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something wrong with my albino

S

scorpion fan

New member
I have a baby Albino (red) corn snake, and for some reason, it keeps making a clicking or almost popping sound.. constantly about every 5 seconds. should i be worried? or is this normal? any ideas would help a ton. thanks everyone
 
Hmmmm

I would be worrying about Respiratory infection. Alot of animals get a weird sound to their breathing when there's an issue with their lungs. Watch the snake closely and see if the noises are corresponding to its breathing. If it looks like it is, I'd double check temperatures, make sure that it is warm enough, and clean the cage. You didn't say what your substrate is and sometimes they have issues with different types. But if it is an RI problem, I'd make sure the snake stayed warm and was kept especially clean until you can take it to a vet or get some better advice from someone else here. A change in bedding type could also help. I hope your snake will be okay.

Snowfyre
 
here's what i just did!

the last substrate was those little flat 5mm by 5mm wood squares. so i completely emptied the aquarium, cleaned and sanitized it ( antibacterialized ), replaced the wood pellets with new T-Rex brand aspen bed. sprayed lightly on the wood with water to lower dust particles. cleaned and sanitized all items within the aquarium. replaced water dish with newer one ( cleaned and sanitized as well). think this will help?? i really hope so. cause this really worries me! if anyone has anything else they can add.. anything at all.. please please do so. need some serious help here. (it's my first snake ) and it's still a baby. don't wanna lose her!

scorpion fan
 
and also

ok, this is really really what i hope it is. but a few other threads about possible respiratory infection said that when a baby especially starts it's shed ( which mine is currently doing ) that the skin inside the nostrils could be blocking the airflow and making the popping and clicking sound. but after the snake begins to grow, that will go away because the nostrils will be increased in size! i really hope this is what it is.. but to be sure im buying an under tank heater 4''x4'' and hope that this will help if it is possibly a RI.. thanks for the help everyone, and i hope this thread helps someone else if needed. please post reply's!
 
scorpion fan said:
ok, this is really really what i hope it is. but a few other threads about possible respiratory infection said that when a baby especially starts it's shed ( which mine is currently doing ) that the skin inside the nostrils could be blocking the airflow and making the popping and clicking sound. but after the snake begins to grow, that will go away because the nostrils will be increased in size! i really hope this is what it is.. but to be sure im buying an under tank heater 4''x4'' and hope that this will help if it is possibly a RI.. thanks for the help everyone, and i hope this thread helps someone else if needed. please post reply's!
Click to expand...
I have some adults that still "whistle" when they are in blue (shed.) One thing to look for with a RI is fluid or bubbles from the nostrils or mouth, open mouth breathing, and loss of apetite (though they will lose they're apetite in blue also.) If the sound persists after your little one sheds, you should take your snake to the vet. With my boas (which are more succeptable to RI's) increased heat has usually cleared them up. Also a slight increase in humidity has helped to break up congestion. With all that being said, it is probably just your snake's skin blocking the nostrils because it's in blue, and will clear up after it sheds.
 
Normally the last thing you want to do with an RI is increase the humidity. Alot of times, too much humidity can cause an RI.

Lefty is right, most of the time an RI will cause bubbles out of the nostrils and mouth, as well as open mouth breathing. Another good sign is swelling around the back of the throat and mouth. Not all RIs cause bubbles or swelling though. Increase the ambient (air) temp to about 90 on the high end and 84 on the low end for a short period of time (only for an hour or 2 a day for about a week until you see some improvement). Since a UTH will really only supply belly heat, it may also help to have a small light as well to increase the ambiant. This will simulate an artificial "fever" to help kill off the little nasties that are rooting around in your snake.

I've never heard of the pre-shed skin blocking the airway, but I suppose it could happen. Whatever the case may be, you should take him in. If it is an RI then it could be very detrimental to a young snake. If its not an RI, then I'll stick with saying "its better to be safe then sorry."
 
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I've personally seen about three causes for popping sounds from a snake.

The first and most benign is that some snakes (especially hatchlings) will make that sound when they're close to shedding, and as mentioned above it's due to the skin restricting airflow through the nostrils. In this case, all you have to do is wait until the snake sheds and it'll go away.

The second cause I've seen is allergies. I had a large adult male kept on aspen shavings who made obvious sounds when he breathed, even when he wasn't anywhere close to shedding. At the time, the only vet appointment I could get was several days later, so I changed his substrate to paper towel. By the time I brought him in, he was as quiet as any of my other snakes and the vet couldn't find anything wrong. Long story short... he was allergic to aspen the way people are allergic to ragweed.

The third cause is the RI. This is the one that needs vet attention. The posts above give a pretty good description of it.

Unless you know your snake is going through a shed cycle, I'd take him to a REPTILE vet. Until you've seen each variant enough times to distinguish between them, it's much safer to trust the diagnosis to a trained professional. Better to be safe than sorry.

-Kat
 
Thanks everyone, for this thread-- I've noticed my baby making this clicking/popping sound. I've had her for a week now and she's eaten twice. I was comforted by the info about it being associated with shedding in hatchlings and I really hope this is the case for her!
 
This is a bit off topic of clicking or popping sounds, but my adult male, Lars, sometimes grunts when im holding him. Not often, though. The noise comes from deep within him, and you can feel the grunts also with your hand near his lung area. Is this a behavioral issue, like he's just moody? Or should I be concerned? Again it only happens rarely, and I've only noticed it while holding him. Usually I can hear any noises he makes in his viv (the occassional sneeze [which is rare], rustling around in his substrate, etc), because its right next to my computer desk, and I never notice him doing this when hes alone in his tank. Anyone elses snakes do this?
 
Happy discovery

I went in to clean my girl's cage today, and made a discovery that made me very happy-- Reptibark must be cousin to Rice crispies because... it pops! Here I was all worried she had a RI, and now I'm positive the sounds I heard were coming from the substrate, not her. I removed her to a temporary box while I cleaned the cage, but the little sounds could still be heard inside her home.

While on the topic of Reptibark, though.... at the beginning of my research leading up the getting a snake I had heard it was widely used and safe, but now am hearing bad things about it. I still have most of a bag left, is it bad enough stuff that I should ditch it for those T-Rex sani-chips or something?

Thanks!
 
so glad your little one isnt sick! sometimes we worry ourselves for no reason, but in the end its better to be safe than sorry. as far as reptibark, ive never used it, and havent necessarily heard anything detrimental about it. just never use pine or cedar. some will debate whehter pine is harmful too, but its much easier not to risk it, and to just not use it. i would ask some more questions on here about reptibark, and if you want to start a new thread about it. after finding out a bit more, if you decide to switch the most recommended substrate is aspen bedding. it doesnt put off dusts that can cause illnesses in your snake, its easy to spot clean up a poopie, and its nice and fluffy and soft for your snake to tunnel in, which they enjoy. its not any more expensive than reptibark either. ive never heard much about those sani-chips either, but id be interested in finding out more about it. though ill probably stick to aspen. hopefully some others will speak up for you though.
 
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