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Black Milk Owners Question for ya!!!

Bill

Bill

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I have a pair of adult Black Milks and when I handle them, they sound like they are blowing air from their noses. It is not loud but noticeable(sounds like a hiss). Almost like when a snake has a Respiratory Infection. Has anyone experience this with their adults. I was thinking it could just be they are mad that I'm handling them and they are just expelling air...I have not heard of a Black Milks getting an RI so I ruled that out.
I keep them in the Mid 70's on newspaper.

Thanks,
Bill
 
Have they always done this hissing when you handle them? If so, I probably wouldn't worry about it. If it has just started though, they may be getting sick.

Are they getting close to sheeding? Sometimes when a snake is about to shed they will make a hissing sound that resembles the noise a snake with RI has. It's just due to the old skin over the nostrils and it will go away when the snake sheds.

Check the inside of their mouths. Look for mucous and stringy stuff. If they have that, they most likely have a RI and I'd get them to a vet ASAP.


I have a cape gopher that is a hissing machine. He will sit in the S coil with his mouth open and puff and hiss like there is no tomorrow. He also rattles his tail and sounds just like a timber rattlesnake. Yet he never, ever bites. He has the best bluff I've ever seen and he does this every single time I open his cage.

Good luck w/your black milks. They are beautiful snakes.
 
Black Milks

Hello,
They have done this since I got them, and I got them from different people. The female just shed so that can't be the reason, though I was thinking the same thing. I am thinking about increasing the temps to see if that changes anything but Black Milks from what I know don't like temps above 75 degrees..
Before I made a vet visit I wanted to be 100% sure it was an RI because the vets around here are very expensive...just for the intial visit.

Thans,
Bill
 
Hello,
I have a pair of 3 year olds, raised from hatchlings, and they do that all the time. Not constantly, but usually a few times per handling session. It worried me at first too, but they've never shown any (other) signs of illness. As long as their nostrils look clean and dry, it's probably nothing to worry about.

Nate
 
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