First of all I’d take her to a vet. So what I’m about to say next should not be taken as me dismissing this as not some kind of illness that should be looked at. Definitely take her to a vet.
But… In my snakes I have noticed before a whistle during a shed. And it would be gone once they successfully shed. So it could be that?
Again please take your girl to the vet! Better safe than sorry in any stretch. As it’s been said there are no DIY for true RIs in snakes. And you having already lost one to it… Not worth the chance.
Raising temperture and raising humidity actually helps loosen/break up mucus. It’s nothing new and been around a long time however it is not a cure, it does not make a RI magically go away, and a vet still need to be consulted and proper antibiotic treatment prescribed.
This is more a what should I do while waiting to get my vet appointment type thing
True, but my boy had a deadly virus since he was 2 months of age with RI as a side effect (It starts with anorexia, and goes up to Neuro issues). Taking her tomorrow for an exam and RI culture! Never noticed a whistle her last shed, but she couldve
Pyrrha did really well at the vet. She said overall she looked in great condition (Besides being a sliver too “chunky”) and we decided not to do any cultures or tests (The cheapest was 200 and since she had no signs, we figured not to)
So we raised her heat up slightly like she said, and she’s finally in blue so let’s hope that stuck coco fibers were her only worries!
Right out of the gate on this thread you had someone claiming that you needed to do better in reference to another thread and then they spent some time arguing the equivalent of whether or not humidifiers “cure” colds.
Here’s the thing: I’ve had one snake in a rack of 16 get an RI. No one else in the rack had it. Where’d it come from? I’ve had a snake that whistled for a whole month: no RI. No explanation. I’ve had another that would hiss every few seconds while they were moving, which sounded like labored breathing, and had absolutely nothing wrong with them. I’ve had a brand new terrarium with locking top that apparently wasn’t glued down at the factory that lead to an escape.
Animals do weird stuff sometimes. Things happen. If you aren’t offended by someone with a year of experience and a hand full of snakes they bought last year arguing whether or not a technique used across the industry, in humans and other animals, and by vets is a real thing… and then that person blasts out 6 notifications of replies, edits, and deletes arguing with anyone trying to help you so that they can try to play virtuous hero…
It sounds like you did the best for you and your animal by seeking help because you were worried. You’ve got temperature guidance and even a prediction above. There’s advice here and you did get good advice from your breeder friend. There are plenty of people with guidance.
You can rent “human” nebulizers instead of making one at home. Veterinarians can prescribe you antibiotics meant to be used with them. The science is the same - the humid air helps respiration and delivers medication directly to the lungs.
Renting them isn’t cheap but it’s an option. As far as my experience goes you’ll most likely end up with take home antibiotic injections because it’s much more convenient and easier to deliver for broad spectrum. The cost associated to nebulizers is probably more for very specific scenarios.
Just avoid Baytril. I’m not sure how prevalent that still is but I think I remember reading someone being given Baytril for a retic and the Vet Assistant shot it into their tail…
If you don’t know the horrors a quick Google will give you nightmares. I’m sure it’s still a popular and cheap small animal antibiotic that is effective but that risk.
Maybe it’s a stupid question but what is the problem with Baytril? Tried to google it and the main thing I find is a lot of debate on dosage and the risk of overdosing, but am not shure you are referring to that. It still seems to be a very often used drug. I have zero experience with RI till now and hope to keep it like that, but know that’s wishful thinking so when the day comes I better know what to do. Going to the vet will be the first action but what if they do subscribe Baytril? What should I do?
I read the side effects and it can cause seizures which could then lead to neurological problems among many other things. Try searching up baytril side effects in reptiles and go to images and then you’ll get a idea of the damage it could do
I’ve heard just horror stories from my mom really about practices shes been called in to help for, or places some of her vet techs worked for.
I think the one that’s really stuck to me is a retic had an infection, vet tech with the doctor was uneasy with snakes (vet thought this would be a good chance to learn to get over that fear), tried to give an injection, missed twice, snake broke free to vet grip and got the vet techs hand (not heard of a retic actually going for someone), she tried to pull, drop the needle and everything was just a mess after that. I believe the girl has a scar, left that practice, and wont go near snakes.
Thank you for your answer. I will check it as you described. Sounds very serious.
@stewart_reptiles was just curious because I saw Batril mentioned several times also in other topics. If I still want to know more I’ll start a new topic.
I’ve had a snake that whistled for a whole month: no RI. No explanation. I’ve had another that would hiss every few seconds while they were moving, which sounded like labored breathing, and had absolutely nothing wrong with them. I’ve had a brand new terrarium with locking top that apparently wasn’t glued down at the factory that lead to an escape.
