Stupid question about snakes.

bcr226 · 02-12-13, 07:56 PM

Do snakes sneeze?

Never thought about this until I thought Flash sneezed tonight. I'm not sure if he just moved his head quickly and it made a funny noise on the carpet or if he sneezed.

concinnusman · 02-12-13, 08:06 PM

They do. And it's not always a sign of illness or R.I. Snakes that live in dusty conditions or do a lot of rooting around in dusty substrate will often clear the nostrils by expelling a quick abrupt blast of air. A milk snake I adopted had been kept on dusty potting soil. She would sneeze quite often to clear the nostrils of dust. Took a couple of weeks on proper substrate for that to stop. She wasn't ill, just had clogged nostrils.

When a snake suddenly decides to move quickly sometimes you'll hear a quick exhale of air, or sometimes the sound is just a fast inhale. Sometimes the sound is made in response to being startled.

But the simple answer is yes, they do sneeze and just like us, it doesn't necessarily mean that they are sick. Check the nostrils for signs of discharge. Also "run" your snake to get the heart and lungs pumping. If you don't hear any wheezing or see any discharge when your snake is breathing hard, there's probably nothing to worry about.

A question is only stupid if you fail to ask it.

bcr226 · 02-13-13, 06:55 AM

Thanks! How do you "run" a snake?

I didn't think he was sick but just maybe getting some carpet fibers in his nose from the floor.

shaunyboy · 02-13-13, 02:01 PM

let it run through your hands,from hand to hand

it gets their breathing going and you will hear any,gurgles,or wheezes,a lot easier mate

cheers shaun

dinosaurdammit · 02-13-13, 02:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shaunyboy

let it run through your hands,from hand to hand

it gets their breathing going and you will hear any,gurgles,or wheezes,a lot easier mate

cheers shaun

I just tickle my boa if i want to get him going, he hates that mess!

concinnusman · 02-13-13, 05:29 PM

I have a pretty large wide open lawn. I just take them outside in the middle of the lawn and let them go for it. Just walking behind them usually gets them moving. Otherwise, I let them "run" down the hallway for a ways.

infernalis · 02-13-13, 08:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by concinnusman

A question is only stupid if you fail to ask it.

Two thumbs up to that!!

bcr226 · 02-14-13, 06:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shaunyboy

let it run through your hands,from hand to hand

it gets their breathing going and you will hear any,gurgles,or wheezes,a lot easier mate

cheers shaun

Ah! Okay, we do that every day with our snakes. They actually seem to really enjoy it too. LOL

shaunyboy · 02-14-13, 07:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bcr226

Ah! Okay, we do that every day with our snakes. They actually seem to really enjoy it too. LOL

when your doing it hold the snake up next to your ear,you will be able to hear any abnormal noises,a lot easier that way mate

or if you can get your hands on a stethiscope,just place it on the top of the snakes head,to listen for upper respiratory noises

you can also listen to the lung as well

cheers shaun

concinnusman · 02-14-13, 01:06 PM

Just wanted to note that it's fairly common to hear a "clicking" noise though. It's just the glottis opening and closing.

Stephan Grundy · 02-26-13, 03:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by concinnusman

Just wanted to note that it's fairly common to hear a "clicking" noise though. It's just the glottis opening and closing.

Thanks mate, you just relieved me of a nagging worry. Just got a female Aesculapian, who "clicks" when I hold her very close to my ear...I have been watching her like a hawk for anything else that might faintly indicate an RI, but nothing, snake seems in brilliant condition otherwise. Still, that noise had been concerning me.