Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi all, looong time reader first time poster. Please take a look at this picture. This is my female 100% het albino and she has been acting wierd lately. She is keeping her head and neck straight up in the vertical for hours. Temps and hum. fine. She jus finished a shed which was healthy and came off in one long piece. Refusing food as well. Any ideas what this could be?

OK cant figure how to post a pic. But she is staying under her basking light with her head and neck completely off the ground, and complelety vertical, this has been going on a few days now. and she is starting to do it more and more, I mean several hours nonstop. What could this be?

Thanks to everyone
Joe

Sort of strange, but I too am a looong time reader and this is my first post.

I purchased 2 baby normal BP's about 1.5 to 2 years ago from a local pet store (Petland). One of them did the exact thing you are talking about. I am at work but I still have a pic of it doing this at home. I don't know what this is but the one I had died the 2nd day after it started keeping its head vertical. I hope this doesn't happen to yours. Sorry I couldn't give you better information or good news.

It sounds like she might be having trouble breathing. Does she wheez when she breathes?

Only two things come to mind which can cause a snake to hold its head and body up for long periods of time. A respiratory infection or a disease called 'Stargazer's disease'.

Your best bet, is bring your snake to a vet asap.
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PHLdyPayne

I agree with other posters. Either a respiratory infection or Star Gazing. It needs to be taken to a vet ASAP.

You can post a picture by either:

Creating a photo account here at Kingsnake, which will then give you the option to insert a picture in a post.

Or you can just link to it which would insert it also. This forum uses bracketed syntax. To insert an image you use this syntax WITHOUT the asterisks and the image URL in between the tags.
[img*]http://forums.kingsnake.com/images/new.gif[*/img]
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Lincoln, NE
0.1 Pastel, 1.0 Pastel het Pied, 0.1 Pied, 0.1 Cinn, 1.0 Black Pewter, 1.0 Woma (hidden gene?), 0.1 Yellowbelly
2.0 Normals, 1.0 Thayeri, 0.1 Thayeri X Alterna, 0.1 crazy cat, 1.0 husband

my baby ball sits and stares at the roof of her enclosure for hours. She stopped once I fed her, so i'm thinking she was waiting for her food to fall from the sky. But being as your isnt eating i don't think that is the option.
What is stargazers disease. Can anyone tell me more about it?
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This is courage.. to bear unflinching what heaven sends. -unknown

1.0 Basset Hound (Capone)
1.1 cats (San Quinton and Gracie)

Someone can correct me on this if I am wrong.

Stargazing can come from three primary things: Trauma, genetics, or Disease (IBD or URI).

Trauma to the brain can cause animals to stargaze and waltz (where they constantly turn in circles in one direction). There is no cure, but I have heard that the symptoms can lessen over time. I had a mouse that waltzed for a short time and other than the running in constant left-hand circles, she was fine.

Genetics basically results in trauma similar to the above, though this defect may be passed on to offspring. The Spider morph, in particular, is known for its Star Gazing. Some breeders have selected for less effected individuals and now some strains of this morph barely Gaze at all.

Finally, IBD. Inclusion Body Disease. This is a virus or retrovirus unique to Boas and Pythons. It is a slow, painful killer in Boas, a swift and merciless killer in Pythons. Here is a link to more information:
Inclusion Body Disease

URI, Upper Respiratory Infections, is your classic pneumonia. Snakes do not have the ability to cough in the way we do (no diaphragm), so what they sometimes do is elevate their body vertically to try to drain the fluid to the bottom of their lungs so they can breath more easily. This is usually accompanied by "drooling" or phlegm around the mouth, wheezing, bubble blowing, sluggishness, and the snake laying some or all of its body on its back.
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Lincoln, NE
0.1 Pastel, 1.0 Pastel het Pied, 0.1 Pied, 0.1 Cinn, 1.0 Black Pewter, 1.0 Woma (hidden gene?), 0.1 Yellowbelly
2.0 Normals, 1.0 Thayeri, 0.1 Thayeri X Alterna, 0.1 crazy cat, 1.0 husband

was that she is under the basking lamp......???...basking?....

....no mention of twirling or acting retarded ? ...I gotta read again....

.....maybe...it's just basking?.....

how warm is it on tank floor?....real floor temp?....air temp?
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......JY

So many Vets don't know jack and would like to give it a Vit A shot.

Van
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Forever Trust in what we are,and nothing else Matters