Need help with ball python ri

[ballpython5000]

My ball python has ri, i have never dealt with this before so im totally clueless and going out of my mind with worry. I noticed about 2 weeks ago it was wheezing so i figured it was just cold. Every day i checked for bubbles or mucas and about 3 days after i first noticed the wheezing i saw bubbles. i brought it to the vet and it has had 3 of the 4 shots it needs. the 3 shots have been over a 1 1/2 week period. i havent noticed any improvement yet and i have the temps way up there. My questions are- should i have noticed any changes yet or does that take time for the meds to kick in? Is there a way to drain the excess fluid? And i have noticed it has it's head lifted a foot off the gound up againt the side of the tank, is that becuase the fluid is bothering her and she is trying to get it to drain down? And it is about 3 days away from shedding and lately the wheezing has gone up, i heard that snakes wheeze more when in shed, is this true? And should i still feed while it has the infection?
Thanks for looking any tips you may have will be appreciated.
My vet isn't very much of a reptile guy so i don't trust his opinion, he told me that males get bigger than females! thanks in advance
by the way the ball python is female, 28 inches long, and 6 months old, if that may have anything to do with how i should treat it.

[BoidKeeper]

Yes the meds take time. Because these animals have slow metabolisms they are sick long before symptoms show them selves. The shed is triggered by the meds. Keep the temps up and follow up with the meds and another trip to the vet if you need to and you should be fine.
Good luck,
Trevor

[ballpython5000]

thanks, so the medication is causing her to shed?

[BoidKeeper]

I've not experienced it first hand but I have been told that antibiotics always bring on a shed.
Trevor

[dlucka]

Yes keep the temp up and a cool side to, on day time you can go
close to 90F and keep a cool side night time you can drop about 5f to 10f, ball need humidity too 60% to 90%. In a thank this is hard to get, spray and cover with a towel. On shed time you should not feed your snake.

Good luck.

[ballpython5000]

thanks for the help, the wheezing has increased, but it is more active than ever.

[Linds]

ballpython5000,
Healthy snakes don't wheeze when they are shedding, though sometimes you may hear whistles because their nose is slightly plugged with skin. If your snake is still willing to feed, then by all means feed it, however make sure the feeding schedule does not interfere with the medication schedule. Your little snakie needs all its got to fight off this infection. As Trevor said, they have slow metabolisms, so the meds may seem to take a while to work. RI's can take months to clear up, even after symptoms cease, keep your heat and humidity up there day and night. What are your temps at now?

Originally posted by dlucka
Yes keep the temp up and a cool side to, on day time you can go
close to 90F and keep a cool side night time you can drop about 5f to 10f, ball need humidity too 60% to 90%. In a thank this is hard to get, spray and cover with a towel. On shed time you should not feed your snake.

Good luck.

Balls don't require very humid conditions, I wouldn't recommend anything over 65% for normal conditions, or 75% for an RI. This can lead to scale rot, or respiratory problems if it is any higher. I wouldn't recommend any night time drop in temeprature for a snake with an RI.

[ballpython5000]

it hasn't been a wheeze so much as whistling sound when it breathes. but it does have a few bubbles in its throat. and on the warm side it is 100F and on the cool it is probably 87F. and the humidity is rather low. i will get it up there.

[Linds]

Your temps are fine you could even go a little bit warmer on the warm side (~5 degrees), but definitely get your humidity up, as low humidity levels are often the cause of RI's in snakes. Good luck and keep us posted ;)

[ballpython5000]

ok will do!

[BurmBaroness]

EXCUSE ME.........YOU DO NOT RAISE HUMIDITY IN A SNAKE WITH RI. The snake could drown in its own mucous. You raise allover temps to 90 degrees, no cool spot, and that dries up the mucous. Increase the numidity and LOSE your snake, possibly. I have a rescue burm with an RI now, and it is NOT my first RI. I know of snakes who have drowned on their own mucous. YES, it needs to be dried up, but by increasing the humidity, you loosen up the mucous too fast, and since a snake does not have a diaphragm, and can't cough the mucous out, it will then drown. You can like me or not like me, I don't care, just please don't make your snake suffer. BTW, low humidity may or may not cause an RI, but raising the humidity when a snake already HAS an RI is NOT the cure.

[BurmBaroness]

Also, I never withhold food from my snakes, if it is feeding day and you don't eat, it's OK, cause I offered. All my snakes eat when shedding, even in blue.

[The_Omen]

the wheezing has increased,

That's due to the snake actually getting worse.

Which meds are being given, baytril, amakacin or the dreaded pennicillin?
Hopefully the vet has gotten the dosage correct for the meds he has prescribed and is not undermedicating or over medicating.
Typically, most vets use baytril, sometimes pennicillin in a pinch at a rate of 10 mil per kilo.(with 22.7 that is.)

Since it is injections, they deffinately need to be under the skin in the upper third of the body, any lower and it goes straight to the liver and kidneys and will lead to eventual failure in some cases.
Also, I hope he is cutting the meds with an injectable saline in order to prevent the sores that sometimes occur at the injection site.
How often are the injections? Every other day?

But as for what YOU need to do for your snake now is as follows.

Get the temps ALL the way across the cage to at least 93 and no higher than 95.
You want to boost the metabolism to help the meds do their job, not fry the snake.
Dont worry with a gradient for thermo-regulation at all for right now.
Arguments go back and forth on the humidity, raising/ lowering etc.
But for now youi can see that the raised humidity is not working.
It is actually keeping the mucus from breaking up properly.

Lower the humids to around 50- 55 % and keep an eye on this as it is critical at this point.

The thought of antibiotics causing shed, well, not quite...
Any antibiotic that you give to any animal is dehydrating to a certain degree.
It will appear that it is in shed due to the dehydrating effect of the meds, so you will have at least one bad shed soon.

In reptiles it is very dehydrating, especially over time.
Trade the water out for a 50/50 pedialyte mix changed daily.
Change the substrate several times a werek, to help cut down on germs from spewed phlem and clean the cage welll at this time as there will be a miriad of germs all over it.



One last question, how old is the snake?

Reason being is that you should never give ANY antibiotics to ANY snake under a year old.
The liver, kidneys and the rest of the renal system cannot always handle the meds at an early age and could spell disaster.

Now for the time being while getting the snake better, review all youir husbandry areas to see why the snake got sick in the first place and correct it.
If you have not had it too long, it is possible it had a start of RI that you never noticed up until now.
DON'T BE AFRAID TO ASK QUESTIONS!!!
BPs are very hardy and forgiving and don't get RIs easily.

And I also stress QUARENTINE QUARENTINE QUARENTINE at this time.
You can feed during this time, but forget about matching the food with the girth, only go 1/2 the size you would normally go on the food.

Hopefully I have covered everything here. If not, I will repost or edit this one to add.

[ReptiZone]

is it just me that say that it is bad to feed a snake during a shed phase it could affixiate your snake if it starts sheding befor it digest completly. But hey I might be wrong. :cool:
chondro python

[The_Omen]

It's not bad to feed a snake during shed.
Some snakes will eat, some won't in shed, but as for causing any stomach flora issues or illness, no, not at all.

[ReptiZone]

ok thanx its nice to be up dated

[The_Omen]

I wouldn't recommend anything over 65% for normal conditions, or 75% for an RI. This can lead to scale rot,

Not really...

Cases of extreme moisture induced scale rot is almost always traced back to improper spot cleaning and disinfection of the enclosure, especially after bowel movements and urates being passed.
The excess moisture in conjunction with the bacteria that is present naturally in the stool along with the acidity of the urates is one of the leading causes of scale rot.

In other words, keep the tank spot checked and cleaned when needed and don't over do it with the moisture in the substrate.

I won't go into scale rot treatments here, it is best left for a whole new thread.

[ballpython5000]

ok i will admit it, i have not with held food from the bp during a shed. it has just shed this morning and i have not heard a wheeze since. i have not been able to get the squirt bottle so i guess thankfully the humidity has not been brought up. i guess from what burm baroness has said i should not. it is 6 months old maybe at max a month older. i asked the vet if the shot was of baytril and he said no the snake was too small for that. i forget the name but im sure it started with an A. well i will keep you posted on the situation

[BurmBaroness]

Probably Amikacin. Yeah, just put a small bowl of water in there, just enough to drink from, so that mucous can dry up. Should be fine.