RI in my adult BRB

[Navyrepfan]

I have had Professor Moriarty for over 2 years now with no problems. I will be honest living in San Diego it has been a challenge to keep the humidity up. But I have never had a problem until the outer day when I took him out he seemed to be wheezing, almost a whistle. I am afraid its cause I took him out when the rest of the famley (my wife and sun) had colds. I just bumped up the temp in the cage and am working to try and keep humidity up higher. any thing elce I can do to help him out?

[sharthun]

I have had Professor Moriarty for over 2 years now with no problems. I will be honest living in San Diego it has been a challenge to keep the humidity up. But I have never had a problem until the outer day when I took him out he seemed to be wheezing, almost a whistle. I am afraid its cause I took him out when the rest of the famley (my wife and sun) had colds. I just bumped up the temp in the cage and am working to try and keep humidity up higher. any thing elce I can do to help him out?

Hey and welcome! Someone with BRB experience will help you out. More details about your husbandry would help. Enclosure temps, substrate, humidity levels, etc. Post pics after 5 posts of your setup if possible.

[KORBIN5895]

Snakes can't catch colds from humans so I wouldn't worry about that being the cause.

[Sharlynn93]

I just went through this with my CRB...not sure or your temps and humidity but I bumped her to 89 degrees and 99% humidity and took her to the vet and got a script for Baytril. I use eco earth for my substrate and that holds the humidity awesome!

[Snakesitter]

I'm sorry to hear about your pet's condition. RIs in rainbows cannot be caught from people, as Korbin noted, so don;t feel bad there. Where they do come from are improper humdity, especially in low temps.

First, just to make sure, check and see if stuck shed in the nostrils is causing this conditition. If so, you're in luck, as that is a much easier fix.

If it indeed an RI, you will have a two-part treatment process: beating the RI, and fixing your conditions. Both can be done at the same time.

For the former, RIs in rainbows can be fast and deadly, so I would get your snake to a reputable herp vet as soon as possible. In the SD area I've only worked with Boyer's clinic, and he will be able to help you. Call right away as the holidays are busy. You will probably get some husbandry recommendations and a prescription for antibiotics. I will cover husbandry below, but follow the med directions *exactly*.

For husbandry, as someone else noted, stats on and picts of your tetup would help. The following advice will therefore be broad. For temps, rainbows need a gradient of low 70s to low 80s. You can pump it up to no more then 85F without risking problems -- above this level, if trapped with no escape, temps can kill your snake. For humidity, you want 80%+. The keys are a large flat water bowl (large enough to soak in), a humidity-retaining substrate (cypress mulch, coco husk, and eco earth are good options), a moist moss hide, and *limiting* ventilation with the surrounding room (otherwise, all your hard-won humidity vanishes into the room). If you have a screen lid, replace it with plexi. If you have a heating bulb, replace it with undercage heating. If you have too many holes/ducts, cover some of them. Let me know if any of these steps are unclear.

Good luck to you and your animal.