Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a Florida Kingsnake and she has been sneezing and she spits out some white mucus. I have taken her to the vet and they said that she was alright but she is still spitting up the mucus. I was wondering can she possibly have allergies?

It sounds to me like your snake has a respiratory infection. You need to bring him to a vet that knows what they are doing with herps and then once you get a proper diagnosis go back to the first vet and ask for a refund!

~ Mike Russo

Well she is still very active and she doesn't have any mucus running from her nose or just coming out of her mouth it only happens when she sneezes. And she is still taking her feedings too that's why I am puzzled.I upped the temperature in her tank to 90 degrees. The vet I took her to was referred by an Herpetologist site.

Do you hear any "clicking" sound when you listen carefully to the snake breathe when put to your ear for a while?, this is also a sure sign of a respiratory infection. Listen for this in a place with complete silence so you can hear a pin drop.

~Doug
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"Better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open mouth and remove any doubt!"

Does anyone know of any other exotic vets in Macomb Michigan? Cause I am running out of options and yes Doug I can hear a clicking sound when she sticks out her tongue. One side of the tank is at 88 degrees and the other is at 78. If anyone can help me I would greatly appreciate it thank you so much everyone

Sneezing, Mucus, & Clicking.. Your snake has a Upper Respiratory Infection!

If your vet saw this snake in person and these symptoms did not lead him to believe that this animal had a URI then he should NOT treat reptiles and he should NOT be taking your hard earned money for an office visit.. Not to mention that his diagnosis (or lack there of) can cost this animal his life..

I don't know how much you paid him, but in my opinion he owes you every penny of your money back!

~ Mike Russo

Boy,.....I couldn't agree more!,...if it showed these signs while at this so-called "vets" office, and he/she couldn't make the obvious R.I. diagnosis, that vet has no business opening the doors to reptiles at ALL. But unfortunately, that still leaves the snake with the potentially lethal problem. I really wish I could recommend a vet from that area, but that's quite impossible as I live in central Florida.

Maybe a "Google search" for herp vets in the area could possibly turn up some results. Or even calling some other vets in the are that DON'T specialize in reptiles, often times, they can refer you to a vet they know that DOES work with reptiles.

One thing's for sure, the snake needs the warm temps your giving PLUS a regimen of antibiotics, and SOON!

Hope things work out for the snake. Please keep us posted on the snake's progress.

best regards, ~Doug
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"Better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open mouth and remove any doubt!"

Yes, I also agree with Mike on this,.....those are OBVIOUS signs of a respiratory infection!, and it needs to be kept in a warm temp environment(82-86 degrees) in conjunction with the administration of some antibiotics(such as Amikacin) by a KNOWLEDGEABLE vet this time! It doesnt sound to me that this previous vet had the slightest clue as to what he was doing, but was quite willing to take your money.

This can be cleared up if taken care of SOON!, but if left untreated, can quickly lead to the snake's death.

Is the snake even still vountarily feeding on it's own?

Please take some good advice, and get it to a COMPETENT herp vet for treatment ASAP!........good luck!

best regards, ~Doug
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"Better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open mouth and remove any doubt!"

Yes she is feeding on her own.

Sounds like a URI to me.

Be carefull getting the snake too hot, I am assuming you meant that just the hot end is 90F?

There has always been a debate about whether to keep the snake very dry, to help dry up the mucous, or to keep the snake very humid, to loosen/break up the mucous. Thankfully I have not had a URI in my collection for years but what I have advised people is to let the snake choose. Keep the cage dry but provide a large dark humid hide and let the animal self medicate.

URIs are usually bacterial so sometimes antibiotics can help.

Cheers

Thank you everyone for all your help, I found a better vet and now she is on antibiotics, thank you everyone for your input it helped me alot

Hope things work out well for the snake!

~Doug
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"Better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open mouth and remove any doubt!"

I always tell people (and, I am sure that you will agree) that it's best to find a vet BEFORE you actually need one.. This way when the time comes you avoid situations like this.

I am very glad to hear that you are doing the right thing to try to help the animal..

Keep us posted on his progress!

~ Mike Russo

I took her to the vet about a month ago and they gave me antibiotic shots for her. I have done all the shots and kept her environment clean and sterilized and I even turned up the heat in her tank but she is still spitting up white mucus. Any ideas???? She is still quite active, very good appetite and she is even begun her shedding cycle. I have no idea what to do I am totally lost can anyone help me out?