RCReptiles.com

[jrplkariya]

Hi, this is going to be the second time my BP has shed. The first time was no sweat really. I increased the humidity to around 60-65, and he shed rather easily. Since then, I bought a different substrate for him. It reptile carpet (a Zoo Med product). It has been tough controlling the temp and humidity inside his terrarium. I am pretty sure he has a slight respiratory infection because he squeaks every once in a while. Also the skin on his head and body appears dry and grayish in color. I know he needs to shed soon, so last night I let him swim around in about 3 inches of warm water in the bathtub for a few minutes and have been heating a damp cloth over the terrarium. My question is should I bathe him again tonight? Will that make his RI worse? What can I do to fix both problems? Any help would be much appreciated. Thank you.

[BP_Lover]

Ill wait for Nick reply but in the meantime

[JDS3]

Yes post some pics of him and his enclosure. If you think he has a RI you might wanna take a trip to the vet and get him checked out.

[a_green]

I second that. Any concern about illness should be taken straight to a vet!!

[deborahbroadus]

Nothing to add...VET!

[SheilaR]

[hhmoore]

To the OP:
You state you are pretty sure he has a respiratory infection...and ask if soaking will make his RI worse (apparently, it is now a foregone conclusion that it does have one). You also state that the skin on your snakes head is quite dry, that you have had problems maintaining temps and humidity, and that you know the snake needs to shed soon.
- are you saying that the snake is "in shed", or that you think he is due?
Have you witnessed opaque eyes, or other indicators that he is shedding?
- I've said it more times than I can count, but respiratory symptoms do not automatically mean respiratory infection. They are often - at least initially - indicative of husbandry issues, which you admit that you have had.
- it's head is dry, and it needs to shed...are the nares plugged/occluded?

(I decided not to get into the whole "swim" thing)

That said, I will agree with the masses - if you are so sure the snake has a respiratory infection, a trip to the vet is in order

[jrplkariya]

I am not exactly certain that he has an RI as of now, but I was told that wheezing is a symptom of a respiratory infection from the owner of the reptile shop I got him from. He told me to keep the temps warmer and that would clear up any problems with the snakes breathing. I have been keeping his heat lamp on more often now, and the temp reads about 90 deg. F. The humidity remains at a steady 50. The repti carpet substrate does not hold humidity well. This is what concerns me. Has anybody on the forum used this Zoo Med repti substrate before for a ball python? His eyes have seemed blueish in color the past few nites. Should i switch the substrate while he is in shed? My main concern is what can I do to help him shed more easily because his wheezing has already made improvements. Thank you, and I hope this has made my question more clear.

[Buck_99]

I'm gonna move this to the "What's wrong with my BP" section.

[Buck_99]

HH is right, it may not be a respiratory infection, but it could be. I'm a "better safe than sorry" sort of guy without the years of experience HH has to tell the difference, so if it was me, I'd go to the vet.

In the meantime, if you haven't already, check out Ron's blog about setting up a proper environment. Here's the link:

http://rcreptiles.com/blog/index.php/2006/09/27/setting_up_an_environment_for_your_hatch

Good luck!

.

[Monty is my Python]

Same advice as 99, lose the repti-carpet and check out ron's blogs search feature. It's a litteral wealth of info on BP's