Resipratory infection advice please!!

[louiseypees]

Hi,

I've got a three month old blood red baby who's just been diagnosed with a respiratory infection (we've just got back from the vets).

He's on antibiotics as of about five minutes ago and we've upped the temperature to about 90 in the warm end of his viv and 80 in the cool. His humidity levels are about 40% and there's a bit of wet moss in there for him as he looks to be about to shed.

Is there *anything* else we can do to try and make him get better - pretty much everyone on here has more experience with corns than me - I've only got two!!

Oh, we're also giving him Nutrobal with his pinkie mice when he feeds (which he is doing like a trooper!).

Thanks in advance,

Louise

[Jynx]

The best thing is to lower the humidity as much as you can. As soon as he sheds, dry it out. Infectious bacteria thrive in warm wet places. The warmth is necessary with a RI because it simulates a fever for a snake, since they cannot change their own body temp. I have this problem yearly with a lot of my snakes. I've noticed that, although aspen is the #1 choice for substrate, sometimes the dust can cause RI. Best substrate for a snake with a RI is just newspaper. Try to change it at least once a week to keep it as sterile as possible. As long as he's still eating, you should be fine. Just try to keep his stress level down and let the antibiotics go to work.

[hediki]

and since you have 2 snakes quaranrtie the one thats sick. if you hold him dont touch the otherone unless you thouroly (how every its spelled :sidestep: ) with disinfectant. hope he gets better

[Gintha]

Doesn't the ink in the newpaper effect them badly?

[luvofthechase]

so long as the ink is not rubbing off on the Viv/snake, newspaper should be fine. if youre realy worried, you can get blank newsprint paper from many arts and crafts stores, but it may be a little more expencive. Paper towels would work too, but again, that could be more cost than you want.

[louiseypees]

Sorry, I should have mentioned that they're housed separately and we've changed the poorly guy's substrate to newspaper as soon as we realised he may be ill.

There seems to be a fair amount of conflicting information about the humidity levels - the vet recommended about 40%, does that sound about right?

Louise

[Tim Madsen]

Doesn't the ink in the newpaper effect them badly?

most ink used in news print in the US is non-toxic soy based. I didn't say all because there may still be a small paper out there somewhere that doesn't use the soy based ink, but I doubt it. Soy based ink is the industry standard.

[luvofthechase]

40% humidity sounds about average to me, but so long as youre not expecting a shed, even lower might be better to dry up the infection.

[louiseypees]

Hi,

An update on my baby bloodred!

He's just shed today (wasn't a particularly good one but we've got it well and truly out of the way with a bit of TLC and a damp cloth) and he seems to be getting over his RI slowly but surely.

He's no longer gaping when he's breathing, he has a big yawn every morning just after getting his antibiotics and there's no mucous to be seen in his mouth. The clicking noise he was making when he was breathing has all but stopped and he's 100% more lively.

He's been taking his medicine like a trooper, drinking it down without complaint and behaving impeccably.

He's also looking mighty fine after his shed - loads brighter and it's giving us high hopes for the way he's going to look in the future!

Thanks everyone for all the help - not just on this thread but all the advice posted on here in the past which has helped us no end!

Thanks!

Louise

p.s. we hope to have a few pictures of him soon to show everyone! xx