Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello all (my apologies for the crude subject line - just thought it would be a funny attention getter...),

My 11' burm has recently come down with a mild cold. This seems to happen when fall sets in and the air gets cold and dry. I have already sealed up the 'snake room' and set up the ventilation and the heat/humidity control. So, now he is warm and the air is no longer dry (maintains ~70%RH). I know - I should have been proactive about this - but it just seems that summer ends so abruptly, it kind of caught me by surprise to wake up one morning to find it is surprisingly cold (here in Massachusetts)!

Unfortunately, he did get a cold and now has some 'crusties' around his nostrils. I suppose I can get his nose cleared; which I very much want to do for him, since he's wheezing a bit from the constriction in his nostrils.

Anyone have any tips/advice on how to clear his airways?

Thanks,
- Mark
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depending on the size of your burm, it could be a 2-3 person job. we, too, have the same challenges as you this time of year and i have found that the best way to deal with this is to:

1. soak in lukewarm water for around 20 minutes and then gently take a q-tip soaked in warm water and work around the edges of the 'gunk' seeing if you can loosten it. if it is actually inside the nostril,

2. soak in lukewarm water for around 20 minutes as the warm water will help loosten things up. from there, use some blunt ended tweezers and gently try to pull the 'gunk' out. if there is a lot of resistence or if it is stuck, soak again. i have also had good luck in using a syringe and directing a small stream of warm water on to the nostril. the burm will usually try to exhale which could loosten or pop the gunk out of its nostrils.

once a burm sheds, this usually disappears for a short time but you may have to do some repeated treatments throughout the winter months

of course, if you have any doubts, take the snake to a qualified veterinarian.

hope this helps.

Rob Carmichael, Curator
The Wildlife Discovery Center, Lake Forest, IL

You could also try the same blue sucker dealy parents use on their kids. Soak em, like Rob said, but use this to suck out the snot rockets. Either way you gotta hold him tight cuz he'll pull quick and hard.
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DZ
1.0.0 Burm, Moses
0.0.2 Ball, Chico & Chewy (rescue, many scars)
0.2.0 Cats, Merideth & Hannah
1.0.0 Black Chow, Pivo (tumor in liver, will euthenize Oct 23)
Lotsa fish
1.4.0 Rats
0.2.0 Humans (a little obnoxious though)

That sounds like it might actually be a decent idea - though I'd be cautious about the 'sucker' hurting him.

I'll give the soaking a go and see what looks like might work best.

Thanks for the idea - I'll see if I can find a 'sucker' at the supermarket, or somewhere.

- Mark

>>You could also try the same blue sucker dealy parents use on their kids. Soak em, like Rob said, but use this to suck out the snot rockets. Either way you gotta hold him tight cuz he'll pull quick and hard.

Hi Rob,

It is starting to become apparent to me that this is a seasonal thing for my burm as well, as I've had this same problem in winters past. And I've also noticed that when he sheds his nose clears right up as the gunk gets pulled away with the old shed skin. Of course, it only lasts for a little while if he's still generating mucous.

I'm pretty confident that I can take care of him without the vet, unless he actually becomes quite sick. I'm banking on some T.L.C. being all that he'll need.

I'm going to try soaking him, and cleaning up his nose with a q-tip. My only contention here is that I've done this in the past and have had something of a scare. You see, the last time this happened (last winter) he had enough mucous dried in his nostrils that when it moistened it expanded enough to effectively block off his airways. I'll tell you, a python that can't breathe is not a pleasant animal to be around. I managed to help him out, but it was a bit of a scare (I was worried for his well being). Of course, this time he is really not nearly as bad, and, I'll be at the ready with the q-tip idea.

I'll post updates as he progresses.

Thanks very much,
- Mark

P.S.
This year I plan on avoiding any further 'colds' by maintaining a constant environment in his room and cage. That is, I have isolated heating, ventilation, and humidity control in his room (which he shares with my two other snakes). Hopefully all will go smoothly and healthy this winter (which, btw, I hope for myself too!).

>>depending on the size of your burm, it could be a 2-3 person job. we, too, have the same challenges as you this time of year and i have found that the best way to deal with this is to:
>>
>>1. soak in lukewarm water for around 20 minutes and then gently take a q-tip soaked in warm water and work around the edges of the 'gunk' seeing if you can loosten it. if it is actually inside the nostril,
>>
>>2. soak in lukewarm water for around 20 minutes as the warm water will help loosten things up. from there, use some blunt ended tweezers and gently try to pull the 'gunk' out. if there is a lot of resistence or if it is stuck, soak again. i have also had good luck in using a syringe and directing a small stream of warm water on to the nostril. the burm will usually try to exhale which could loosten or pop the gunk out of its nostrils.
>>
>>once a burm sheds, this usually disappears for a short time but you may have to do some repeated treatments throughout the winter months
>>
>>of course, if you have any doubts, take the snake to a qualified veterinarian.
>>
>>hope this helps.
>>
>>Rob Carmichael, Curator
>>The Wildlife Discovery Center, Lake Forest, IL