JCP Clicking while feeding

Hi all, this is my first time posting on this site but I've been a member for close to two years now and I've gotten heaps of help from reading the threads on this site. Tonight I was feeding my 19 month old Jungle when I noticed he was clicking/ sort of wheezing as he had the rat in his mouth. I took the rat away from him thinking he may have an RI and will need to be taken to the vet tomorrow (After he had dropped it in his water bowl, as he usually does before devouring it) and had a closer listen. He's seems to be breathing fine now and is still quite active, not residue around his nose/mouth and hardly lathargic. I was wondering, has anyone else had this issue? Is this sound just a cause by the snake feeding or getting excited by the feed or should I be worried of an RI?
His temps are at currently at 30/26 but it has been cold the last few weeks here.

I'd really appreciate anyone's input.
-Meagan

Snakes when eating sometimes have to breathe through that little tubey thing in thier mouth I forget what its called, but if you fed him a wet rat it was probably just the water making noises when he breathed.

My darwin does this too when I feed her a wet rat. She has no goopy stuff or anything so.

Thanks for the reply. Yes he was fed a wet rat, It never really occurred to me it may have been the moisture from the it, He'd never made any sounds like that before now and he's always fed wet rats so I may have just freaked a little... I'll keep an eye on him regardless.

Yeah keep an eye on him but I'm willing to bet it was just water : 3

Ta c:
now I feel bad for taking his meal away. Poor guy seems very upset about his stolen meal lol

Give him another rat to make up for it :3

Haha yeah might wait another night for that, just to see how he's feeling in the morning... (I'm nothing if not unreasonably paranoid lol)

Hey Kopeht,

I have a Jungle Carpet, about 1.5-2 years old. He also makes a similar noise, like a "wheezing" noise. It sounds like he's gently blowing air out his nose, if i was to put a familiar sound to it. Its a very quiet sound that you have to be paying attention to notice at all. I have pretty good hearing so maybe that helps pick it up. He does it every now and again - which has been since we got him about a year ago.

At first I was very concerned and thought it was a RI - but after talking with the guys at the pet store (Kellyville pets) they said just watch him to see if he has any further symptoms - and take him to a vet asap if he does. Well, he didnt really have any further symptoms - so I didn't take him to a VET, and has been a healthy happy boy to this day. Always eats well, always healthy, very placid and good natured.

When does have the wheezing sound, I now know him and think its just a cute little thing he does. I think what happened one time he did it - was I gave him a bit of a bath, and after his head went under water he did it then. He also does it every now and again if he's a bit flustered or agitated after say being over-handled or controlled. So I think the wheezing for my guy is due to either or both of the following:
1. A bit of swallowed water, or water in the nose
2. When he's agitated or upset

Again, if the snake shows further development of RI symptoms, take him to a vet asap to be sure. Or just take him to put your mind at rest.

Hope this helps

Thanks for your input jams, I really appreciate it.
I'm fairly sure it's nothing series as he did have a bit of water residue in his mouth from his rat and I can't pickup any more noises coming from him whatsoever. Still I'll bump his heat up a little and keep an eye on him and rush him over to the vets if his mood takes a turn for the worst.

- - - Updated - - -

Well I took him to the vet this arvo as I had been meaning to go in for a checkup for awhile now. He's a perfectly healthy, happy snake. Even had him sexed.

Turns out he's actually a she haha

Hey that's great news on both counts! Congrats

The fact that it was eating indicates there was no RI - the first signs of RI are usually lack of appetite. Taking an apparently healthy snake to a vet for a "check up" is a pointless exercise - in the absence of any obvious symptoms the vet will relieve you of a nice fee and give it a clean bill of health. People should stop thinking that this is the same as an annual checkup we use for dogs & cats - it is not. Vets can only diagnose obvious problems with reptiles, short of a full range of blood tests. If your snake has no obvious problems, a vet visit is always pointless and often expensive.

I hope the vet didn't charge you extra for sexing it for you...

By the way, I'm not critical of vets, just critical of the expectations of novice keepers.

Jamie

I wouldn't consider the visit a total waste of time and money, the vet gave me lots of helpful information I hadn't been able to find on this site or others. Not to mention my curiousness to the sex of the animal had finally been sated, and no the vet did not charge extra to sex the animal.

Novice keepers are an uncertain breed, this was a one time checkup and it was good to get an opinion of a professional, but thanks for the advice.

Eh you did what you thought and felt was right. The vet trip while maybe expensive also relieved and doubts or worries you might had and thats the best feeling. If i was worried that much about any of my animals i would have done the same thing. I dont care about money when it comes to the health of my animals. Better safe than sorry

Whilst your comment is commendable Beans, it doesn't hurt that inexperienced keepers learn that non-symptomatic visits to the vet are a waste of time - in the absence of any overt signs of sickness in a reptile, a vet visit won't do anything to enhance the health of the animal, and may actually expose it to pathogens - we all know that hospitals are in fact very unhealthy places for otherwise healthy people. It's important that new keepers learn from experienced keepers, and learn to trust their own judgement.

I fully agree with you that money isn't the fundamental issue, but knowing that in the absence of symptoms, a vet visit is a waste of time, is an important part of understanding reptile husbandry.

Jamie

Jamie,

"You don't know what you don't know." That's the problem. I'd trust the opinion of a trained vet much more than the opinion of a self-proclaimed "experienced keeper". It's also better to learn the right way of doing something, rather than learning what someone may have been doing wrong, even if has worked for a number of years.

Cheers, S

simsjams said:

Jamie,

"You don't know what you don't know." That's the problem. I'd trust the opinion of a trained vet much more than the opinion of a self-proclaimed "experienced keeper". It's also better to learn the right way of doing something, rather than learning what someone may have been doing wrong, even if has worked for a number of years.



Cheers, S

Click to expand...

When you've been a member on this forum long enough you'll grow to learn that there are some keepers here (and Jamie is one of them) who, due to years of experience, have extensive enough knowledge to comment on posts regarding the condition of an assumed sick snake and either advise the inquirer not to worry or inform if they believe the snake is suffering an illness.

You'll also discover that those, such as Jamie, who are very experienced within the herp husbandry and bother to take the time to contribute and offer an opinion are doing so out of concern for the welfare of the animal and will advise to consult with a vet if they consider the condition is serious enough to seek veterinary treatment.

It has been proven time and time again where people who have not trusted the initial diagnosis provided by the "experienced keeper" have gone ahead and consulted with a vet to satisfy their curiosity only to repost to confirm what they have been informed in the first instance, thank the person for their contribution and the advice given as treatment.

I'd consider that pretty experienced considering they are only going off the symptoms described by the OP without sighting the snake.

Unfortunately the vast majority of those trained vets that you refer to (and even in some cases those that are considered experienced and even further those considered reptile vets) don't examine enough reptiles to have a real clue about reptile diseases and are reluctant to declare the fact. Sure they may be able to diagnose some of the more common problems but then again so can those experienced keepers that contribute to this forum and the difference is that it won't cost a fortune to get a diagnosis and recommended treatment.

I don't know how many times I have read posts here and on other forums where people have taken their snakes to a vet only to have the condition misdiagnosed in the first instance.

From what I read here Jamie is just advising that there is no need for those new to the hobby to run to a vet unless they believe the critter is showing obvious signs that they are suffering from a significant illness/sickness or infection.

I hope you might take the time to reconsider your opinion regarding suggestions put by experienced keepers such as Jamie who contribute to similar posts in the future.

Cheers,

George.

Acknowledged, good post, cheers.

Thanks for the support GBW ! I should point out that I don't regard myself as a "self-proclaimed experienced keeper" but I am an "experienced" keeper, having started on my reptile journey in the mid 1950s. In the ensuing 60-odd years, I have done a heap of awful things to snakes & lizards of all sorts, through ignorance and stupidity, but at the point I have reached today, I can pretty much head off any problems which are perceived. I don't know it all, far from it, but I do know, for example, that consistent refusal to eat is one of the first signs of impending RI, and the animal should be monitored for further signs of illness. RI, by the way, is rarely a medical emergency, and is usually easily treated as long as there is no underlying cause such as a viral infection.

The advent of the internet is why reptile keeping has taken off in such a big way in the last 25 years. I certainly don't regard vets as surplus to our requirements, they do have a proper place for the treatment of obviously unwell reptiles, and probably for reassuring new keepers who are in doubt about the wellbeing of their animals. But as I said, reptiles are a whole different ball game when it comes to "checkups" - unlike dogs & cats which have annual shots and a general look-over for teeth etc. Taking an asymptomatic reptile to a vet for reassurance that it is healthy is absolutely pointless, unless of course it is a condition of sale or whatever.

Jamie

Well put, Jamie