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what caused RI in my ball python

TacticalMorphs

TacticalMorphs

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i have a pastel 100% pied 800g was doing fine for the 5 months i had him. today i went to clean the cage and heard a wheezing sound. so i checked up on him he had bubbles coming out of his mouth and was yawning. his bedding (aspen laboratory grade shavings) stuck to the sides of his mouth. the temps range 91 during the day and 78 at night. humidity is at 40%. he ate 3 days ago. i change the water every other day. I go to the vet 2morro and i have quarantined him. does anyone know why this happened? how long ri take to be deadly. im gonna be up all night hopefully he doesn't die. it would really put the halt in my bumblebee pied project.
 
Hard to tell. Some people have told me never to let the cool drop below 80, but all last season I dropped it to 78 for my breeders and had no problem. Low humidity and high humidity can supposedly cause it. Any drafts? Near a window? Enclosure or rack? Is he by chance on the bottom of the rack? Are those the temps on the thermostat or actual readings in the tub?

I don't have much experience, but I had one snake shipped to me with an RI and I seen one that my brother ordered with an RI and niether had bubbles or yawaning yet. The vet said they get that a little further done the road. I've also heard that some snakes are just prone to getting RI's a lot.
 
I just re-read your post. If you let your hot spot drop to 78 at night, how low is your cold spot? That may be your problem. My night time drop is only 1.5-3 degrees depending on the time of the year.
 
Since the snake was healthy when you received it, and didn't show any signs of illness for several months...in all likelihood it was something husbandry related. There isn't enough information posted to make a determination of WHY your snake got sick - if you describe how the snake is housed, what you use for substrate, how the heat is provided (and how you measure temps); we might be able to help a bit more.
As Nick mentioned, low humidity is often a factor....as would be poor ventilation and unclean conditions.
 
i took him to the vet and they gave me baytril injections. but only for a month. does anyone know where i can buy a vial of it to save me trips and money to the vet?
 
every other day only 2 cc. He gave me 7 doses. i was just wondering cause it cost me 90 bucks for the injections. if i could buy it i would. the vet charged me another 40 because the vet gave him a shot of baytril himself. but the shots are only 12 a peice. he told me if it still hasnt gone away to come back. however that would be another 180 out of my pocket. i i know i sound like im cheap but.
i know everything was right on my end. i clean cages 3 times a week. 2 spot cleans and a full cleaning. (2 tablespoons of bleach the rest water. in a spray bottle.) All i know is i got a sick snake and it sucks.
 
7 doses every other day is only 2 weeks, not a month. What do you use to check your temps? how are you housing your snake? How did the vet test to see if it was an RI? Also what kind was it? Bactirial? Viral? Those factors may be able to help figure out what caused it. What is the rooms' ambient temp? Please give all the info you can.
 
2cc is not the correct dose, nor is it likely the vet would have diluted it to that volume.

My statement that it was likely husbandry related was not intended as any sort of criticism...but, insisting that everything is right on your end isn't going to help you get to the cause of the problem. A healthy snake isn't likely to just inhale a passing microorganism and develop a respiratory infection. Barring the presence of another sick snake - which seems unlikely, given the nature of your posts - the most likely causes are husbandry related.
You mentioned that you use bleach when cleaning...do you wash/rinse everything thoroughly afterwards?
 
redhood23 said:
7 doses every other day is only 2 weeks, not a month. What do you use to check your temps? how are you housing your snake? How did the vet test to see if it was an RI? Also what kind was it? Bactirial? Viral? Those factors may be able to help figure out what caused it. What is the rooms' ambient temp? Please give all the info you can.
Click to expand...

Given that the snake was seen today, and the antibiotics were given today, there is no way that a culture or sensitivity test could have been completed. If it is viral, the Baytril will prove useless. Luckily, the most common microbes found in the airway of a snake with RI are generally sensitive to Baytril.
 
i have a infrared temp gun thats how i know my temps are good. the vet said if it dont clear up they will swab his mouth. all he did was pry open the mouth and looked and said "yep thats beginning to manifest." then he told me how to give him the injections.The ambient temp is 80. all day and night.
 
hhmoore said:
Given that the snake was seen today, and the antibiotics were given today, there is no way that a culture or sensitivity test could have been completed. If it is viral, the Baytril will prove useless. Luckily, the most common microbes found in the airway of a snake with RI are generally sensitive to Baytril.
Click to expand...

i hope it is quick. does anyone know how long on average it takes to clear up. i have done some research and i saw on a site that snakes that contract ri will usually get it again. i hope that is a bunch of crap. i have a bunch of 100% het pieds and a spider 100% pied i want to pair him with. And if if does clear up is it safe to breed him this season or should i wait. I dont want to be known in the snake industry as "the guy who sells snakes with ri" I put alot of time and money into my collection. and dont want to have it got to waste. I am new to this and I have no problem asking for help either. any advice will be appreciated.
 
I would give him at least 60 days after treatment before intorducing him to a female or even longer if it pops back up. You want to make sure the medicine takes and re-quarantine incase the illness is unaffected by antibiotics or viral like Harald said.

I think the vet gave me enough for a year and told me to give it to her for 6 weeks. After mentioning that on here I found out it was probably too long. I stopped after two weeks and she has been fine since.
 
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