OMG HELP! Stripeys acting really wierd!

[lilivoryflower]

Ok, today is feeding day and I take stripey out of his cage and he strikes at me for the first time ever, but instead of closing his mouth, he leaves it open like hes yawning but he keeps his toungue out. I've NEVER seen him do this before, and he keeps doing it. not the normal flick out and flick in, but like strining his tongue out for longer than normal with his mouth open. Also, he keeps rubbing his nose along the cage. Except the tongue thing, these sound like shedding behaviors, but he didn't go through blue, that I noticed. No milky eyes, nothing. I held him up to my ear and didnt hear any strage breathing. but I'm REALLY worried. Respiratory infection? Whhat do you guys think? he was perfectly normal up until today, eating/shedding/pooping fine.
please help, I dont want anything to happen to my little man1!!!!

[lilivoryflower]

Should I offer a small fuzzy, to see if he still has an appitite? Snakes withh repriiatory infections don't like to eat right?

[Lennycorn]

I'm not sure, but maybe your snake is in a shed cycle and you just missed him going through blue. Do you chart his sheds?? Check when was the last shed was. That my guess.

[cornsnakemaster28]

I'm going with Lenny on this one. Also I'd give him a small fuzzy, he may cool down after a nice meal. (just like me :rolleyes: )

It couldn't hurt too.

soo good luck with that!

[lilivoryflower]

ok, i put a little hopper in and he ate, so thats a good sign, right?

[SnakeAround]

To be honest, I have a yellow rat snake that had quite a severe RI which wanted to eat badly, she couldn't though... but that is more of an exeption then rule of course. Maybe your snake had just something stick in his nose or mouth sohere, that's out now. I've never seen a snake of mine acting like yours... only the rubbing I've seen my yellow rat do when a cloth of mucus was in her mouth and after eating she does it a lot to rearrange her jaws I guess... If you don't see any mucus in her mouth and don't hear weird breathing sounds I would stop worrying.

[lilivoryflower]

i called a vet and they said that if he eats, he can breath out his nose whhich means hhe probably doesn't have a respiratory infection. i'm gonna keep a close eeye on him annyway tho, he scared the living bejesus out of me. thanks for the advise u guys!

[Roy Munson]

i called a vet and they said that if he eats, he can breath out his nose whhich means hhe probably doesn't have a respiratory infection. i'm gonna keep a close eeye on him annyway tho, he scared the living bejesus out of me. thanks for the advise u guys!
I'd be skeptical of that vet's advice. While eating, a snake breathes through its glottis, which opens to its trachea. The glottis is on the floor of the snake's mouth.

[SnakeAround]

That's what I wanted to say too Dean. Silly vet.....

[jenkva]

hehe, I am still new but I knew that.... Thanks Animal Planet! ;)

[Penman6668]

Here is a link to Herp Vets, maybe there is one in your area that can help:
http://www.herpvetconnection.com/