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Guide to Home Treatment for Respiratory Infections ‘R.I’
Louise Murray
http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/forums/
**Please see my personal notes at the bottom of the page.
You have your snake out for a play and all of a sudden you hear a random squeak, wheeze, click or popping sound. You place your beloved pet to your ear (taking care it doesn’t nom your face) and are baffled to discover the noise is coming from him!
This is normally down to one thing; Respiratory Infection (R.I)
This is my bit of wisdom on treating this infection at home. I, like, WildLifeWarrior, don’t agree in pumping my snakes full of antibiotics that I’m not certain on the long term affects of when it is not necessary. This is basically my version of his guide; but with all my own pictures and witty remarks.
Firstly
One little snake with a whistle and a wheeze:
The quickest way to check the severity of the R.I is to look inside the snake’s mouth. You can do this by gently holding the snake by the head, making sure to support the body, and pulling the bottom lip down a little with your thumb (Shown Below).
Bubbles! I’m sure everyone loves bubbles, but these aren’t a good sign. Think of it as having a cold; poor snake is all bunged up.
Treatment for R.I’s at home couldn’t be simpler.
You will need the following:
Treatment for R.I’s at home couldn’t be simpler.
You will need the following:
Vicks Vapour Rub and some Essential Eucalyptus Oil.
Also; one measuring jug, a kettle (preferably with some water, otherwise this whole plan fails right there), a tea spoon and two plastic boxes with lids.
One box has to be twice the size of the smallest box; and the smallest has to be big enough for the snake to go in. Make air holes in the small box ONLY – the big box must remain air tight.
I use plastic storage boxes from Tesco. The big box I use here was only £6 quid and the little boxes where £1.60 each. Not too bad all things considered.
So, here we go...
Step One
Big Box, Little Box, Air holes, Done.
Also; one measuring jug, a kettle (preferably with some water, otherwise this whole plan fails right there), a tea spoon and two plastic boxes with lids.
One box has to be twice the size of the smallest box; and the smallest has to be big enough for the snake to go in. Make air holes in the small box ONLY – the big box must remain air tight.
I use plastic storage boxes from Tesco. The big box I use here was only £6 quid and the little boxes where £1.60 each. Not too bad all things considered.
So, here we go...
Step One
Big Box, Little Box, Air holes, Done.
Step Two
Get the kettle on. (If you’re anything like me you’ll be pretty good at that part)
Take half a tea spoon of vicks and a few drops of eucalyptus oil and add it to a jug of boiling water (I normally use a measuring jug of about 250ml boiling water)
Mix.
Get the kettle on. (If you’re anything like me you’ll be pretty good at that part)
Take half a tea spoon of vicks and a few drops of eucalyptus oil and add it to a jug of boiling water (I normally use a measuring jug of about 250ml boiling water)
Mix.
Step Three
Place snake in the tub with the air holes, then small box goes in big box and jug of steaming, eye watering, R.I miracle healer goes in the opposite end of the big box. Here is my apprentice making sure he’s got it right:
Place snake in the tub with the air holes, then small box goes in big box and jug of steaming, eye watering, R.I miracle healer goes in the opposite end of the big box. Here is my apprentice making sure he’s got it right:
And that’s it! Lid on, 5 minutes later check on snake, lid back on, 5 minutes after that (10 in total) DONE.
Easy as pie.
I have treated a good few snakes this way and so far I’ve had a 100% success rate!
Here's the snake pictured and another little python being steamed at the same time - the little tesco boxes are stackable with lids on. Handy andy.
Easy as pie.
I have treated a good few snakes this way and so far I’ve had a 100% success rate!
Here's the snake pictured and another little python being steamed at the same time - the little tesco boxes are stackable with lids on. Handy andy.
Respiratory Infections and the Complications there of...
R.I’s can be caused by humidity and temperature issues. If your snake has developed an R.I then the chances are you need to be tweaking his set-up to make sure you’ve got it spot on.
R.I’s can lead on to different health problems. Mouth Rot is just one of these things. More severe cases can lead to complete organ failure; where the snake starts shutting down internally due to the seriousness of the infection.
ALWAYS seek veterinary treatment for your snake if you feel it is seriously ill with R.I – but remember, this remedy can help along with any other treatments given to you by a vet, so it’s always handy to know how.
R.I’s can be caused by humidity and temperature issues. If your snake has developed an R.I then the chances are you need to be tweaking his set-up to make sure you’ve got it spot on.
R.I’s can lead on to different health problems. Mouth Rot is just one of these things. More severe cases can lead to complete organ failure; where the snake starts shutting down internally due to the seriousness of the infection.
ALWAYS seek veterinary treatment for your snake if you feel it is seriously ill with R.I – but remember, this remedy can help along with any other treatments given to you by a vet, so it’s always handy to know how.
Louise Murray
http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/forums/
F10 Nebulizers seem to be the preferred and accepted method of treating snake RI's.
Here are a couple of links to help start your research.
http://www.ask.com/youtube?q=nebulizer%2C+reptile&v=hNNTrNBCdV0&qsrc=472
http://www.thamnophis.com/forum/urgent-care/12072-nebulization-sick-new-snakes.html
Here are a couple of links to help start your research.
http://www.ask.com/youtube?q=nebulizer%2C+reptile&v=hNNTrNBCdV0&qsrc=472
http://www.thamnophis.com/forum/urgent-care/12072-nebulization-sick-new-snakes.html
