Respiratory Infections

[lemon1]

I don't know why I can't search things . ....... Anyways ............ Can somebody tell me about RI's symptoms etc..... Pekoe suddenly has a lot of whistling while she breaths . The care sheet said whistling is normal and Pekoe does it sometimes but not all the time like today . Pekoe had no runny nose or eyes or any other symptoms .

[Richard.C]

maybe raise temps a smidge just in case,usual signs of respitory are open mouth breathing,watery eyes,bubbly watery nostrils,even mucusy in the mouths,breathing funny with noises may be an early sign,but can also be quite normal to,so dont think the worst yet

whistling can be quite normal,wheezing is more a concern

is pekoe active,eating normally and behaving normally,minus the whistling i mean

[Fatal_S]

*darn, I'm wondering is this is from the stress of being taken to my place and abused for that day. I'd go with the raise temperature advice (I provide 24/7 heat to any sick/possibly sick reptiles).

[lemon1]

Pekoe is staying on the cold side . He is active and behaving normal . Does stress cause respiratory infections . We haven't taken him out since you took him to your place until today . Pekoe's been hiding in the cold side of the enclosure . Which isn't unusual for Pekoe . We saw Pekoe out so we decided to put some stuff on him to help his shed . That's when we noticed the whistling .

[Richard.C]

what sort of stuff?

im sure he will be ok,has it been cool there lately,if cool end is quite cool they can think its brumate time

raising the temps a bit helps them recover if it is early signs of respitory infection,including warming cool end a bit,if they sense cold,they can go down cool end to rest it out,or if cool enough go down to rest,then not quite get warm enough to get up to go bask,do you know cool end temps

[Fatal_S]

The stuff is shed-aid. Pekoe had some shed constricting/damaging toes. Her toes are exactly the wrong color and make it very hard to see the shed, so I kidnapped her for a couple hours for a bath and to remove the shed. I left shed-aid with Ivy to help with anything still there. I'm really hopeful her toes will be great, but I hope it didn't upset poor Pekoe too much.

[Richard.C]

thanks mel,cant see shed aid being harmful in any way,i guess just keep an eye on pekoe,just to be sure it isnt a respitory infection,im not sure that it is,but always good to keep an eye on them anyways.

bit of extra warmth can work wonders,even if it just gets them active again,but if the begginnings of a ri,it can clear it up before medical attention is needed

[lemon1]

THe cool side is around 75 when light is on . At night it's usually around 68 if I don't have the heat light on . I will leave the lights on and see what happens .

[Richard.C]

day temp on cool side seems fine,only thing i can think of is maybe the night coolness,but that doesnt seem overly bad either,interesting to see what happens i guess,you have a northern yes

[Alioop]

As others have said, it wouldn't hurt to leave your heat light on overnight to avoid the nighttime drop.

[Katrina]

There is a difference between a slight whistle and RI - sometimes there is something in their nostrils and they have a bit of a whistle when breathing, usually only when active or handled (not when sleeping or not moving much). RI is kind of a bubbling / wheezing / crackling sound. Imagine fluid in the lungs and air having to go through / around the fluid when they breath in and out - that is what RI sounds like. A slight whistle is fairly common for my guys, but it is out of the nostrils. Any kind of bubbling / wheezing sound like the air is going through fluid needs to see a vet. This is often accompanied by lethargy.

A slight whistle when breathing heavily with no other cause for concern or symptoms is very likely nothing to worry about.

[Rachael t]

Lizzie is prone to these, due to her previous living conditions. Sneezing, oozing eyes, runny nose, mucous everywhere, lethargy, swollen chest is what Liz has had to endure in the past, it's not pretty. Keep it warm, wipe away the mucous as much as possible and if it doesn't improve antibiotics from the vet will be in order.

[Spindown]

Thankfully I've never had to deal with this issue with my skinks, but in snakes its REALLY obvious. They drool (and not because they were just drinking or soaking in water), they wheeze, they gasp, there is bubbles if its bad...I had two snakes come to me with RI's, one via shipping stress, the other after being on display at an expo for 2 days and stressed from the LONG trip there. There can also be odd clicking sounds, like in someone who has ever had bronchitis or pneumonia.

I have a couple guys that whistle a little if they get something in their nostrils, like a shed scale, a piece of aspen (im almost done making the switch off of aspen though), etc.
I wouldnt worry too much unless behavior and symptoms drastically change