questions about baby ball python and star gazing

[elmo]

i just got a baby ball python yesterday and it is my 2nd snake. he lifts his head and neck up and his head seems to be really wobbly like and i was wondering if it could possibly be star gazing... if it is star gazing is there a way of growing out of that or will it eventually kill him??? any information will help cause i am worried..

[_BoidFinatic_]

star gazing is a symptom of the extremely fatal IBD(inclusion body disease)which is fatal in all pythons and boas.my reptile book says that it is a virus that causes respiratory, digestive, and neurological problems. it is unknown what the cause is. a vet will help diagnose the virus.if confirmed, the snake should be humanely euthanized as the virus causes a slow and painful death.

	Inclusion Body Disease IBD

[rachel132002]

An RI will cause snakes to 'star gaze' i know someone with a jcp doing it a while back but the RI was treated and all behaviour ceased sooo.. Is your snake making any wheezing/clicking noises when it breathes or can you see mucous in the nose/mouth? If so then you're probably looking at an RI if not then i don't know.

Rach

[Kent K25]

another thing to consider....

I once walked in to see my boa "star gazing" until I realized he was simply getting his head where the crease in his cage door is. I have him in a boaphile and will occasionally walk in to see him looking straight up (usually against the clear door though not always). He appears to be stargazing but I have experimented with him to find he is simply putting his head up there to smell the air as that is where the majority of the air enters his cage. If I blow along the top of that crease he will move to wherever I am blowing from to catch the scent.

Just a thought...your cage may be similar?

[unluckyseventeen]

As star-gazing is symptom, I wouldn't freak out about IBD yet. All snakes will star-gaze from time to time.

A simple test to do is to put your snake upside down on the ground (as in, his belly is facing up), and see if he can regulate himself. If he doesn't regulate himself immediately, I'm afraid IBD is apparent and it's all downhill from there.

However, IBD is pretty rare in snakes. A lot of times it comes from inbreeding or other, actually, unknown causes.

It's basically a neurological disorder that will eventually shut down the snakes body one function at a time.

Read up on IBD a little more and do the upside-down test. Like I said, all snakes will stargaze from time to time... it's just something they do. However, it's not likely that it's really IBD. Is it possible? Sure. Just not likely.

	Inclusion Body Disease IBD

[mhsrunner]

my snake still does that when i accidently let her temps drop, even just a few degrees. your snake probably is trying to clear mucus buildup that came about from temps that are too low, her way of "sneezing" from the respiratory infection. raise your temps or whatever suits you. just raise the temps and if that doesnt make it go away in a couple of days, go to your vet. they can prescribe somthing for Respiratory Infections.

[mhsrunner]

one more thing about RI is that you cant always see the mucus buildup. its perfectly likely that its not that severe yet. it might not even be making noises yet. nip the issue quickly and itll be much easier to deal with and less likely to reoccur.

	Respiratory Infection Respiratory Infection

[rachel132002]

Only thing is you can't give the baytril really if you don't know it's an RI - fortum is fine for secondary infection as it'll do no harm but baytril is murder on kidneys so i doubt a vet would treat with it unless it was a confirmed RI and aside from those 2 i don't know if there's any other RI treatments apart from raising temps.

Rach

	Respiratory Infection Respiratory Infection

[mhsrunner]

haha sorry to reply AGAIN but one more thing...i just walked into my snake room and my snake had laid a crap the size of something Verne Troyer is capable of. obviously smells sick, and my snake agrees. she is "star gazing" and will remain in that position until now when i go clean up the mess and spray out her cage...it might be RI but it might be a turd (hopefully the latter of the two haha)

	Respiratory Infection Respiratory Infection

[elmo]

he usually gets really high up on his neck and just sits there as if he is looking around and seeking something... maybe its normal but i know my other BP doesn't do it..

	Ball Python The Ball Python (Python regius), also known as the Royal Python, is a ground dwelling snake native to the savannahs and rain forests in western Africa, predominatly the countries of Ghana, Togo, and Benin.

[unluckyseventeen]

Do the upside-down test. That's the easiest way to check for IBD.

It might just be in your snake's nature. My garter does that all the time, and he's perfectly healthy.

	Inclusion Body Disease IBD

[elmo]

also is star gazing contagious to other snakes??? i want to put both or my BP's together but not sure

	Ball Python The Ball Python (Python regius), also known as the Royal Python, is a ground dwelling snake native to the savannahs and rain forests in western Africa, predominatly the countries of Ghana, Togo, and Benin.