Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a little 50/50 king, he's eating well (only live, though), very active, healthy skin and eyes, no residue or anything on his face. His terrarium is a good temp. and humidity, his substrate is n't damp. With that said, he is making this strange sqeak sound, like a tiny hiccup or the sound you make when you suck air through your teeth. He sometimes opens his mouth after one of those sounds, and it looks as if he's continually swallowing. Any thoughts?

Well thats not good for sure. It may be lung flukes or a respiratory infection. Either way a trip to the vet would be the best course of action. If you are one of the people that won't go to the vet a raise in cage temps is the least you can do. If it is a RI you might get away with the temps clearing it up but the flukes will just get worse and kill the snake with higher temps. So option one is a vet and if the vet is at least decent you should be fine. Option two role the dice at home but it is really like flipping a coin. 50/50.

Good Luck
Jason

Snakes don't hum,whistle,squeek,play the flute, best bet is to take to a vet and get a feces sample.

that I will do asap.

That's true everybody knows snakes don't play the flute, elephants do. Why? Because they can't play the piano.

I agree on taking the snake to the vet--I always do when something odd shows up. That said, if your snake is close to shedding or has recently shed, sometimes loose or stuck skin around the nostrils can make them squeak a bit--I had this problem with my king last year (the only way I can think to describe it was short little squeaky snake sneezes). Also, if your king likes to rub its nose on anything, abraded nostrils could cause them to make noises. But the swallowing and yawning? That sounds like something a bit more fishy than what I'm describing. Wise decision in taking your snake to the vet--best of luck!!

Thanks to those who replied - it turns out he had upper resp., probably from another snake as the vet said my habitat is how it should be. A couple more shots and he should be all fixed up.