Whistling snake? or just a boogie?

[jncoclub]

My Ball Python was laying a tad too close to some fresh poop that I put her in some water in the bathtub to clean her off while I cleaned out her cage. When I put her back in her cage I noticed that she was whistling when she breathed. (It’s like when Jim Carey got his nose broke in Me, Myself, & Irene.) Now I know we have all fallen victim to a whistling boogie at some time in our lives, but can snakes fall victim to it too? I thought it was really funny until she was still doing it 30 minutes later. Now about 3 days has passed, and I thought the water was gone until I heard it again. This time I’m guessing she got water in her nose from playing in her water bowl. Am I safe to assume that this is what happened and I can continue to giggle at my whistling snake, or can this lead to some sort of problem, or is it already a problem? Please let me know if your snake has done this.

Jennifer

[casacrow]

She may just be getting close to shedding. Mine do this sometimes just before they shed.

[jncoclub]

That may very well be true, she's got a glossey look to her and her nose looks a bit dry. I'll let you know if she sheds any time soon. Thanks!:)

[SilverTongue]

just watch her for any signs of a cold...snotty nose bubbles ect ect.

[Dom]

If it continues, chances are your ball is developing signs of a resperitory infections. Check all you temps and make sure the're fine. Even to make sure, I would raise my hot spot to a good 90 to even 100. This will not harm your snake wether he has or not a RI. Keep it at that high for about a month.

Also try to keep the humidity very high. If it has just begun, chances are this will heal it no problem, although once a snake has RI, he is stuck wiht it all his life.. meaning if its a bit too cold on an other day, the RI will come back again.

Only if you still hear it after a week of the higher temps or it seems to have gotten worst over night, I would suggest going to the vet and obtaining the famous Baythrill and start him up on it.

Again .. this is what it could be, but not nessecerally - its hard to say without seing the snake! Just keep a close eye on him and let us know lots of detail.

[Whipkey]

Oh, I remember when my mom told me that our ball python squeeked at her. Ok, what happened is that the ball python got her head in her water ,then had her head in her bark, and it was ALL over her head!!! lol, so my mom opened the cage to get it all off of her, and as soon as she opened the cage, or a lil after ,she kinda squeeked at her, almost like a cry for help!! it was weird, anyways, It sounds like the others have got it all figured out for ya~~ I just wanted to post this!! is it possible for 4 her to squeek for help like that????
:zi::rsmile: Jeanette :rsmile::zi:

[jncoclub]

Today I went to the shop where I get all our snake food. I made good friends with the owners and hang out with them. I asked one of them today about the whistling nose bit (the one I asked happens to be the least knowledgeable on snakes in my opinion, but he was the only one there) and he said that I should not increase the humidity, that I should take her hidey hole out of her tank and increase the temp- to try to dry her. Now when I am sick, I tend to turn on a humidifier to help clear my head, but at the same time, I may take suppressant medicine to breath easier. What should I do tonight? Bust out my humidifier or turn up the heat? It’s obvious that she is about to shed, but when I soak her in water it makes her whistling worse. I talked to one of the other owners later this evening and she said that I can bring her in tomorrow for medicine if needed be. I forgot to ask her about the humidity and I think it’s too late to call her now. I turn to all of you.... Humidity, or no humidity?

Jennifer

[Linds]

Same with snakes, you should increase the humidity as well as the temp to battle and RI. The temp should be raised to at least 105 or more degrees. Another reason snakes may make a whistling sound is due to stress. It sounds identical to the whistle that they make when they are going into shed and their nostrils are clogged. Just keep an eye out for any other signs of an RI such as refusal to feed, sneezing, wheezing, mouth gaping, gurgling, mucous, etc. Also, if you ever do need to treat an animal for an RI, try to avoid using Baytril. There are many more effective meds that have come out in the past years such as Fortaz, etc. that work better and cause less damage to the snake.

[girraffasaurus]

So I took my ball python in and yes, they believe it is a RI. She doesn’t breath with her mouth open and there are no snotty bubbles, but she is definitely whistling when she breathes. We gave her a shot of Araikacin (spelling?) Sulfate. Now every 3 days I am supposed to give her a .04 mg shot of this stuff for 6 more shots. Tomorrow will be the 3rd shot and currently she is still wheezing.

She didn’t eat last week because she was about to shed. I soaked her today and got the last of her shed off her head and eyes, and so she ate very well today. I’m hoping that with having her shed, having some medicine in her, and a infrared heat lamp on her all the time, she will get better soon. The thermometer by the 75 watt lamp reads about 90. Should I get another infrared lamp and put that also on her tank to make it warmer? I don’t know how to increase the humidity in her tank other than using a spray bottle and wetting things down. I will just turn on the humidifier in the room that I use when I am sick.

You said to avoid using Baytri, and to try Fortaz because it will cause less damage to the snake. What sort of damage can be caused by these meds?

Thanks for your help everyone!

[jncoclub]

I wrote that last thread that was from "Girrafasorous"- I didn't realize that I was signed in under my roommates name. Just a small explanation should I have just confused anyone.

Jennifer:atom:

[Linds]

Be very careful with Amikacin, it can lead to severe dehydration and can damage the liver. Alot of these meds can cause serious problems to the liver and kidneys. As with all drugs, whether used on humans, dogs, or reptiles, they all have those lovely side effects. It's hard to find something that doesn't, so you just want to opt for something that will nip the problem and cause the least amount of damage on its way. Many of these meds cannot be administered to gravid females as well.

[jncoclub]

To prevent severe dehydration, should I continue soaking her even though she is done sheding now? On the continum of "good" and "bad" RI meds, where does Amikacin fall? I know that I have heard the term "gravid", but I honestly can not think of what it means. Please type me back and let me know. Thank you.

FYI- Today I administered shot #3 of Amikacin of 7 shots. (1 every 3 days)

[Linds]

You don't need to continue soaking your snake. Just make sure your snake has a big bowl of freash water, and pay attention that your snake is staying hydrated (if the skin is wrinking and if you can pinch a bit of the skin and it takes a while to go back is a sign of dehydration). Keep humdity up for the course of the treatment. Amikacin is definteily one of the harsher antibiotics available. Gravid is a herpetological term for pregnant :)

[raebug2000]

gravid is when the female is full of baby snake eggs ( ie gonna be a mommy).

[jncoclub]

Thanks for responding.
I have been house sitting for my friend and so I have not been able to closely watch my little ladies. But when I gave her shot #4 I noticed that I haven't heard her "whistle" the last 3 days. So I hope we are on the road to recovery. Yey.

:atom:

[silke]

I hope so too!
I wish you good luck and a speedy recovery
:)

[jncoclub]

She had finished all her medicine and I finally thought we kicked the problem. A couple days later I heard the whistling noise again. I made a vet appt for tomorrow. In another thread I asked if there is anything I should know or do before I go. Any suggestions? (If she poops before then, I plan on taking that little package with me.)

[stormyva]

On your temps and humidity for treating an RI.....
You want to DROP the humidity NOT increase it. Increasing the levels may cause the snake to break up the mucous too fast and drown. Brief periods of high humidity such as a shower or a soaking are good to help break things up and keep the snake hydrated, but keep those periods to around 15 minutes. If the snake gets too dehydrated add some pedialyte to the water that you are soaking your snake in!

Temps should not go about the lower 90's for the hot side temps if measured at 1" above the substrate directly below (or above) the heat source! Do not exceed 93°-94°. >( Going higher on the temps can kill or injure the snake!!!! >(

As far as the "RI" coming back.... when you first noticed the problem it was on 9/22.... did the snake shed then? It is about three weeks later now, the squeaking that you are hearing now may be another shed starting.

[jncoclub]

Sorry for the delay response, I haven't had access to a computer lately. The vet started her on another round of meds and she actually shed last ngiht for the first time since I first heard the whistling. The vet said that frankly RIs in snakes can take a long time to kick and may need many treatments to stop it. I just finished this bunch of meds today, and I can still har her whistle when she gets excited and moves around alot (when she is breathing heavily).

I just want her to get better.

[Lisa]

Hope she gets better for you. best of luck