Ball python emergency!!

DeesBalls · 06-05-09, 11:34 PM

ok i think this might be serious!

i was sitting at the computer and my snake started to caugh like really hard and puffing up... its the 1st time hes done this and i know bc whens hes active, im always up... um, im sort of worried i honestly dont have money to take my self to the doctor so i hope its not serious... he seems fine now, up moving around like normal...

is he ok? his tank is at...88 on the hot side... do temps need to go up?

like i said, it was like 3-4 hard caughs and then he was done... get back to me asap.. please!

DeesBalls · 06-05-09, 11:35 PM

oh yea, his nose is not runny and i cant hear him having any troubles breathing, so that seems fine...

Chu'Wuti · 06-06-09, 08:59 AM

Your ambient temps should be 80 to 85 during the day with 88 to 95 in a basking area/hot zone, and the ambient temps should go no lower than 78 at night. Your hot zone temp is at the minimum temp, so raising it closer to 95 would be nice for your BP. What are your ambient temps? (Cool zone - Warm zone)

Now as to the coughing--if it was only a one-time thing and hasn't occurred since, it is possible he just got something in his mouth that he wanted to get rid of and that was the best way to do it. What substrate are you using?

Also, what humidity are you maintaining? Other details about your set-up and any other symptoms you've noticed since last night--if any--could also be helpful in determining whether you have a problem or not.

Hang in there!

DeesBalls · 06-07-09, 11:21 AM

okay... my temps as of now are only 83 on the hot side

witch i now that has to be raised!! i wil get a new bulb for her tonight after work. the cool side, i dont know i only have 1 thermometer but its cooler than 83. as for humitity i dont know that either i dont have a humidity thermometer...

substrate im using multch looking stuff its natural colord wood chips looking.. sorry not much help

citysnakes · 06-07-09, 11:39 AM

after reading your first post it seems like she most likely already has a respiratory infection.

Will0W783 · 06-07-09, 01:07 PM

See if you can use a q-tip with the cottony end snipped off to GENTLY urge the snake's mouth open. Look at the roof where the nostrils enter and all around that area for mucous and signs of congestion. If he's all clean, it most likely was that the snake was trying to evacuate something or clear its lungs.

Chu'Wuti · 06-07-09, 03:26 PM

You need to get a digital hygrometer to measure humidity. Acu-Rite has a combo digital hygrometer/thermometer for about $25 (USD). Also, consider getting a UTH (under tank heater) for the hot side.

DeesBalls · 06-08-09, 02:21 PM

ok. i got her a new light and everything last night.. the warm side is now up to..91ish... where can i get the acu-rite combo thing? i would like to get one BUT she crawls on everything and my old thermometer would always fall off when she would crawl on it so how can i put a thermometer in there and make it stick so it dont come off with her on it again?

as for the coughing thing i talked to several people locally around me, thats had snakes and they said if she isnt doing it consitantly or atleast more than once that it was prolly just something in her mouth or something like that...

she hasnt done anything like that since the night i made this post... so ( 4 days i think ) around there.

Chu'Wuti · 06-10-09, 08:33 PM

The Acu-Rite comes with a 10 foot wire & probe. You put only the probe in the tank; you can stick it to the inside of a hide. String the wire under the substrate & then tape it to the corner of the tank & up & out to wherever you stand the digital read-out.

We got ours at a Lowe's; Home Depot might also have them.

DeesBalls · 06-10-09, 08:47 PM

oh okay, thanks! ill go check out lowes...

as for an update, everything is really good, i checked her out last night and there was not mucus or bubbly stuff comming from her nose, and there are no signs of her having trouble breathing.

Chu'Wuti · 06-10-09, 08:52 PM

Oh, Good! That's got to be a relief. Keep an eye on her though, just to make sure the symptoms don't come back.

A couple of times over the years I've had a snake get some substrate in its mouth & do a coughing thing to get rid of it. However, you never know . . .

DeesBalls · 06-12-09, 10:01 PM

that you so much! everything is still good!! hopfully i can make enough money over the weekend to get her a thermometer/hydrometer!

Buttons · 06-16-09, 12:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chu'Wuti

The Acu-Rite comes with a 10 foot wire & probe. You put only the probe in the tank; you can stick it to the inside of a hide. String the wire under the substrate & then tape it to the corner of the tank & up & out to wherever you stand the digital read-out.

We got ours at a Lowe's; Home Depot might also have them.

for the acurite thermometer/hygrometer unit to properly read the humidity the WHOLE unit needs to be enclosure. The probe only reads the temperature.