spotted python problems.

[monsy91]

Hi guy,

I got my first python about 5 weeks ago. It is a platinum spotted and only a couple of months old. The first shed was alright but the second was a rough shed with some small patches of skin remaining. I took care of that with a warm water soak. As of about 3 days ago i noticed she was opening her mouth alot and making a sort of clicking noise. After doing a lot of research i think she may have a RI. I was wanting to know what the correct humidity should be in her enclosure as i read that low humidity can be a cause of bad sheds and a RI. She is kept in a small exo terra tank with a heat mat, hide and water bowl with a fake plant all of appropriate size. Her hot side is 32c and her cool side 25. I have misted her tank and mostly covered the mesh top to increase humidity. I was wondering if i was doing something wrong or if there is anything else i can do for her. Thanks guys.

 

[Foozil]

First off, definitely stop the spraying. High humidity is bad for antaresias. This may cause RI. Keep the enclosure bone dry. I would probably put the snake in a bare click clack setup to keep an eye on it.
But platinum macs are AWESOME!! We need pics!
Welcome to the forum btw.

 

[monsy91]

First off, definitely stop the spraying. High humidity is bad for antaresias. This may cause RI. Keep the enclosure bone dry. I would probably put the snake in a bare click clack setup to keep an eye on it.
But platinum macs are AWESOME!! We need pics!
Welcome to the forum btw.

Hey mate thanks for the advice! Could you please explain a little more about a ‘bare’ click clack? Is it literally one with nothing in it except a heat mat? And I will get some pics up soon. Thanks mate.

 

[Foozil]

Hey mate thanks for the advice! Could you please explain a little more about a ‘bare’ click clack? Is it literally one with nothing in it except a heat mat? And I will get some pics up soon. Thanks mate.

No worries. I would define a bare click clack as something like this:

You can add some fake plants and sticks if you want. This still has a heat cord/mat and a thermostat.
[doublepost=1518466227,1518466155][/doublepost]And I should probably just say that I'm no expert but this is how I would treat potential RI.

 

[monsy91]

No worries. I would define a bare click clack as something like this:
View attachment 323253
You can add some fake plants and sticks if you want. This still has a heat cord/mat and a thermostat.
[doublepost=1518466227,1518466155][/doublepost]And I should probably just say that I'm no expert but this is how I would treat potential RI.

Ahh fantastic thankyou very much! I will get her in one of these immediately. I was wondering aswell what could have been the cause if it wasn’t high humidity? And the bad sheds?

 

[Foozil]

Ahh fantastic thankyou very much! I will get her in one of these immediately. I was wondering aswell what could have been the cause if it wasn’t high humidity? And the bad sheds?

I'm honestly not really sure what could've caused the bad sheds. Btw - the container I have that one in is just a Sistema container from Coles, not sure how many litres though but its the bigger size.

 

[SpottedPythons]

Humidity for spotteds should be raised only around shedding time, and use of a "humid hide" rather than spraying the enclosure is advised. A bare click clack wouldn't do much in this situation unless your enclosure is not clear and you want better visibility - just stop the spraying. In fact, evaporative moisture from the water bowl in the small space might make it worse than a larger enclosure. As a guideline, spotteds really only need a spray once in maybe a fortnight, with water always available to them via the dish.

 

[monsy91]

Humidity for spotteds should be raised only around shedding time, and use of a "humid hide" rather than spraying the enclosure is advised. A bare click clack wouldn't do much in this situation unless your enclosure is not clear and you want better visibility - just stop the spraying. In fact, evaporative moisture from the water bowl in the small space might make it worse than a larger enclosure. As a guideline, spotteds really only need a spray once in maybe a fortnight, with water always available to them via the dish.

Hey mate thankyou for the advice. So if I stop the misting and get the humidity down in her enclosure there is a chance she will come good on her own without a vet visit?

 

[Foozil]

A bare click clack wouldn't do much in this situation unless your enclosure is not clear and you want better visibility - just stop the spraying.

I say this because it will be easier to keep an eye on the snake and with proper ventilation it will be no more humid than the larger one.

 

[Scutellatus]

I say this because it will be easier to keep an eye on the snake and with proper ventilation it will be no more humid than the larger one.

The Exo-Terra tanks are glass and have a great ventilation system.
It may not actually be RI and could quite possibly be stuck nasal shed.
Do as advised by @SpottedPythons above for a week or two and if the clicking is still persisting I would get it to a vet.
I would remove the water bowl and only put it in there every three days at night for an hour or two. Also try to pay attention when it is yawning etc. and look for increased mucous in the mouth, if there is an increase get it straight to the vet.

 

[pinefamily]

Hi and welcome to the forum, Monsy.
Reading your original post, I'm not sure it is RI either. You say your python was opening his mouth and there was a clicking noise. Was it like a stretched yawn when he opened his mouth? Is he still doing it? When was he last fed before this?
It could just have been your python putting jaw back into place after eating.
Re the shedding, a water bowl large enough for him to soak in, and placed a little closer to the heat will help him shed. Also a rock in the tank will assist him to get his shed off.

 

[Foozil]

The Exo-Terra tanks are glass and have a great ventilation system.
It may not actually be RI and could quite possibly be stuck nasal shed.
Do as advised by @SpottedPythons above for a week or two and if the clicking is still persisting I would get it to a vet.
I would remove the water bowl and only put it in there every three days at night for an hour or two. Also try to pay attention when it is yawning etc. and look for increased mucous in the mouth, if there is an increase get it straight to the vet.

Agreed, but as I said I just think it would be better to have it in a click clack so that you can keep a better eye on it.

 

[Scutellatus]

Agreed, but as I said I just think it would be better to have it in a click clack so that you can keep a better eye on it.

They are both clear so visiblity is similar if anything the Exo-Terra would have more visiblity because of the clear glass. The Exo-Terra will breathe better because of the open mesh top so it will not build humidity like the smaller click-clack.

 

[Foozil]

They are both clear so visiblity is similar if anything the Exo-Terra would have more visiblity because of the clear glass. The Exo-Terra will breathe better because of the open mesh top so it will not build humidity like the smaller click-clack.

Okay

 

[monsy91]

Hey guys just an update.

I got home from work a couple of ours ago (night shift) and she has had her first perfect whole shed! After reading through the comments a point was made about a possible stuck nasal shed. I was inspecting the shed skin and discovered that there was still some old skin attached to the new shed skin around the nasal area, so it must have been the culprit. I have been watching her very closely for a couple of hours and she isn’t showing any more distress at all and has taken a fuzzy as it was feeding day. Thankyou all very much for all of your help I really appreciate it as someone who is brand new to the hobby!

 

[Foozil]

Hey guys just an update.

I got home from work a couple of ours ago (night shift) and she has had her first perfect whole shed! After reading through the comments a point was made about a possible stuck nasal shed. I was inspecting the shed skin and discovered that there was still some old skin attached to the new shed skin around the nasal area, so it must have been the culprit. I have been watching her very closely for a couple of hours and she isn’t showing any more distress at all and has taken a fuzzy as it was feeding day. Thankyou all very much for all of your help I really appreciate it as someone who is brand new to the hobby!

Good to hear!