Reptile & Amphibian Forums

alright, I just got a female mangrove a couple of weeks ago and she had a really bad nose rub and was visibly salivating. Well I started putting on neosporin on her nose were there was a scab. I've done this from the day she showed up and now her nose is almost normal. Oh ya her nose rub was so bad that it was swollen to the point that you could see the white skin between the scales. But that is doing much better, but she is still salivating. So my question is what could be causing her to salivate?

It is most likely a respiratory infection. The best thing to do is find a vet. They will probably give you a prescription of Baytril. In the mean time, provide an infrared heat light so the snake can "bask" at night; the extra heat should do it good. The ambient day time temp should be in the upper 80's and night time ambient temp in the high 70's to low 80's. The "hot spot" can approach 100. Normal humidity should be around 65-70%, however, until the infection has past, keep the humidity about 40-50% to help dry it out.

Here's a link to some basic husbandry as well.

Mangrove care

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www.ReptAquatics.com

wsrosser@reptaquatics.com

Hey! I have to disagree. W/resp. infections too low of humidity exacerbates the problem....raise the temps AND the humidity...80% or so. Too dry will compromise their breathing further adding stress on an already compromised respiratory system. Baytril works well..I had a young male w/a similar issue..nose rub and cold....cranked the heat and humidity and a three day dose of Baytril stopped if quickly...I was on it fairly early as it was a new aquisition so I tend to observe them more at first.

Bill

I agree. Dont lower the humidity. Raise it to a more normal level. Also raise the temp. Some articles on care say up to 95 F for basking is good. A little lower at night. Heat bulbs- good but dont let the snake get burned. If you lower the humidity the snake will dehydrate quicker. Sick snakes/reptiles dont eat/drink regularly. You already have a sick snake- dont make it more ill. Antibiotics- definitely!!! Vet check- Definitely!!!! Get on it now or the snake probably wont live.

With respiratory infections; regardless of the species, we've always lowered the humidity initially for the first 5 days or so as per a very qualified (employed by Disney's Animal Kingdom and the Baltimore Aquarium) veterinarian's recommendations. The reason they recommend this step is that excessive mucus is a good breeding ground for bacteria; hence it's good to dry it out. After the Baytril has been administered and has had a chance to do it's thing; it's then best to bring the humidity up...

always worked well for us.
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www.ReptAquatics.com

wsrosser@reptaquatics.com