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can someone help with RI

G

greg19

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I have 17 ball pythons and here lately they have been getting sick on me and I can not figure out why.My temps are at 90F humidity at 50% to 60% they have clean water everyday.The air temp outside the cages are unstable so I built boxes to control the temps,but they do get drafts because I have 2 boys that opens the doors 20 times a day.I have taken them to the vets and when they get better it'll last for about a month and start over.Does anyone have any input on this they could share with me.It would be very thankful.
 
hey Wikidkitty'thanks for your reply,I use phenbendizole for parasite control.Its suposed to kill 95% of parasitic infestations.I also use flygl it kills about anything except crypto so I do not think it is a parasite but thankyou.hey newport'I use cocco soft or ground coconut and it gets changed about every couple of months.I clean cages everyday change water everyday check on them all the time,but I do not have a humidifier so I have to water them with a spray bottle thats what I was wondering if it could be causing wet spots to cool down to fast.do you think thats poss.
 
When you say that your temps are 90, is that what your thermostat is set on? Or is that what the temps are inside the tubs? What temps are you getting on the cooler side? You mentioned keeping that coconut husk wet...how wet/damp are we talking? They should have some dry area to lie on. Being damp/slightly wet sometimes won't hurt, but it should not stay like that all the time.
 
Try switching to newspaper or aspen bedding. The coconut is VERY dusty and I would stop misting your bedding as well. You're creating a haven for bacteria and other microbes to grow. With paper you can change it out every poop and you know your animals are dry and clean. Aspen is a good soaker if you're not able to clean out the tub every poop, you can spot clean. If you go the aspen route I definitely would change at least weekly.

Get away from that coconut and misting. They need to be dry and clean. Hope this helps :)
 
That coconut bedding and the moisture from misting is most likely your problem. Too wet of an environment is bad and can lead to RI problems. Use aspen or newpaper and keep a clean water bowl in with them. Make sure your temps are good inside the tubs and no misting. I do not use a humidifier at all in my snake room and all my snakes do great. You will know when they shed if you have enough humidity for them.
 
Its a basic design of a box.I had to cut down on the amount of heat that was exscapeing because of the high amount of fluxuateing temps I am haveing from the changing of the seasons.I live in a trailer and it feels everything outside.What I done was built a 4ftw by 2ftd and 6ft tall with a divider down the middle.It put the cages at 2/2/1high with the bottom at 4/2/3h thats were I keep my bigger snake 4ft or more.I put 3 3/8 hols in the front to vent and I left gaps between the door stop and the door so it can breath that way to.If I new how to post a pic I would.I have the lights cut in on the sides and have the heat cables under water proofing tape on the bottom with the rheostats for control,but its not working because of the temps up and down so far apart.There feeling temp flux at about 10 to 15 degrees everyday.when its warm outside I dont have this problem just in the winter time.I was supposed to have a building by now but I lost my job in november of last year and can not find anything.I sold some of them yesterday before they got sick just to try to save their lives and kept the ones that are sick to try to get them better as soon as it warms up I am going to build a room for them alone to try to beat this.I bought 1 snake from a man at pilot in murfresburo tn last year and thats when all this started but I could'nt leave because it was in such poor shape I had to take it and now I have been paying for it almost a year but she's still with me today.If someone could tell me how to post a pic of my cage I will.
 
greg19 said:
I bought 1 snake from a man at pilot in murfresburo tn last year and thats when all this started but I could'nt leave because it was in such poor shape I had to take it and now I have been paying for it almost a year but she's still with me today
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This is the reason why you should always quarantine when you don't know the person you are getting the snake from.
 
I did for 2 months,I thought that would be enough time.I think what happened was when I got her it was warm and then when it cooled of it caused her to get sick again and spread through my collection.Your right the time away is a good thing when we bring a new one in,thats why I upped it to 12 weeks.I will not bring another one in unless its the ones I sold.I just hope I will be able to get them back.I went and bought more stuff to build another system.Im going to increase the size for each of them to 4w/16'tall,2ft deep that way all of them will have more room to move.Thanks wikidkitty
 
If you can afford one, you REALLY need to swap out that rheostat for a thermostat. Rheostats are ok if you have stable ambient temps, but they don't keep the heat at a consistent temperature. For instance, if you set it to keep your tubs at 90 (hot spot) while your indoor temps are 75, it's only going to be around 80 if/when the indoor temps drop to 65. And of course they'll get much too hot if the indoor temps get hotter.

Good luck with those guys. Hate to hear you're having such a problem with the entire collection!!
 
definitely have a perfect storm going on for RI.

#1 have boxes big enough for the snakes.

#2 get serious about your temps. They need a warm end (undertank heat -not side or back) that is 90 for the snakes. You can use whatever you like to control the temp reo or thermo (i certainly just pay the 30 bucks for a thermo) and use a heat gun (there only 25$) to measure what heat your snakes are actually getting inside the box on the warm bottom side. Then see what temp they are getting on the cool side. it doesnt matter what the thermo is set for or the reo. but what does matter is the temps the snakes are getting inside. should be 10 degree drop from hot side (90) of the box to the cool side (80 - 75 at lowest).

#3 Then go to your local newspaper place and ask what day they give out free extra copies. These are usually free and clean without any bugs. Free is good and well coconut husks are dusty and prob a big part of your problem. Start using newspaper as substrate.

#4 Always have a hide on the warm side (not too heavy so they can move the hide around as they see fit. You dont need to go expensive here. I have plastic hearts from walmart they sold at clearance for 50c each from after the holiday. For bigger snakes I use cheap small cat boxes (2$). You can find hides anywhere if you look, use your imagination and very cheap! Ive also used Folgers tubs that are free after the coffee is taken out or used. Just find something that covers them on three sides and hopefully lays on top of them so they feel comfy. They like the feeling of more walls protecting them they can feel.

#5 I put water bowls in that are big enough they can get into. some breeders don't agree with this but it definitely helps in low humidity situations. I have a low humidity problem so large bowls of water (and get the cheap big glad bowls for big snakes (1/4 full so they can get in and not drown the box) and for smaller ones i get get 1-2$ cheap low lying baking ceramic or glass bowls etc from antigue stores, knick knack stores etc. go cheap but functional. don't get bowls that they can tip. now since i have a humidity problem I have a humidifier on a timer going off several times a day up high in the room. this helps and I only occasionally need to give baths to get off any incomplete sheds. but get em off completely you must. watch for neck, tail tips and their vents.

#6 Since you have some RI issues - Im assuming you are seeing gurgling out of their mouth and wheezing in extreme cases or just some slime in their mouth at the beginning. to get them back on track increase warmth in their boxes to 95-97 on warm side and take out their water bowl. give them very little water during this time. about once a week I give them a very small bowl of water for a short while. They usually drink it dry. you should see them rubbing against the side of their boxes and rubbing slime on it. This is them trying to rid themselves of the slime. Clean their boxes often and especially the sides so you can see the slime markings decrease until they are gone. Then check inside their mouth that they don't have anymore gurgles or bubbles or wheezing. If they do keep going a little longer.

#7 When the wheezing is gone and the slime is gone give them their water bowl back, turn back to 90 and watch em closely for signs of the RI returning. However if you've made all these changes it shouldn't come back.

#8 This has worked with snakes I've bought and got a nice surprise from when i got home. A nice RI! I don't know how you hide an RI from a buyer but the sellers did somehow. Only happened twice but dang they did a good job. I checked it and my wife checked it and didn't hear anything or see anything and bingo we got home and suddenly there was slime... doh!

Good luck my friend! Hope all gos well!
 
and most importantly, clean the heck out of everything all the time. Im OCD about the cleanliness. They poop, they not only get their box stripped and cleaned (including hides and water bowl) but the snake gets rubbed down top and bottom with weak cleaning solution. (i use very weak bleach and water). I bought a rat rack one time and got it home and ticks started crawling out of it....I went almost postal!!! LOL
 
sbender99 said:
and most importantly, clean the heck out of everything all the time. Im OCD about the cleanliness. They poop, they not only get their box stripped and cleaned (including hides and water bowl) but the snake gets rubbed down top and bottom with weak cleaning solution. (i use very weak bleach and water). I bought a rat rack one time and got it home and ticks started crawling out of it....I went almost postal!!! LOL
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How long have you washed your snakes with bleach-water?? I would be very careful about doing that! A friend of mine just lost a snake. After a necropsy, the vet determined that it was "chemical related", most likely from some bleach-water not being rinsed out of the tub well enough.

I also believe in cleaning very well to keep my snakes healthy and happy, but I use chlorahexidine (vet's recommendation) to clean the tubs. Snakes get a bath in warm water (plain water) when they get dirty.
 
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