Reptile & Amphibian Forums

so i had to take my larger female to the vet er 2 nights ago. so aside from oogling ma animal they said she had a ri which i pretty much knew when i took her. they gave me a month long prescription of fortaz that i get to inject into a 10 foot female im(intramuscular) every 3 days. anyone ever use this medication? how well did it work? ive never really heard of it before but thankfully due to some fluids and a day and a half trip to the oxygen cage she is doin much better at the moment with much reduced labored breathing signs. on a positive note the vet couldnt figure out how she got the infection considerin she considered my husbandry to be better than what she would have recomended : )

Fortaz or ceftazidime, is one of the most effective antibiotics available for RI in reptiles. It is a third generation cephalosporin class antibiotic with an excellent spectrum of activity. In most, but not all cases of RI in boids, I believe it to be superior to Baytril. Do you happen to know the percent relative humidity within the unit for this retic? Even with a good temp range, low humidity can cause drying of the lung tissue and subsequent RI if the condition occurs over an extended period.

Kelly

Great post, Kelly.

I once knew of a beautiful large female Peruvian boa that died because of what appeared to be an RI. The cage temperatures were spot on. The cage was well-ventilated and in a room that had forced-air heating. This happened during the winter when the heat was going 24/7.

A small, solid piece of bloody mucous was seen in the water dish. The animal was off-feed and breathing noisily.

The boa was brought to a noted herp vet that didn't see much oral mucous and prescribed Baytril. Even with the prescribed injections, the animal died within a couple weeks.

A necropsy showed that the boa's lungs were so irritated, probably by lack of humidity, that they created thick, solid mucous to try to heal the "burns." The boa died because a piece of mucous the size of a finger that looked like chicken fat acted like a plug and blocked the glottis (probably in an attempted cough), choking the animal.

The lungs were so dried that they looked burnt; hence the mucous in the body's attempt to sooth and heal.

Moral of the story: It's critical to monitor cage humidity ALL YEAR LONG.

If this was not the problem in your case, at least it might get someone else to be more watchful.

B.

thanks everyone for the great info. my humidity is right where it should be but do ya think raising it some may help given her current condition?

If your humidity is good, I believe that raising the temps might help, going for a warmer cool end. But I'm not a vet; it's just what I've heard/read quite a few times for a good number of years. In fact, I've heard/read that too much humidity at this time might be bad, as it can encourage bacteria growth.

Anyone else?

One of the major factors in cage humidity regulation is what type of gauge you are using to measure it. Many hygrometers are notoriously inaccurate and can easily be off by 10% to 25% depending on the brand. Unless you are willing to spend 150 to 200 dollars for a NIST traceable with a certificate, you can never be sure if your hygrometer is reading accurately. However, you can test your own quite easily to see if it is reading properly, and here is the procedure:

1. Place a teaspoon of salt in a bottle cap or small cup and dampen it with a few drops of water (without dissolving it) to make it the consistency of wet sand.

2. Carefully place the wet salt and the hygrometer, or its probe if that type, inside a see-through container and close tightly. Don't allow any of the salt to directly contact the hygrometer. You can use a zip lock bag provided it seals good and you leave as much air as possible inside as well, or a plastic food storage container as long as it seals airtight. It may be better with the probe types to place the entire unit, probe and all, within the container so as to insure that everything is air tight.

3. Let it sit for at least 8 hours at room temperature and note the reading on the hygrometer without opening the container. It should read 75%, and the difference is how much your hygrometer is off.

4. If it does have an adjustment screw or other adjustment device, adjust to 75%, through a small hole made in the bag if necessary.

I have an expensive certified dial hygrometer I purchased many years ago and have checked it periodically using this method, and it shows to be a very accurate way to check hygrometers, as when done correctly, the humidity within the container or bag is always within a percent or two of 75%.

Bill makes a good point about humidity that is too high. As long as the humidity is not consistently above 85%, you shouldn’t have any bacterial issues as long as you keep the cage clean. Retics can tolerate pretty high humidity in a clean captive environment, and a higher humidity (70% to 80%) will help the RI recovery.

Kelly