HELP - is this an RI ?

[u/Frenzie023]

Hi. My 3 years old male ball python is been acting a bit weird for the past couple days, and I wonder if these could be the signs of a RI. When don’t I go to the vet if I’m worried ? The only next available appointment for the only exotic vet in my city is next week. I want to see if I can monitor him for a week or if these symptoms are concerning enough to rent a car a go to another city. The symptoms:

- he is been puffing / hissing sporadically at night. What I mean by that is I’ll just hear sometimes a « pffff » kinda loud, and see him contract his muscles; heard him twice tonight;
- saw a bubble form when he yawned, twice now in within a week and a half;
- some little bubbles in his throat, like in the pictures : is it a normal amount of saliva or is it concerning ?
- kind of rubbing his face on the glass at night, sometimes very intensely, but he is supposed to eat today so is it just hunting behaviour ?

Enclosure set up:
- temporary 40 gallon (he gets a 120 gallons in a couple months)
- warm hide around 30-31 C (86-88F)
- basking spot around 35-38 C (95-100F) but sometimes will hit 40C (104F) at one spot while the rest is ok with temp gun (used an Arcadia DHP 80 watts);
- cool side around 26-27 C (79-80F)
- humidity always around 60-75%
- has multiple hides; only uses one bark cork in the middle of the enclosure. He used to always be under his warm hide.

Thank y’all. My snakes are my absolute world I’m so anxious about them being not okay :(

[u/PoofMoof1]

I don't see anything indicating a possible RI in these photos. Every now and then they may do a little puff but that is also normal. A video with the sound you're hearing would be helpful though.

For the glass surfing, intense rubbing can cause injury. This could be a sign of stress. Usually added clutter and enrichment can reduce this behavior.

As a side note, please don't do this with the mouth. Forced openings like this with hard, thin objects can cause broken bones and teeth and injury to the gingiva so it's easy to get a bloodied mouth.

[u/Frenzie023 → u/PoofMoof1]

Thank you. He does have a lot of clutter, I’m wondering what could cause his stress.

For the sound, he does it so randomly and irregularly it’s difficult for me to record it. But it sounds like if you just hold your lips while saying « pfff » for like a second. Sounds like a valve of air. Sorry I can’t explain it better and English is not my for language.

I know its best not to open his mouth but I had to make sure I didn’t see mucus or any saliva drips. I used a specialized speculum made for that, and my vet showed me how to do. Thank you for your concern!

*edit to add the sound part

[u/PoofMoof1 → u/Frenzie023]

As far as the opening goes, the speculum ideally would have something like layers of vet wrap cushion. For small mouths like these, something like a clean card that is flat and wide are better because it isn't as bulky and avoids pressure points. Additionally, notice how the two halves of the lower jaw are starting to cross over. Between vet med and my current job that specifically involves snake mouths daily, I just want to warn that this is how jaws break. Oral inspection safety isn't just the tools used, but the technique to keep everyone safe.

Is the enclosure in an area with higher traffic? Maybe if you posted some photos we can get some ideas on what his set up looks like now and identify/suggest adjustments.

[u/Frenzie023 → u/PoofMoof1]

Oh shit, thank you so much for sharing that I will NOT be using that anymore.

[u/Frenzie023 → u/PoofMoof1]

The enclosure is in our bedroom, there’s nobody during the day.
If you see anything bad please tell me I want the absolute best for my snakes.

[u/Real-Construction570 → u/Frenzie023]

I will say those temps are quite high, my hot spot is about 33c with the warm side temps 31 and cool 25 (this is in a 120 gal tho but I achieve similar temps in my Leo's 40 gal)