Hey everyone so I just bought a new JCP from a reptile show her in Delaware and she looks perfectly fine at the show. So I brig her home and that night I notice her throat looks almost pushed out and I can hear wheezing I also see bubbles coming from her mouth but only 1 every 5 mins maybe if I push on the little bump in her throat she is aggressive since she's been in the tank but that's normal because she's in a new environment but she is also in shed at this time so I know that could be a sign of wheezing maybe some stuck skin or something? I researched a little bit and I've been keeping he humidty around 30%40% and the hot temp around 95 degrees to "boost " her immune system can anyone tell me if this is a RI? And any home treatments until I can afford a vet bill! Please help!
Oh no! That's not very good. Poor little guy, stressed out from the move and it sound like he has a RI... did you get the breeders card or remember their name? Do they have a website you can get in contact with them through? Email? If you can't afford a vet bill just yet I would suggest getting in contact with the breeder ASAP and asking them if they can foot the vet bill or if you could return him until he is better. Most (reputable) breeders have a policy that they will send/sell healthy animals and usually give at least a 24 hour guarantee... Some, but not all. Please try and get him to the vet one way or another sooner rather than later. Keep us posted!
Just what I was afraid of! I called the vet and it should cost around 60$ checkup and shots so hopefully I can get her in soon! It's not to serious of an infection the vet said because she's is not foaming at the mouth he also gave me some homemade treatment to try out! Thank you for replying though I will post some pics of her for updates on how she's doing and I will be sure to keepyou up to date on everything! Thank you! Any home remedies would be greatly appreciated!
So i just got home and she seems to have improved alot since sautrday! There was not a lump in her throat and no bubbles at all! Her eyes have cleared up to but i dont see any shed? Maybe that was because of the sickness? She was still a little fiesty but what can you expect from a new snake in a new enviorment! Any tips on how to tame her would be great also! There was still some wheezing but it seems to have gone down!
I personally think RI's are a little overdiagnosed in snakes; while they are certainly something to take very seriously, the first step should be checking and double-checking husbandry. Proper husbandry practices and reducing stress will usually allow the animal's own immune response to handle any infection that may be present. Ensure that everything is perfect: use accurate means to measure your temepratures and humidity, ensure there is adequate hiding, fresh water daily (particularly important, as this is the ideal means for re-infection), etc. Obviously there is little we can do to rememdy the temporary stress that always follows a move, but making the snake as comfortable as possible can help them get a start on battling an issues on their own. Something else to consider is the time of year: low humidity can result in dried secretions in the air passages which can result in forced exhalations (can sound like 'wheezing' depending on one's interpretation). This isn't uncommon in some snakes, and isn't something to be concerned about. The concering part is/was the bubbles and this apparent lump in her throat. It sounds like the snake is faring much better now, but keep a solid watch on her. If things don't improve anymore in the next couple of days, you can have a culture and sensitivty done on the snake to determine what the pathogen is. Don't let the vet try to milk you into other procedures, or try forcing an antibiotic on you without first having a culture done... It's important to determine precisely what the pathogen is to find the proper means of treatment. For example: Baytril is the typical treatment for most RI's as the majority of cases deal with a couple of pathogens that respond very well to this treatment, but that doesn't guarantee it will work for all cases. It seems that a lot of vets like to push this antibiotic as a "cure all" for any slight sense of an RI. Keep us posted on her, and keep that vet's number handy just in case. Give her a few more days and if things don't improve or get worse make her an appointment. Glad to hear she seems to be improving some = ) As for the handling - I'd keep it to a minimum for the time being. Let her settle in and try to get over this bug (or whatever it is). Once she's doing better and has become a little more accustomed to her new home, you can begin working with her. JCP's are notoriously nippy as juveniles, but with time and regular postivie handling sessions they can calm down to become decent snakes to hold.
Just checked on her last night and this morning and it was great! No bubbles barley any wheezing and. Noticed her humidity went up so maybe that was the wheezing problem mentioned above!
Oh good! I'm glad she's doing much better! The lump in the throat thing scared me a bit but I'm glad she'd doing a lot better
That's what scaredme to I would hve to say! I took her out about 10 mins ago and just put her back and she was doing great no lump and no bubbles either! I tried to take some pictures but she hates my hand unless I have gloves on? Any reasoning behind that? And could you help me with getting her used to my hand?! Lol
