Simon

[Laura R (FL)]

Strange question...hissing or exhaling?

I have a new critter, a 5' BCI boa.  He's a lovely, docile snake, but didn't get the best of care from his last home.  I've had him for a week and he looks a little dehydrated and maybe a tad underfed.  I'm not sure how often he was handled, but he tolerates it pretty well around here.  We keep the handling down to maybe 5-10 min a day, he's been soaking to help his skin and water balance, and he's already eaten a med rat for me.

When I hold him, he's curious, but also pretty content to wrap around my arm and just hang out.  If you touch his tail or if someone walks by, he 'exhales'.  It sounds much like my smaller snakes, only a little louder.  It just so happens that it coincides with a particular touch or someone walking by at times.  Sometimes he does it for no particular reason.  I've also heard him do it in his cage.  It's important that I read this snake as accurately as possible because he will be part of an educational program.  I have a hissing hognose snake and I would think that a larger snake would make quite a loud sound if it were in fact hissing as a sign of aggression or defense.  He doesn't assume any aggressive/defensive postures and seems like a real sweet boy.  Any opinions from other large snake keepers?

Blessings,
Laura R (FL)

0.0.1 American Alligator
1.3.0 Bearded Dragons
1.0.0 Columbian Tegu
0.1.0 Red Tail Boa
0.2.0 Corn Snakes
1.1.0 Ball Pythons
1.0.0 Eastern Hognose snake
1.1.0 White's Tree Frogs
0.1.0 Chilean Rose Tarantula
0.0.1 Emperor Scorpion
0.4.0 Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches

Oh yeah, and a wacko dog and a couple of cats

[Simon]

I think that you're probably quite experienced enough to be able to tell a hiss.  It sounds like a wheeze to me and in which case I'd get the snake checked out by a Herp vet for respiratory infection.  You may want to raisethe temps slightly ( a few degrees each end... not by much) and see if that helps.  48 hours at the most extreme.

It's probably nothing and the snake may settle down and not even do it after a while, but it may be better safe than sorry.

Also respiratory infections are bacterial in nature and you have a nice collection.. you don't want to infect the others so - if you haven't already - I'd suggest you employ a strong quaranteen method until this clears up or it is confirmed otherwise.

Let us know what happens. 

[tazzyb]

Ditto what simon said get the snake checked out incase it has RI

However my male hogg island boa does this. It really freaked me out at first he was the biggest snake we had ever owned at the time just over 5 foot. We had him to the vets and after being checked out he was given the all clear. I just say he is sighing

[little_chrissy]

definately will agree that it is possibly an RI due to the bad husbandry the poor guy recieved in the apst
a trip to the herp vet is def in order and plz do let us no how he gets on

[Snakes Incorporated]

If the animal is wheezing bring up the temperature and drop the humidity till all dries up. These animals are prowen to lung problems and if you do not treat it will kill the animal slowly.

If the animal is hissing it is indicating to you that there is something that disturbs the animal and is a warning. Snakes do not like to be handled but will get accustomed to us humans not meaning the animal likes the attention.

[Laura R (FL)]

No RI in the boa.  Come to find out, he went into shed and the noisy breathing may be due to loosened skin.  Not sure since we haven't seen him outside of the shed cycle.  He's still just a really calm snake and I don't think it's a hiss since my little gator and hognose still make more noise than this guy.  I guess it's just my inexperience with large snakes and fortunately, with RI.  I've never had to battle that around my little zoo, knock on wood.  I did all that the other stuff I know to do...raise temps, drop humidity, hydrate.  He's still eating and seems fine otherwise.  My family went to a reptile show last weekend and now we have a new Mali and a PacMan Frog.  Oh yeah and my beardie laid 23 eggs this morning.  STOP THE INSANITY!!!

[Laura R (FL)]

Just wanted to give an update in case anyone else ever comes across this situation.  I wanted to check him out last night and make sure he was doing OK.  I knew he was past his cloudy phase and was due to shed any time.  I picked him up to listen to his breathing and he was in full wheeze, all the way down into his "chest".  You could hear it through his body wall and you could hear him exhale from across the room.  At this point I began to doubt the "No RI" diagnosis, but there was nothing I do on a Fri night.  I put him back and left him alone to shed.  This morning, he had completed his shed and he is like a new creature!  His coloration is beautiful, all of that yucky old retained skin is gone, and no more raspy breathy.

I don't want anyone to prolong diagnosis/treatment hoping it is just a shedding issue.  But if you have a snake with crispy, retained skin and you know he is going into a shed cycle, it could be an obstructed respiratory tract.

[Simon]

That's good news.  It's a shame that these type of symptoms aren't always cured by a shed.

(It's like engine trouble being fixed by washing your car)

[d6864914]

新华网旧金山1月3日电 （记者 李宓） 一名英国男子3日否认混充消息团体董事长兼首席履行官鲁伯特・默多克妻子邓文迪开设推特账户，轻松获得“实名认证”，让微博服务供给商美国推特公司一贯不明白的认证系统受到媒体和大众质疑。　　默多克于2011年12月31日以实名认证注册了推特账户。一个名为“邓文迪”的账户在2012年1月1日注册，前后发出微博100多条，其中还以“悍妻”口气让默多克删除一些微博，受到媒体普遍关注。　　该用户随后在电子邮件中告知英国《卫报》,利记娱乐城，他是一名住在伦敦的英国人，由于新年假期过于无聊，在看到媒体对默多克应用推特大肆炒作后决议开设这个账户。　　多家美国媒体以为，推特一向对它的实名认证体制含混其辞，“假冒邓文迪”让人们对其服务的保险性跟揪出冒名顶替者的才能表现猜忌,88娱乐城。“冒充邓文迪”3日宣布微博说：“你们必定想晓得为什么推特会认证这个账户。在认证这事儿上，我素来没和推特进行过任何交换。”　　美国科技网站TechCrunch说，推特通常通过名人明星的官方网站来验证名人账户的真伪，假如网站上有推特账户的链接，就认定为是真的；而在邓文迪事件中,澳门网上赌场，推特仿佛依据的是未教训证的媒体报道，这显然是不可取的。　　推特3日在一份申明中说，公司错误认证进程发表评论,山东福利彩票，但承认过错认证了邓文迪的实名账户，并对此表示歉意。　　作者：李宓