Reptile & Amphibian Forums

We have an albino, almost a year old, 6-8 ft, good size (~6 inches) in circumfrence, active, curious, aggressive eater, tame to handle, healthy in appearance and behavior.

If we keep the humidity at 50-60% he is prone to squeaks, high pitched noises, and'coughs'? There has never been mucus, nose rubbing, or clogged nostrols noted. He doesnt seem to have difficulty breathing during these times and this never effects his eating or activity level. We raise the temps to 92 all around, drop the humidity, and the noises go away.

The down side is that when it comes shedding time, he gets very scaly and looks dried out leather. We soak him in warm water till he looks normal, and he starts shedding within the day, but can need help to get it all off.

Is there something we are doing wrong? Why does he keep getting this noise thing? Could it be something other than RI?

Husbandry:
150 gal tank
Substrate is coconut chips at the moment, but has been cypress and aspen, depending on what Reptile Depot has enough of.
Ceramic heater; 88-92 on the hot side, never under 78-80 on the cool side.
12/12 light cycle
Large enough water bowl for soaking, though he never goes in it.
Hide area made from logs and silk ferns
He comes out to explore, crawl, and be handled at lease once a week.
He is hook trained.
He feeds in a seperate enclosure.
He eats jumbo rats, F/T, weekly, only refused once when his eyes were milky and he ate right after the shed.

well, a few things come to mind on this. one is that retics are for the most very immune to ri, the whistling type noise could be from old shed skin that didnt come fully off from previous sheds, especiall if it has a history of shedding issues. also it is not uncommon for retics to shed in more pieces as they get bigger. 2 of my retics since getting over the 7 foot mark or so always shed in pieces, and their humidity level is around 60 or so and up to about 70-75 while in shed. its a retic thing
-----
retic is king of kings

1.0 tiger (unknown het)
1.0 lavendar albino tiger
0.1 patternless african rock
0.1 purple albino

Thanks for the feedback. I checked the nostrils closely, and dont believe there is anything to cause the whistle. I will watch them closely

When you say cough, are you seeing an open mouth cough with a strong corresponding compression of the ribs in the lung area? If that is the case, I believe you have more going on here. Many tropical pythons get lung tissue irritation from low humidity levels before an RI actually develops. If you lower the humidity, the noise may disappear, but the lung irritation may be aggravated. My other question would be what you are using to measure the humidity level within the unit. Thanks,

Kelly

I think Kelly nailed it. Along with Kelly's question of what you're using to measure humidity, I ask - "Where are you taking the readings?" At the snake's level (near substrate) or at the top of the tank? Hot or cool end?

What exactly do you mean by "ceramic heater?" Cermic heat emitter placed on top of the tank or something else?

It's important to take care of the snake's health situation, but equally important is rectifying the underlying cause. These types of issues are very common with aquariums due to inadequate tops. It's pretty easy to modify tank tops or to make one that will work just fine.

Hang in there!
HH
-----
Due to political correctness run amuck,
this ol' hillbilly is now referred to as an:
Appalachian American

www.natures-signature.com

I agree, Kelly got it right. My vet advised me to drop the humidity and raise the temps. After hearing from Kelly, I believe my husbandry was off, I should be keeping the humidity up to decrease the irritation.

I am using a humidity gauge from Reptile Depot, that I test for accuracy using a salt/water/plastic tub test I read about on this forum. I move it around the tank on different days to monitor overall humidity. There are lots of branches and levels for exploring and measuring humidity.

Thanks for your feedback. It helped me to rethink my choices and change my husbandry with an eye for accuracy.

Kelly,
Thank you for your help. My vet told me to drop the humidity and raise the temps when my retics started the cough thing. When I took the male in, he was only doing a weeze and may have just been RI. I have also seen the other behavior you described. Sometimes it is just noisy breathing. It is definitely open mouth, rib pushing air expulsion at it's most severe. I felt like something was off from my vet's advice, but didn't know what was up. You are right on about the lung irritation issue. I have raised the humidity and temps this time. That seems alot more on track. I am checking my humidity gauges using the salt/water test I found elsewhere on this forum, to insure accuracy. All my retics are gaining weight, active, and responsive. I am lucky they have not gotten worse.

Once again, Kelly, you were a great help

Bath. Could this be a sign of RI?
-----
0.2 Rotts
1.0 Super Tiger (Dash)
1.0 Amel Retic (Mahola)
0.1 Ball Python (Cyeanne)
0.1 Red Tail (Memphis)
1.0 Coral Sun Glow Boa (Rodman)
0.1 Blood Python (Danica)
1.0 Green Ananconda (Prefontain)
1.0 Emerald Tree Boa (Bing Bong)

doing better. The salt/water test is by far the easiest and also very accurate way to check humidity gauges. All hygrometers should be checked periodically as many are inaccurate or drift over time.

Jeff, I've seen snakes drool water after drinking, but bubbles could be an issue. I would keep a close eye on any snake that had bubbles in the mouth and watch closely for any other signs of an RI.

Kelly