Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I'll copy and paste the post here. I just would like any opinions you guys can give me on that. Thank you. Here's the first post:

Well, at times I've noticed my BP will open his mouth real wide and let out a hissing noise. He's not hissing at anything when he does this either. It's like he's doing it to blow a big puff of air out. It just makes a weird noise when he does it. It's like a hiss with a high pitched noise. Do any of your BPs do this? There's a possibilty that he has a RI, which the Vet I took him to said he doesn't, but anyway could that be a symptom of that? Thanks.

Then I added this in a reponse post:

Just so you guys know, it's not an actual hiss like a snake does when it's being defensive. He does this whether Im near the tank or across the room (which I can tell just from hearing the noise) and he does it by pointing his head upward and opening his mouth real wide. It almost sounds like a sneeze too in a way. It's hard to explain unless you would hear it for yourself. Do snakes actually sneeze? Anyway, just thought I'd pass that piece of info. along as well. Thanks!

Mighty,
Sounds like the tell-tale signs of an upper respiratory infection to me. Head pointing almost straight up, 'weezing' which sounds like a gurgly hiss, etc. If you check out it's mouth, you'll probably see little 'bubbles' in it's mouth. It's possible that it's a lower RI but those don't always show the same signs.
Another good way to tell is just to look at the glass/plastic of your cage/tank. Are there streaks/smears on it? If so, good chance you have an RI on your hands. I'd suggest a vet visit and a culture to be safe. Should run you around $40-$70, depending on your vet. Mine is about $20 for the visit then $35 for a culture (results in 2-3 days usually). They'll culture it then find out what will kill it. Usually requires Baytril, Amakacin, or SMZ to knock it off. Usually done through injectables every 3 days for 5-7 doses.
In the meantime, get rid of any drafts you may have (if you have an open-screen top, close it off), turn up the heat to low 90s, and increase the humidity to at least 60%. Typically the vet will tell you to do the same thing when they're on the meds (the humidity is key). They'll appear to get worse before they get better because all of the build-up will be expelled through their mouth but they'll get better.
Best of luck,
Jason @ Jason's Jungle