My 2 year old Ball Python has just started 'sneezing'. She holds her mouth partially open and then exhales quite forcibly. She ate 3 days ago and has retained eye caps from her last shed. I have taken a good look inside her mouth and have seen no indication of infection (mouth rot etc...). There is no mucus or discharge from her nostrils, and I can't hear any kind of wheezing (aside from the sneeze she makes about every 5 minutes). She has taken up residence on the cooler side of her housing for the last few days, which is a little strange, because she usually retreats to one of her hideboxes for 2-3 days after feeding. She is approximately 3 feet long and housed in a 50 gallon aquarium. The cool side is right now at 74.8 and the warm side is at 81.9, the daytime temps are more like 80 on the cool side and 92 on the warm side. The warm side also has a basking area and an undertank heater. I live in a very dry climate, so keeping the proper humidity has been a challenge. I have resorted to keeping a hidebox with damp moss in it rather than trying to keep the whole aquarium humid. She has been in this setup since I got her 1.5 years ago.
Any ideas on why she might be doing this?? If she is cold, would she not move to the warm side on her own?? If this is a respiratory infection, what drug(s) should the vet be recommending??
Thanks for any advice/insight!
Nathan
