Possibly a RI?

Hello all fairly new here and somewhat of a newb snake owner. I have a BP that I've owned since June 2009 and have had same 20 gallon long tank, same humidity, temperature everything. As of the last hour I was handling my snake trying to get eyecaps off with a warm rag, he spit up some water. He may of just gotten a drink, not entirely sure.

However, after further examining him, I can see hes been opening his mouth once in a great while and it appears slime is inside mouth if you will. It appears he also keeps his tongue partially out as well while barely opening his mouth too. This happens rarely as I have been watching him steadily for the past hour. I was searching through the forum and appears may be a respiratory infection? Been trying to google areas around san luis obispo, ca where there is any herp vets around here. Any help/suggestions? Thanks for the time.

Josh

Also wanted to add he eats perfectly fine, never had a problem where the lil guy would not eat. I wanted to add to my previous post on where I stated it rarely happens. What I meant was that he is acting fine right now, not opening his mouth, no sign of "wheezing" or anything in that nature. Even when he opened his mouth I didn't hear any sign of "wheezing", just the slimey looking material in his mouth when he opened it. Thanks.

IF he just drank water, what you saw was nothing to worry about; however, if he's "drooling" or "spitting up" water without having just taken a drink, that's certainly not a good thing. When you say that he's letting his tongue hang halfway out, how often is that happening? And for how long of a time? Can you see the fork in the end of his tongue?

Also, checkout the sides of the tank for any signs of dried mucous. If there are squiggly lines of dried mucous on the sides of the tank, he mostly likely does have a RI.

Well when he did spit the water up was when he was vertical (head facing down) and let out three drops of a substance. It fell on my bed so I couldn't tell if it was water or what not. He let out his tongue like that for maybe 3 seconds, you could see the forks. Only has happened once and thats when he opened his mouth.

Second guessing myself now that it may have been saliva, but it did appear slimey. I don't see any signs of squiggly lines either. I know thats not helping with any of this, I'll keep a closer eye on him now. Being a sunday figured vet clinic wouldn't be open today either.

Are there any links for finding a herp vet around the area? Seems to be a few vet clinics around this area. Thanks for the help.

A little bit of moisture in his mouth isn't a problem. It's when there's more than normal, that you've possibly got problems brewing. It doesn't sound like you're seeing any serious signs, and if he's still eating well and acting normal I wouldn't think you'd have anything to worry about. A trip to the vet is never wasted money if you're really worried, though.

Any discolored patches in the mouth? Or bloody spots?

I wish I could help with the vet search, but I'm not in the area. I'd start with the phone book, just start calling local vets and see if any of them regularly treat reptiles. Then expand to a search for more regional vets. Any of the links I've seen for herp vet searches haven't included all the useable vets in an area - I've yet to see mine on any and she's wonderful.

Actually, if there are no squiggly lines on his tank, that is a good thing so that does help. And for him to "hang his tongue out" while his mouth is open should not be a bad thing, either (as the way you described). Only if he's doing it all the time would I worry much. The reason for my question about the fork in his tongue is that, that could be a symptom of another problem entirely.

It wouldn't hurt to give him a 15-20 minute soak in warm water (85 degrees +/- a couple degrees). If there is any mucous in his mouth, you should find it in the water after he soaks. From what you've said, I don't think you've got much to worry about; however, I AM NOT THERE, NOR AM I A VET. If you're not sure, a vet trip will set you back a few bucks, but give you the definite, RIGHT answer.

As far as the vets in your area, I won't be of any help there (I'm literally on the other side of the country).

Do you have a heat pad under this tank.. It's imperatve to allow him/it a spot warm to the human touch.. Your ball should be able to get warm like pancake.. Through and through.. Belly up; not with a light..

I actually only have one on the side of the tank and one above the tank. I previously owned a pueblan milk snake, unfortunately had to give him away due to living in dorms in college. He got loose so I took the tank back since I wanted another snake and got this one. Anyways, he dug underneath the bedding constantly and was afraid he would get burned via undertank heater, so put it on the side. Also 100w bulb going down. I do plan on building a bigger tank for him soon, just need to do some more research before I jump into it.

Also thanks for the tips, will do as stated.

I would move the heat pad to underneath the tank, not on the side. Ball pythons are nocturnal and don't bask in the sun like a lizard. They absorb heat through the ground that their belly comes in contact with. Not being warm enough is often a cause for an RI.

Based on what you described, it sounds like he had just taken a drink and you startled him. I've had snakes drool on me before, they don't swallow water as quickly as a mammal does. It can take as long to go down as food can. BUT...I would keep an eye on him and watch for any more fluid in the mouth, bubbles at the edges of his mouth or his nostrils, slime in his mouth (could be mouth rot), laying with his mouth open constantly, etc.

I would also watch the tongue thing. If he doesn't do it again, it could have just been a weird moment. But if you see him doing it more, and/or you see any kind of swelling underneath his chin, then there could be an infection in the tongue. I experienced this with a snake whose tongue fell OUT, and it damn near gave me heart failure.

Good luck!