question about ball python

[ghostfacekilla]

i know this is a redtailboa forum but i didnt know where else to go. I have a ball python that is about a month old now. tonight i noticed he had some kind of saliva comin from his mouth. little bubbles were coming out. he was trying to rub it on the walls of his tank. he just ate yesterday, is this a common thing or should i be worried?
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[Dr.Oviparous]

Welcome to RTB! even though the site is RTB, we discuss all types of reptiles [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif[/img] .

It sounds like a respitory infection to me. does he ever keep his mouth kind of half way open for a few minutes at a time? What are his temperatures in his enclosure? how bout humidity? i would get him to a Good reptile vet tomorrow, in the morning. he/she'll probably give you Baytrill injectable antibiotics if it is in fact a respitory infection. They're usually not fatal if caught in time, but it sounds kind of advanced, I would really check him in ASAP. -Juggalo
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[RevMojo]

Tell us a bit about your cage conditions as well...what are your temps and humidity like?

As Juggs said, a trip to the vet would be a good idea.

Welcome to RTB! Plenty of folks here keep pythons as well. Not me, but plenty of others. I dare you to find more collective knowledge of herps anywhere else on the net
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[ghostfacekilla]

im not sure about the temp, but i have a heat mat thing under the tank and when he wants to get warm he gets on it. and yea he does hold his mouth opened for a few mins at a time. hmm now i gotta finda a reptile vet, how much would something liek that cost, i never had to tank anything other then my dog to the vet


not to sound like a dick and i dont want to #$%^&#$%^&#$%^&#$%^& you guys off since you are helping me but... I got the snake from petco they told me just to get a heat pad and that ball pythons really just need that heat mat, and a bowl of water. Its a 50 gallon tank with bark on the bottom. the heat mat, and a bowl of water. I also have a light i used when i was younger for my turtle like a vitalight or soemthing. he has somewhere to hide. but i dont regulate temp or humidity.

[Dr.Oviparous]

It really depends, my vet charges $20 for a basic check up, which would include looking for RI. However ther was a one time only fee of $50(?) to set up the paperwork and get my account started the first time I used them. the most difficult part of taking your snake to the vet is finding one that knows what they are talking about. there's not a lot of vets out there that know their herps. I would not price shop for one, don't go for the cheapest price vet.

If it were my snake I would get the temps up right now to 90-94 degrees. If you don't have a thermometer in the cage I would go to walmart tonight and get a digital one, put it about aninch off the substrate, and check all over the cage, find out what the temps are. RIs are usually caused by too low temp and too high humidity. in the morning you might want to go to a petshop and pick up a heat light to raise the ambient temp in the cage. do you have any other herps/ if so you'll want to seperate them from this one. -Juggalo
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[ghostfacekilla]

thanks ill go get a heat lamp and call around for vets tomorrow, bad thing is that i have classes all day tomorrow but i will do it. I put him on top of the heat pad area in the tank hopefully he will stay on it
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[RevMojo]

On your way home from the vet, stop somewhere and pick up 2 thermometers, once for the warm side and one for the cool side. The care sheet here recommends 90-95 degrees on the warm side and 80-85 on the cool side, with a 10 to 15 degree drop at nite. A single heat pad may not be enough to get your tank up to 95. You might try a heat lamp, which you can turn off at nite to get the temp drop. In case you haven't already checked it out, here's the rest of the caresheet

Balll Python Caresheet

What size and type of cage are you using? What sort of substrate? A vet can give you medicine to fix your snake up, but it's important that you take the steps needed to prevent further illness.

Where do you live? We might have someone in the area who could recommend a good vet and give you an idea of the costs

Hope it all works out for you, and keep us updated

[ghostfacekilla]

i live in chico california. yea the clowns at petco dont seem to know much. the heat lamp should fix it. Im using the bark they use/sell at petco it says its 100% fir. I read in the care sheet about not using pine or cedar is fir considered one of these? and also why would petco use something that could hurt them? its about a 4-5 foot long tank 1 foot wide 1.5 feet tall about. its about 80-90 here during the day and im thinking the heat pad is way to small so ill pick up a heat lamp tomorrow. will he get better with just heat or am i gonna need to go to a doctor.

i mean i really like the snake and he is nice, but i mean ive had him for a month and paying 80 dollars to get him looked at seems a bit much considering i can buy two of them for that much. Killing is horrible and i dont mean that, i guess what im asking is if he can over come it with just a warmer climate.

sorry, didnt realize language was a problem on these boards, my fault

[LdyDrgn]

Humidity and proper temps are necessary for him. He probably has a respiratory infection from the humidity and the temp being too low. Petstore employees usually don't know what they are talking about. They only care about the sale. Get him to a vet for antibiotics. Where are you located? There may be someone here near you that can recommend a good one. Buy a thermometer and hygrometer and start monitoring the tank from now on. Check the caresheets section to the left for proper information.

And, please, watch your language in your posts. We have kids that post and read here, too. Thank you
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[Dr.Oviparous]

<TABLE BORDER=0 ALIGN=CENTER WIDTH=85%><TR><TD><font class="pn-sub">Quote:</font><HR></TD></TR><TR><TD><FONT class="pn-sub"><BLOCKQUOTE> and also why would petco use something that could hurt them?</BLOCKQUOTE></FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD><HR></TD></TR></TABLE> Because most all of the employees at petco, I mean petland, I mean petsmart (same thing different name) know nothing about reptiles, and only care about the $$. You say you only had him for a month? It sounds like if it is a RI (probably is) it has been going on much longer than 1 month, you might have bought it sick. What is the guarantee on the snake's health? Did the store advise you that the snake needed thermometers and must be kept at certain temperature ranges? If not I would take the snake back and tell them and tell them the situation. Ask them to reinburse you for the vet bill. Most likely they won't but IMO it would be the ethical thing for a business to do if they diddn't provide you with a care sheet. But most importantly, avoid them from now on. -Juggalo
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	In My Opinon IMO = In My Opinion and IMHO = In My Honest Opinion

[ghostfacekilla]

come to think of it i am an idiot. i think you are correct. i remember when i went to the store at first they didnt have the ball pythons and i asked why and they said they were being treated by the vet. only problem is now, i cannot find the receipt. I had 30 days and i think it has been longer then that anyways.
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[LdyDrgn]

I don't know of a vet up there...maybe you can call the EBV and have them refer you to a one. There is a vet in Berkeley that is great with herps...nad he might know of one in your area (it's a longshot, but worth a try!)

East Bay Vivarium

The number is on their page...or send an e-mail. But, please, do it ASAP!!

Good luck! [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img]
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	East Bay Vivarium East Bay Vivarium - Specializes in the captive production of a wide selection of reptiles, amphibians, and arachnids. Located in Berkeley California