Reptile & Amphibian Forums

OK my wife was holding our son's BP last night. It made his way up her arm with his head resting on her shoulder. She swears she heard it making a popping noise several times. I know they can hiss but I've never heard Noodles make sound before. Has anyone else ever heard this alleged popping sound from their BP (or any other snake for that matter)?

Ball pythons with upper respiratory infections sometimes make popping sounds from their throat. Other signs of an infection include a swollen neck under the jaw; excessive saliva; when you open the mouth -- saliva that is bubbly; breathing with the jaws slightly open; and long "scabs" that can look a bit like wood bedding, "stuck" inbetween the snakes lips.

Increasing the air temp, making sure there is a warm, under tank, basking area as well as a cooler area your Ball Python can retreat to so it can regulate its temperature (by going to one side of the cage or another) is very important. Also, Ball Pythons do require some humidity, and a lack of humidity can contribute to an upper respiratory infection. If you're using a typical glass terrarium with screen top set up, you might want to cover 9/10ths of the top with plastic wrap so air can still freely enter the cage, but so more moisture will be retained. You may also want to lightly mist the cage to increase humidity (but don't over do it and avoid directly misting the snake).

Sometimes simply increasing the heat and humidity in your terrarium will help the snake fend off an infection, especially if you've caught it early on. In other instances, medical treatment is required. A Vet visit is recommended to evaluate your snakes medical condition. If necessary, there are a couple injectable medications available. Baytril is pretty effective.

Best wishes to you and your Ball Python.
Joe

Thanks for the reply. I haven't seen any of the other symptoms you mentioned and we often check cage temps with a temp gun and they look good. Humidity may be a factor; we did cover most of the screen top with Plexiglas but could try misting his cypress substrate more often. For what it's worth, my wife is the only one to claim to have heard this sound and he seems to be healthy and active as ever. If any other symptoms show up it's off to the vet.

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Charles Glaspie