Whistle while breathing ???

[BadAssCorrado]

Hi all, my first post on the forums. I'm not new to corns but have what may or may not be a problem and I'd like an experts opinion. I picked up a 1yr old Butter Motley about 6 weeks ago that has an intermittent whistle when he breathes. There's no frequency to it. It may be every other time he breathes or once every 20 times. It's very quiet and lasts just a split second. I was thinking it may be a scale but he just shed and is still doing it. He eats like a champ, he's active, breathing is not labored, closed mouth, acts completely normal, poop is good. I'm so worried about RI's and I didn't notice the noise until he was already in with my Abbotts Okeetee. Any ideas ? Thanks.

[CandyCorn88]

Check to see if there is any shed left around the nostrils. This happened to me last week and there was a tiny piece of of very unnoticeable shed left around the nostril area. The only way I knew was because I heard this very faint whistle. If that isn't the problem, then you know the drill. Separate immediately if not sooner, and go see the vet. That is my advice!!

Good luck and I hope it is just a piece of shed!

[BadAssCorrado]

Thanks for the reply. I've looked in his nose both before and after he shed and don't see anything obvious. I think tomorrow I'll setup my other tank and get them apart. After reading all the posts about cohabitation it may not be worth it to risk it. I kept them apart for a month to make sure there were no issues but did not notice the whistle until afterwards.


You know after searching I found that many here have strong feelings about cohabitation. After reading the posts I'd like to put on my flamesuit and say that I have housed two like sized adult males with no issues and do not think that cannibalism would ever be a concern, short of wiping the other ones head with a mouse. In "general" corn snakes are not cannibalistic like kings. I think things like threats of disease will keep me separating them in the future. I do agree that unknowingly taking risks with an animal that knows nothing more than eat and escape is dumb.

[BobbyHill]

I assumed you had the snakes together for breeding purposes, in which case you only keep the snakes together for a limited amount of time to do their business. Cohabitating snakes is a bad idea. Why tempt fate?

[BadAssCorrado]

Yes, I housed two adult males together to see if they would do their business and mate. :D

Any idea on the whistling noise ?

[Saffleur]

Yes, I housed two adult males together to see if they would do their business and mate. :D

People asking for help shouldn't make rebuttals like that.

Any idea on the whistling noise ?

Could be a number of things. The only way to figure it out is to separate them and then I suggest treating it like it is a respiratory infection. Doesn't necessarily sound like one but there is nothing wrong with precaution.

Only way you're going to get a definitive answer is the vet.

[crackerhead]

Given that you donned your flamesuit I won't bother addressing the cohabitation issue. It just wouldn't be as fun.:-poke:

As for the whistle, my first thought was shedding. Lots of snakes make that sound prior to a shed. Since your snake has already shed that's probably not it. Which is a bummer because the other possibilities are not as easy to fix. I would say you should watch for signs of a URI. Stuff like discharge around the nostrils, labored breathing, mouth breathing, and lethargy are common indicators. If this is the case you need to seek a vet's assistance. Of course, it might just be an anomalous whistle due to a structural defect that causes no ill in the snake at all. I'd keep an eye on him and hope for the best.
Good Luck!
Terri

[BadAssCorrado]

People asking for help shouldn't make rebuttals like that.

If the guy would have read the post above he'd see I was housing two males and not for breeding purposes and he added no info as to the OP. I added :D to indicate some light sarcasm for my response. I wasn't trying to get frisky. :D


I think it may be some sort of defect considering the length of time it has been occurring and I will keep an eye out for anything that looks like a URI. They now have there very own homes to protect there solidarity. Thanks for the help.