White Lipped Python Advice : Is He Sick

Sorry... first post so it might be in the wrong section.

Anyway I just got a yearling WLP he is a probed male. I got him for $100 of kingsnake from a small breeder. (not S&S I know they are selling WLPs for $100 also)

They said he was CB and very tame once out of the cage...


Well when I got him it looked like he was going through a horrible shed and maybe had even retained partial shed from past sheds. he has one retained lens cap maybe two... I can't really tell because he is so deep in shed. He seems to rub his face and heat sensors on everything because he can't see very well.

I had a BRB I rescued with retained caps so I think I can handle removing them if he does not shed better this shed. They had him in a class tank, and now I have him in a high humidity tub, with a huge soaking tub.

Anyway here is where I think he might be sick, he is puppy dog tame. Like I same pick him and up and just hold him. No signs of stress. He is so calm too. He will just lay warped around my arm for hours. I know I might be over reacting... but I have heard WLPs are hard to tame, and defensive... and when they are tamped hyper. He is as calmer than my womas!

I mean with the horrible shed and laziness... could he be so calm and lazy because something is wrong? Or am I just lucky!

I actually have the same issue with my so-called CB WLP. I have had him for 1 month and he will not eat at all, he is also very tame, and makes a weird breathing/hissing sound when i pick him up. I have noticed that the inside of his mouth, towards his throat and glottis is somewhat black. I am thinking it is an infection of some sort but the vet is saying it is normal.
Is yours having the same symptoms?

I wouldn't say that D'Alberts (sorry, I'm old school - I know they call them white lipped pythons now, but don't really care...they'll always be D'Alberts to me) are hard to tame; but I probably have different expectations. I don't consider somewhat flighty, and/or highly responsive to touch, to be a bad thing with this species.
One thing to keep in mind is that these snakes require fairly high humidity, and are VERY sensitive to improper conditions (though, I will say that with many species, CBB babies are more tolerant of errors than WC). While I certainly can't say from your description whether there is anything wrong with the snake, my experience with the species says that chronically improper husbandry (dry enough to result in retained sheds and eyecaps is likely to result in problems.
Let him shed, and take things from there. Hopefully, he's just calm - it can happen.
There aren't a whole lot of people breeding them - did your seller produce them himself?

The person I got mine from did not produce them himself, He is a wholesaler. That is why I said myine was a "so-called CB'. Do you thinlk the black mouth throat and glottis can be a problem?

It's been a while since I kept them...don't remember if the glottis and throat are black.

I have noticed somebody posting a few species as CB...at least, for the ones I saw - I suspect they were farmed, or that WC gravids were caught & the eggs were hatched there.

Redhood23 : It sounds like your snake has a respiratory infection. However WLPs are known to get very huffy and hissi a lot so that might just be what you are explaining. I think we would need to hear the noises to make a better guess... Sankes with respiratory infections often will not eat

hhmoore : I am pretty sure they bred him themselves actually, but I am not positive. They have a web site and they state that they breed WLPs however he was the only one they had posted on KS, and they where "out of stalk" on there website. They made it very clear that all of the WLPs where CB, and that they breed them. I can't be positive though. He is also eating fine. He would not take F/T or F/K but when I threw a live mouse in he went for it after a while. It could be because I am feeding him in a separate container and he is not usto is though...

I am hoping after he sheds properly, and I remove the retained eyecaps if needed he will remain so calm. It's really quite amazing.

Thanks for the advice!

I had a feeling it was an RI, but 2 vets said it was not. Lungs are clear, no mucous, no popping and no wheezing. only a black glottis and throat. It did look a bit swollen but I picked him up and he released all the air that was in his mouth. I really do not quite get it.

I don't remember D'Alberts being that bad to tame out. The ones I had where imported adults and tamed out easily enough. They can be cage aggressive at times and are very alert. I had the best luck keeping them on cypress mulch and providing a hydration chamber with damp sphagnum moss.

many times what happens with these guys (and snakes in general) is that pieces of shed get caught up in the nostrils and they have a hard time getting them out.
my albino tiger, about 2 years ago, had a sneezing/weird thing he was doing for about 3 months. couldnt figure it out. i knew it wasnt a ri, but finally i sedated him (as i am in emergency veterinary medicine) and pulled out a significant piece of shed from down deep in his right nostril. i have seen it sporadically in different snakes both i have had over the years and patients we see.