# I Think My Ball Python Is Dying :(



## GootySapphire (Nov 12, 2005)

She is all coiled up in the cold corner of her tank, and she is almost like occasionally tilting her head to the side several times and making a sound that seems like a sneezing sound.... im super worried, because i got her the same time as my other ball python and caged her with him, and i found the male dead 5 days after i got him at the show with blood coming from his nose and mouth, now 2-3 weeks later, shes acting up...this sucks big time


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## Herps&Inverts (Nov 12, 2005)

What are the temps and humidity? Are you confident you bought this BP from a competent breeder?

Sam


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## WhyTeDraGon (Nov 12, 2005)

I agree, sounds like an Upper Respiratory Infection (Pneumonia)....and due to temperatures.
What are your temperatures like?

URI's are very deadly in snakes, since they target the lungs, and snakes have only one functional lung. There is also a chance it could be parasites...but that's a very low chance. The only way to tell for sure is to have the snake checked out by a vet. Even at-home remedies may not work, and your snake may ultimately die...as it is very fatal! If it is not cured immediately it will continue to occur over and over again.....and snakes normally dont show signs of the illness until it is too late, since showing signs of weakness makes them vulnerable to predation.

Get your snake to an exotic vet if you want it to live. You could try old methods and up the temperatures in the cage...but that may not even help. It may hide the signs until they occur again, except much worse.

Also, remember that it is very contagious...so keep your snake away from your other animals, and wash your hands after handling.

Good luck with your snake and keep us posted.


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## Entropy (Nov 13, 2005)

And this is a good reason to never house your snakes together... but that advice is a day late and a dollar short by now.  
I'd place my money on an RI. Did you do the research on temps and humidity before you got these guys? Do you have the contact information of the breeder you got them from? 

If you don't have the desire or money to take her to the vet (though that's my number one choice) at least make sure that her environment stats are correct.

Now the following advice is in NO WAY meant to replace that of a vets. But if you absolutely aren't going to contact one this has worked for me before there was a reptile vet within a days drive of me.

Turn the heat up. I kept the ambiant temp about 90F. Keep the humidity about the same between 45-65%

Once again, this was MY experience before I was able to find a reptile vet so if possible get her to a vet first and foremost.


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## GootySapphire (Nov 13, 2005)

Entropy said:
			
		

> And this is a good reason to never house your snakes together... but that advice is a day late and a dollar short by now.
> I'd place my money on an RI. Did you do the research on temps and humidity before you got these guys? Do you have the contact information of the breeder you got them from?
> 
> If you don't have the desire or money to take her to the vet (though that's my number one choice) at least make sure that her environment stats are correct.
> ...



I keep the heat at around 80ish, I mist the substrate lightly like every 2 days, I dont have enough money to go to the vet unforutuneately.


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## moricollins (Nov 13, 2005)

if you don't have the money to take care of (and/or treat) an animal, then you shouldn't purchase an animal.

Just my two cents.


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## Entropy (Nov 13, 2005)

Yes, I agree but since it isn't a law it happens more time then not so I prefer to do my best to help the animal then argue about it. I rarely have to use my vet, and he's quite willing to talk to me if I have a question over the phone... great vets are hard to find but worth their weight in gold.

Any updates on this girl?


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## Snipes (Nov 13, 2005)

I think you need to contact the person you got them from if you can. Who was it you got them from? I was at the show sunday.


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## ingas866 (Nov 13, 2005)

how old is the ball? if you got an older one the chances of it being wild caught is a lot higher than if is a hatchling. if is wild caught then there could be all kinds of things that can be wrong. if it is a captive then RI is the most likely thing. did you get the two of them from the same tank if so than they got it from the same place and it was not your fault and there is not a lot you could have done. next time look at all of the snakes in the place and ask age and place of birth. if they do not know do not buy from them. you need to read up on the REP. you want then go get it. if you need more info go to kingsnak.com or ask here.


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## Mister Internet (Nov 13, 2005)

Entropy said:
			
		

> Turn the heat up. I kept the ambiant temp about 90F. Keep the humidity about the same between 45-65%
> 
> Once again, this was MY experience before I was able to find a reptile vet so if possible get her to a vet first and foremost.


I don't know of any ball python breeders that would ever recommend an ambient temp that high for balls... that's almost too high for boas, and they need it quite a bit higher than balls.  I've heard of people keeping their balls in 80, MAYBE 82 ambient, but 90?  WAY too high...

Gooty, not sure what to tell you man... sounds like RI, but only a vet can tell you for sure.


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## Entropy (Nov 14, 2005)

I don't keep the temps that high constantly, only for the time I was dealing with the RIs. This was backed up by my vet when I told him how I had dealt with my first RIs. All three snakes recovered and are thriving.


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## GootySapphire (Nov 14, 2005)

Snipes said:
			
		

> I think you need to contact the person you got them from if you can. Who was it you got them from? I was at the show sunday.



well the sick one I got was from DCH, which whom our pet store gets a few of our reptiles from, so i called them when i was at work and since i found it dead on the morning of the 5th day they said they wouldnt do anything for me, lame eh?


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## GootySapphire (Nov 14, 2005)

moricollins said:
			
		

> if you don't have the money to take care of (and/or treat) an animal, then you shouldn't purchase an animal.
> 
> Just my two cents.



I dont listen much to canadians, just my two cents.


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## GootySapphire (Nov 14, 2005)

ingas866 said:
			
		

> how old is the ball? if you got an older one the chances of it being wild caught is a lot higher than if is a hatchling. if is wild caught then there could be all kinds of things that can be wrong. if it is a captive then RI is the most likely thing. did you get the two of them from the same tank if so than they got it from the same place and it was not your fault and there is not a lot you could have done. next time look at all of the snakes in the place and ask age and place of birth. if they do not know do not buy from them. you need to read up on the REP. you want then go get it. if you need more info go to kingsnak.com or ask here.



thanks much, yeah they are both babies, not even a foot long, i got the dead one from this company called DCH, I shouldve housed them seperately but i just put them together until i got a new tank which was gunna be the week after, but it died before i could. the other one is doing okay for now i changed the substrate...i WAS using super soil, but i have some aspen stuff i am using...maybe ill just do newspaper.... i dunno


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## GootySapphire (Nov 14, 2005)

Mister Internet said:
			
		

> I don't know of any ball python breeders that would ever recommend an ambient temp that high for balls... that's almost too high for boas, and they need it quite a bit higher than balls.  I've heard of people keeping their balls in 80, MAYBE 82 ambient, but 90?  WAY too high...
> 
> Gooty, not sure what to tell you man... sounds like RI, but only a vet can tell you for sure.



Do you know maybe an ESTIMATE it would cost to get it checked out at all?


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## siucfi (Nov 14, 2005)

My ball python had an upper resperatory infection, I brought her to the vet and she got shots of an antibiotic is is doing great, get her there as soon as as you can!


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## Mister Internet (Nov 14, 2005)

Entropy said:
			
		

> I don't keep the temps that high constantly, only for the time I was dealing with the RIs. This was backed up by my vet when I told him how I had dealt with my first RIs. All three snakes recovered and are thriving.


Heh... I need to stop replying when it's late.  Of course, you're right about hiking up the temps when treating an RI, for some reason I thought you were talking about constant ambient.   Sorry, my bad...


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## Mister Internet (Nov 14, 2005)

GootySapphire said:
			
		

> Do you know maybe an ESTIMATE it would cost to get it checked out at all?


No, unfortunately it's a lot like asking me to estimate what the car mechanic at the end of your street would charge you to rebuild your carburetor... every area of the country is different, and whether or not the vet has SPECIFIC reptile and exotics experience at all.


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## TheDarkFinder (Nov 14, 2005)

GootySapphire said:
			
		

> Do you know maybe an ESTIMATE it would cost to get it checked out at all?


I had a BRB with IBD, bought from a petstore. She died but I did verything that could be done, The bill was not that bad. 

EVERY VET will be different.
Vet vist $35.
Blood Check $79.00.
Second vist $ 35.
Treatment to see it the IBD would go into regression $45.
It is the lowest it will go. 
The reason it was so cheap is that I kept day to day measurements of tempature, feedings, weekly mass measurements, and sheddings. 
She did not have to preexamine the snake because she knew everything about the snake from the time it was 2 months old, die at 6 months. The prexam would have been $190.

In total, I spent more on the snake treatment then when I bought it. BUT if you can not afford a animal then you should not have it.

Your snake has an RI.

TheDarkFinder


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## WhyTeDraGon (Nov 14, 2005)

If you cant afford it now, perhaps you should ask about a payment plan. Most vets will want the money up-front...but in situations like this, some will work with you on it. The worst they could say is no.

Just a suggestion.


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## Entropy (Nov 14, 2005)

> Heh... I need to stop replying when it's late. Of course, you're right about hiking up the temps when treating an RI, for some reason I thought you were talking about constant ambient.  Sorry, my bad...


Heh, it's okay. I've done the same thing believe me.


As for an estimate most of the time the general physical runs about $50 give or take ten. Then the medication can vary. Be sure to ask the vet if they have experience with reptiles, I've seen some "interesting" situations with vets that thought they might as well use it as a learning experience.


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## Ishkabibble (Nov 14, 2005)

While I agree with the need for an immediate vet visit, raising the temps till you get it to one is what I've had to do for one of my BP's, for 2 days till I got it into the vet (happened over the weekend). I put it in a clean tank, with high humidity and temps around 90 deg. F . By the time i got it to the vet, its breathing had improved noticably, but it still received antibiotics from the vet, and made a full recovery. Mine came down with the URI within the first week I owned it, so whether it came that way or not, I don't know. But it has never reappeared in this snake or any other I keep, so I'm suspicious, but... Good luck with it, let us know how it's doing. And you should seriously reconsider housing snakes together simply for this reason if no other.


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## Beardo (Nov 14, 2005)

moricollins said:
			
		

> if you don't have the money to take care of (and/or treat) an animal, then you shouldn't purchase an animal.
> 
> Just my two cents.


I agree 100%. I feel that it is part of the responsibility of owning an animal to be able to provide veterinary assistance if necessary.


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## GootySapphire (Nov 14, 2005)

She seems to be doing better and is looking a lot more healthy, hopefully itll stay that way.


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