BCI can't breath from nostrils

Roargathor · 06-17-20, 06:36 PM

I have a 7ft male BCI about 7 years old. Today he's exhibiting issues breathing from his nostrils. I was worried it could be a URI, so I checked his mouth. There's no extra saliva or discoloration of tissues. It seems to be just his nostrils. No discharge, gurgling or bubbles that I can tell.

This started fairly suddenly as my housemate took him out for some handling, he was out for about 30 minutes before he started huffing noticeably, and opening his mouth to breath. He has never bit anyone or become noticeably agitated when being handled. Always super sweet and docile.

He shed last week, so perhaps his nostrils didn't get all the way clear, but I let him soak in the tub for a bit to try and moisten things in hopes whatever was blocking the airways would dislodge.

Anyway, just checking if anyone here has experienced this. His enclosure is 90-95 in the warm side, and 75ish on the cool side. There's fresh water in a large bowl for hydration and humidity, and he's had no issues with this set up his whole life. The substrate is "repti-bark" and cocoa fiber mix.

Thanks for any info.

**EL Ziggy** · 06-27-20, 10:26 PM

Welcome aboard and best wishes. I'm not sure what could be causing the breathing issues but I hope it's nothing serious. Keep us posted.

kazz · 07-01-20, 03:55 PM

Usually snakes don't start open their mouth because of breathing problems. Usually they start whistling. Anyway opening mouth to breath IMHO the cause to attend a veterinarian.

richardhind · 07-10-20, 01:37 AM

have you checked in the nostrils to see if theirs any stuck shed in there,might be worth a check

Roargathor · 07-10-20, 08:34 PM

Hey guys, thanks for the responses. He's not had any issues since.. I think it was some stuck shed in the nostrils that got dislodged at some point after the soak. He seems fine now. He's always huffed a little when being handled, almost like he's sighing out of frustration when he's prevented from going someplace we don't want him to. I'll keep an eye on him and see what happens. Thanks!

richardhind · 07-26-20, 08:16 AM

thats great news
a lot of boas huff a bit ,really makes me laugh