Treating Ball Python respiratory infections?
I recently purchased a ball python, and am mildly concerned that he’s developing a respiratory infection. He’s been making a sharp wheezing noise occasionally, almost like a snore, yawning, and looking toward to top of his cage for no reason that I can tell. There’s no mucus in his mouth from what I can see, nor around his nostrils. His tank is around 92 F on the warm side, 80-85 F on the cool side, with ambient air humidity of about 50%. He has shown no interest in food for a week, but this appears to be his normal eating cycle according to his records.
Ordinarily, I’d take him to the vet immediately, but my current finances don’t allow for this. Is there anything I can do for him in the meantime?
If it’s respiratory, he needs a vet and probably antibiotic shots. My BP was having issues recently due to low humidity so I think it’s a situation where for BP too low and too high humidity can cause respiratory problems. If the humidity is already 50% I wouldn’t raise it over 60ish% until you talk to a vet (BP need a min of 50% – most things I’ve read say around 60-65% if they aren’t shedding is best). The temperatures you have him at are a good range of 92 to 80. He probably caught it from wherever you got him from. If you have other reptiles I’d recommend moving the python to a completely seperate room – you don’t need respiratory issues in all your animals!
I’d try contacting a local herp or wildlife society to see if they know someone who has good recommendations or maybe know a vet who will see him for less money or give a consult free. If you’re in the Boston area, Dr. Mertz (the Odd Pet Vet) is really good, he charges less than most vets and the cost goes towards keeping the wildlife rescue center going. He helped me with my python’s problem. He takes care of the reptiles at either the museum or the aquarium (I forget which – maybe both) and really knows his stuff.
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