle (if there is an infection). Taking to a vet and any handling will increase the stress if the snake is sick. So leave the snake alone and just observe.

If you feel that strongly about the snake having a respitory infection call the vet and ask for a perscription of baytril. This will save you $ on an office visit.
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"Yeah ya told me, and ya wrote it down too. But how the hell am I supposed to remember!"

While I understand you wanting to jump to conclusions but half my collection must have had a respriratory infection for the last 10 years.

This gaping and sneezing is more common in Florida kings. If he was asking about a boid or some other species my answer would have been different.

This is why I don't think much of vets unless they keep snakes and are specifically familiar with a certain species. Some things are species specific. Best to do your own research and get a microscope and take it from there. What do you think breeders who have large collections do everytime their snake sneezes or has a runny stool? Can you imagine the expense? Can you imagine what it would cost BHB Enterprises or one of the other well known large scale breeders to take each snake to a vet?

#1 best prevention is clean water bowls.

#2 quarnantine ALL new aquisitions before introducing into your colony.

These two steps will narrow most spreadable deseases down to a minimum.
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"Yeah ya told me, and ya wrote it down too. But how the hell am I supposed to remember!"

the things i pointed out are pretty factual,i stand by what i said....also with all due respect ranier to say coughing and sneezing is commonplace with just a certain subspecies sounds unheard of.have you/do you keep a large enough pool of other getula ssp. that you can really compare the floridana to?.......but no doubt stuff varies from species to species,or at least genus to genus;and i agree entirely about the water bowls and the importance of quarentine.nothing further.
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"with head raised regally,and gazing at me with lidless eyes,he seemed to question with flicks of his long forked tongue my right to trespass on his territory" Carl Kauffeld

Yes I have lots of Florida kings. Been working with other species for years as well.

There is not really anything new under the sun. Its all part of maintaning large collections. Using meds and administering doses is common with breeders who make a living at it.
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"Yeah ya told me, and ya wrote it down too. But how the hell am I supposed to remember!"

I've noticed every now and then my chain king sneezes as well,but he is healthy as a horse,not a drip. lol

Plus he's always got cash on him, which is nice...
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0.1 Lampropeltis Getula Floridana
1.0 Elaphe Guttata Slowinskii

lol! i need to be a snake since people always have cash for size for pics. but i'll be the first snake to steal

This is a crappy picture (camera phone), but yesterday at the Chantilly show I had this guy hold a pen up to this spider for scale. This thing was huge! Really aggressive too, he turned his butt toward that pen instantly and I guess was ready to shoot those hairs at it like they do.

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0.1 Lampropeltis Getula Floridana
1.0 Elaphe Guttata Slowinskii

Plus he's always got cash on him, which is nice...

LOL...I need to get some better pics of this guy,he's got nice whiter bands than in that blurry pic.

Hey Eddie,

my Florida Kingsnake sneezes, as well. I usually notice this after I have handled him and put him back into his enclosure. He's done this almost from the start. That was over a year ago. He is otherwise healthy and normal. He eats like a - well, like a Florida Kingsnake!

I agree that you should always keep an eye for all the other factors, as I do. BUT, it is possible that sometimes a sneeze is just a sneeze (my wife says that my snake is allergic to me)!

Thanks! Hey I've probably asked you this before, but can I see more pics of your snake??
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0.1 Lampropeltis Getula Floridana
1.0 Elaphe Guttata Slowinskii

Eddie,

I'll take some soon and post them for you.
I'm actually doing a 'show & tell' with him in the morning at my churches' pre-school. Snake handling at the church!

Sometimes the substrate can do this - cause some sneezing occasionally. I've seen it with kings on wood shavings, where they occasionally sneeze (not because of sheds). When moved to another substrate, like coir fiber or newspaper, they stop.
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Mark

I was talking to my vet and she recommended that CareFresh Ultra. Have you used that? It seems like maybe it's the same white stuff I see at reptile shows a lot. Sure would show off her colors, I know that much! But it's hypo allergenic and looks a lot better than paper towels. But she had concern about the aspen as well, that's what is in both our snake tanks now.
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0.1 Lampropeltis Getula Floridana
1.0 Elaphe Guttata Slowinskii

Carefresh is a mess with any humidity. Does not absorb well.

I have been keeping Florida kings on pine shaving for a number of years. Never had a problem with it.
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"Yeah ya told me, and ya wrote it down too. But how the hell am I supposed to remember!"