• Hello!

    Either you have not registered on this site yet, or you are registered but have not logged in. In either case, you will not be able to use the full functionality of this site until you have registered, and then logged in after your registration has been approved.

    Registration is FREE, so please register so you can participate instead of remaining a lurker....

    Please be certain that the location field is correctly filled out when you register. All registrations that appear to be bogus will be rejected. Which means that if your location field does NOT match the actual location of your registration IP address, then your registration will be rejected.

    Sorry about the strictness of this requirement, but it is necessary to block spammers and scammers at the door as much as possible.

Sneezing Snake?

jagodzinski

jagodzinski

New member
I just got back from a 3 night trip. Because it was so hot the 2nd night (at my home not where I was) someone in my family decided to unplug the UTH. (Jag was not actively digesting so I figured it was fine for a night like that). I got home and plugged it back into the thermostat, reset the temps and lifted the hide Jag was in on the cool side. When I did that, she made two loud huffing noises - like a very loud breath or maybe a sneeze.

I was worried about a potential URI so I picked her up and listened to her breath, and I didn't hear any audible breath sounds. I also (very gently and for the first time) pulled down her lower gum to look for bubbles - I was very nervous I would hurt her so I didn't really look too closely but I didn't see bubbles.

I put her down on top of her viv while I changed it out and she seemed normal. Actively moving around, exploring, tongue flicking. When I was handling her she felt totally normal, strong grip, good muscle tone, interested in exploring, etc.

So obviously I will keep a very close eye on her for the next couple of days and try to listen to her breath some more, but is it possible she just sneezed or something?

I am sorry for being such a perpetually worried snake mama - I just want to be 100% sure she is okay.
 
My corn Ezra let's out a loud huffing noise, almost like a sigh, it's actually her hissing and letting me know that she doesn't want to be bothered. I always imagined hissing to be an aggressive open mouthed display, but most of the time it's like your snake is trying to blow their nose at you. No worries, your kiddo should be fine, it sounds like she was just comfortable and didn't want to be bothered :)
 
Most boas "let out air" when you pick them up. It's not really a hiss, but just an expulsion of air. I would suppose any snake could do that including corn snakes.

Also, a snake can sneeze for no apparent reason, perhaps a speck of dust goes up its nose, just as you might sneeze even though you're not ill.

I would not worry too much unless you hear more of a wheezing and labored breathing sound along with mucous around the snout.
 
Hi Albertagirl, hope your 3 day weekend was restful!

I think everyone is on the right path here as when a snake has a respiratory infection, the symptoms are all ones your snake didn't appear to have (i.e., clicking sound while breathing; bubbles or discharge from the nose, mouth, or snout; throat swelling or puffing up and down; amongst others, that is). I recently picked up a copy of Rossi's "What's Wrong with My Snake?" and in a chapter on respiratory problems, he points out that the first thing a snake owner should do when suspecting an RTI, is to look for problems or issues in the snake's environment or enclosure, like substrate, hides, temps, drafts, etc. When my snake (Lilly) was recently making a clicking sound and her throat was puffing up, I was CERTAIN she had an RTI AND she was gravid at the time! But between the vet I consulted, along with what I read in that book and the info I got from this forum, I began to explore other things and eventually I learned that Lilly's nostrils were clogged with the powder from the coconut husk substrate I use and from her constant burrowing into it as she was seeking a place to lay her eggs, and despite the fact that I supplied a laybox for her! But one of the most important things I also learned was that I need to chill out a little as my anxiety sometimes can exacerbate the whole situation! I was acting like a hooker in a cathedral!! So yeah, check the temps, turn the UTH back on, and check in on her, but I'd bet it was just like someone said, a HUFF and a PUFF to let you know she's cool!

By the way Karl, you're right about boas, mine used to let out a hiss that used to turn my blood to stone when I opened up the top of her viv sometimes!! Scared the bejesus outta me more than once! Later on I learned that she did that when she was going to shed!! Duh!! Ok, so I never DID claim to be the SHARPEST tool in the shed, OK? But it doesn't mean I trip over cordless phones!! (Do they actually MAKE phones with CORDS anymore?). :nyah:

In any event, I sincerely hope your little sneaky one is fine!!
 
Oops!! (Apologies to Jagodzinski & Albertagirl)

Sorry Jag, I wrote to the wrong person in the post above and can't edit it, but I was actually directing the greeting to you!! These nicknames are a little more confusing than real names and I'm bad at remembering THEM! As I mentioned before, I'm not the SHARPEST knife in the DISHWASHER! Sorry! Still hope you had a pleasant 3 day weekend and hope Albertagirl did also, even though I doubt they celebrate Memorial Day in Canada!!

My bad. :mad:
 
Hey axis1, I had a great weekend! Our long weekend (Victoria Day) was last weekend, but it was reptile show weekend in Edmonton, and what's more fun than that?! :D

Jagodzinski - Corn snake hisses and sneezes are really cute little puffs of air. Always worth double checking husbandry factors and listening for more symptoms, but if it was just that once, I agree with the others. Sneezing or hissing. :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top