ok so...

[Columbiano Rojo]

ive notoiced that my baby ball python is opening his mouth(im guessing to breath) but hes only opening it slightly. you can kinda hear him open his mouth and (i think) take a breath. now i know that breathig through the mouth for snakes is a sign of respetory problems. is this the start of respitory problems, or is he doing something else? i mean hes only craking his mouth open, its not like his mouth is open constantly, but i figured id ask some of youguys and get your input. i had him to the vet, i think 3 days, befor i noticed this, and the vet said he was a healthy little snake. so what do you all think?:suspicious:

[DaemoNox]

Opened mouth breathing is a sign of an RI, and if you can hear it breathing the vet must of been deaf if he couldnt hear it in its lungs (did he listen to its lungs?). What temps is he kept at, and humidity level?

[Columbiano Rojo]

well you cant hear him breathing but you can hear him open his mouth. i dont think thats much of a factor though. its just like hearing aother perso open theirs lol. but at night hes kept at a temp of about 80,81,82 or so, and i cant quite get the humidity to stay at a good point for him so i think im gona start soaking him some, and see if i cant find out a way to keep the humidity up. i do put a towl ontop of the screen top and i think that helps. but anyways his humidity is normaly between 40 to 80 % but everynow and then ill find it at 30 or 35 % and use the sprayer bottle to bring it up. my dorky mom spritzed his tank and brough it up to between 85, and 90 %, ad i wot lie ive sprayed alittle too much and had it up in that range once befor. could that be the cause?

[Columbiano Rojo]

oh, by the way his day time temps are about 87,88,89, and 90 or so. if that helps

[DaemoNox]

The sound you hear is probably from mucus in the mouth. Does he have any heat at night? Short times of high humidity wont hurt it, its when its kept that way and it gets stagnant.

[Columbiano Rojo]

o ok. i havent noticed any mucus coming out of his nose or in the mouth, but ive only just notice this a couple days ago. oh, and i just read that you can cure this by raising temperture and keeping it constant for a cirtan amount of time, is that true? and yea i keep a 150 watt heat emitter on him at night which keeps his encosure at about 80 degree when its at its coolest, which is about 68. im thinkin about putting a heating pad under the tank as well just for more warmth. oh by the way what can cause respitory infections, and problems? i know i probably sound dumb for asking all these questions, but i hate to say that i havent done as much research as i probably should have. but ive made a comitment to him and ill do what i have to do, even if i have to stay on the internet to the early hours of the morning . i realy do love the little snake lol so thats why im realy trying to absorb as much info as posible, as soo as posible. i realy want to make this work. lol

[DaemoNox]

Does he have a warm spot of about 90F he can go to? Raising the temp does help, but its most often caused because temps were too low to begin with. When they dont stay warm enough their immune system slows down but bacteria dont, combined with too wet conditions or even too dry conditions. Unless its a super advanced RI just the right temps should clear it up, and you would know if it was bad.

How is he set up, substrate? What kind of thermometer are you using?

[Columbiano Rojo]

i did have him on aspen snake bedding but then i switched to newspaper cause that vet saidit would be much better for him, but i switched from newspaper to plain 'ol newsprint just today. and yea he normaly has a hot spot of about 88,89,90 to go to. and hes normaly i it anyway. and i have a peice of drift wood a water dish, a hide box made to look like a rock, and a fake plant thats was originaly made for aquariums but i figured hed like it, which i think he does cause ive watched him climb up into it and bask abit. but when i first got him, that night he was at a temp of about 68( of which i fixed and feel stupid cause i know better) but ever since that noght ive always had him on the ideal temps for day and night, oh and the brand of thermometer is flukers. but i have to say, i dont think it is anything too serious cause i had him out today and he was still as curious as a young ball should be. he was climbing all over the place flickerig his toug and whatnot. es not lethargic or anything like that. but we are taking him back to the vet tomorrow just to get him checked out. i havent seen any discharge from the mouth or nose or anything too odd exept hes breathing through his mouth lol.

[DaemoNox]

Is it a dial type thermometer stickied to the side of the glass?

[gonesnakee]

You require steady temps with no nighttime lows. You are looking at 95F for a hotside temp & 85F for a lowside temp for a young BP. If it is the initial stages of a RI rasing the temps up should correct it. Mark

[Columbiano Rojo]

yea its the dial type. but i took him to the vet agin(a different vet) and we found that his nostrils are clogged woth some sort of stuff. dot know what the stuff is but im goa give him salene drops to the nostrils twice a day ad see if that doest clear it all up. but we did blood work too so we should know in a da or two if hes got respitory problems,plus the clogged nose or just a clogged up nose. i have know clue how he got what ever it is in there but ill be watchin him to make sure it all stays stratened out.

[gonesnakee]

As previously suggested make sure to bump up the temps as well. No more night time temp drops either. Failure to do so will just make a RI worse if that is the case ;) Mark
P.S. the damp conditions mentioned above along with cooler temps could very well be the initial cause of the issue

[DaemoNox]

A lot of those dials are pretty innacurate (and usually placed wrong too, on the side up on the glass instead of where the snake is). I definatly suggest looking into getting a digital indoor/outdoor thermometer with a probe, can find them at places like Walmart for about $15.

[Columbiano Rojo]

ah arlight. thanks. we havent gotten the results from the blood tests yet. so im still not sure if he has respitory problems yet. but im pretty sure its RI. but you never know. he hasnt eaten for 2 weeks too. i heard that you could just leave some thawed out mice in the terrarium and leaven em in over night ad they will eat them. what do you all think. and do you guys have any advice for me in the fact that hes not eating?

[DaemoNox]

If hes sick he may not eat; once he starts feeling better again his appitite will come back.

[Columbiano Rojo]

ok well the blood results came i and he was aneemick, had kidney problems ad respitory problems so i returned him. i was kida sad but even if we spent all the money on trying to help him he might not have even made it. so ill probably buy i anew one later.

[DaemoNox]

Poor thing, did you get him from a store or a breeder?