Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I've had some experience with corn snakes but last week was the first time I got a ball python. He's been acclimating real well, and he even ate a few days back when the mouse was offered. Today when someone was over they commented that it looked like he was 'panting'.Apparently it looked like his head was going up and down while he was coiled up. I'm worried it might be a resperitory infection, though i tried to check him over. He looks ok, but just to be safe what are some signs of respitory problems? Maybe it's just me being paranoid, but who knows? Thanks for any help.

Does he have mucus coming from his mouth or nose? Sounds like maybe he may be too hot? Do you have and area that he can cool off in? I am assuming you may have a tank like many newer snake owners or single snake people have and not a rack? Sometimes, in a small tank, something like a 100watt light can really cook the snake.

What is your setup like? Rack or tank? If tank, do you have two hides, one that is on the cooler side? You want to have the hot spot maybe 85-90degrees and then a gradient to a cooler side.

No, I didn't see any mucous, and I turned the heat off a little early just in case he was too hot. I have him in a 10 gallon tank with a 75 watt bulb. He's about 12-13 inches.

I would try and get a longer tank like a 30 gallon, if you dont intend on using a rack setup. With a ten gallon tank, the whole interior heats up like a pot and the snake cant cool off.

I would put a hide on the cool end of the tank also. When you say you turned the temp down, did you go to a lower wattage bulb, or do you have a proportional controller like a herpstat or Helix?

I moved to a lower watt bulb for a bit. I checked him today and he's looking good. His breathing is regular and there's no 'panting'. I'll keep in mind your suggestions about the tank. Thank you for the help, I'm going to make sure to keep a closer eye on the heat just to make sure it doens't give the ball problems.

Im glad it seems to have worked out a bit. I dont know what your finances are, everybody is tight for cash right now, but you have a few options that range from fairly cheap, to a little more expensive.

You can buy a rack setup or make one. This would be your best option especially if you are going to be getting more snakes which many people do after they get the first one.. Racks afford the ability for you to keep alot of snakes in the smallest area possible. They are easy enough to make, or you can buy a 6-12 tub/bin setup for a couple(2-3) hundred all the way uo to 2-3k. Besides holding alot of snakes, they mostly come with flexwatt heat strips setup in the back (indirect - not touching the bin of the tubs or belly (against the bottom of the tub).

You can get a 30-55gallon aquarium that is pretty cheap for just the glass, or better still, used from Craigs List or local ads. Same is true for the screen top. You can get the pendant light fixture at Home Depot for 5-10bucks instead of at a pet store, or better yet, buy some flexwatt and make a belly heat setup in the tank (can walk you through that), or you can buy a heat mat at places like Big Apple Herps (I like them) for $20-60. You may still want to use a small basking light during the day. You need to put a thermometer at the hottest and coldest parts of the tank and get day and night averages for temps so you know what your dealing with. Also, you really want both a hot & cold side hides to let the snake to decide where it wants to be in tank type setups.

You also have the option to get a proportional thermostat like I mentioned before. I use Herpstat and it is like $120, but it is awesome at controlling temps to within a gnats butt. Cheaper are the on/off style thermostats like BAH500 or 1000 and these are 40-60 I believe and are fine to keep temps to within a few degrees, just watch how much wattage you are using especially when you use incandescent bulbs.

Please feel free to ask alot of questions. Most people here like to answer questions. The others answer them too, especially if they feel you are gonna be buying stuff.

Take care.