my new GIANT albino burmese python!!!!!

[brandon0133]

heres some pics of the snakes i just got,,,i know,,im compolsive,,i buy buy buy but i do take really good care of my snakes,,matter of fact the big yellow is sick,,has some kinda bubbles comming from his nose,,,taking him to the vet monday or tuesday, anyways any ideas on what it is? heres some pics of him and i also bought a 4 1/2 ft long ball python,,,so i have like 14 snakes now,,lol,,heres some pics

[Loren]

Cool snake- very pretty. Reminds me of my albino kenyan sand boa, but a thousand times bigger! I want a retic someday, but I can keep alot of other snakes in the place one retic would take up, plus I'm not really built to handle a 15 ft snake.
Sounds like a respiritory infection, if I had to guess. Make darn sure that the temps and humidity in the cage are correct for a burmese. Remember that many reptile health issues come from improper care- maybe the person you got him from didnt adjust the temps as needed as winter came on. Make sure he gets plenty of alone time- in other words- no stress.
The bright side is that many health problems cause by improper set-ups can be corrected by fixing the problem- but see what the vet recomends.
You might find it easier to clean up after him with a more basic substrate, as big snakes tend to make big messy messes.
14 snakes- better watch out, or you'll just keep collecting more and end up with 60-something like me . I dont have any that big though.
Just read your profile- 27 and a mechanic... I'm 30, and a mechanic. Pretty cool.

[brandon0133]

cool,,thanks for the advice,,when i went to pick him up i seen he was in a cage and no heating light,,least not that i seen,,looks like they relied on room temp to heat him,,it was a wooden box with glass front with holes in it,,thats all i seen,,and a water dish thing,,,and he has mites,,which wont be to hard to cure,,,probably get something from the vet,,does any vet deal with snakes or do i need a special vet?

[Loren]

You might try asking around in your area to see who the reccomended reptile vet is, but most vet clinics will probably look at him. Sometimes the local petstores can at least tell you the name of a popular reptile vet.
On the mites- be prepared to possibly have to completely empty the tank to rid the mites. Once they have spread through all that bedding, they will be really hard to get rid of. I like to put reptiles in the most basic setup possible while treating them- paper towels or newspaper- diposable water dishes and hideboxes(just use a cardboard box or something). Then I chuck everything and wipe down the whole cage with a mite spray everytime I treat the reptile. I have had good sucess with reptile relief, but I mostly have dealt with lizard mites- not snake mites(different species). I treat every 4-7 days, for at least 3 treatments, if not 4 or 5, then wait for several weeks before putting the cage back to normal, in case they show up again. You will still need to make sure the temps and humidity aare good through all this.
Others have good luck with provent-a-mite - its used in the enclosure, not on the reptile. People always say that it only works right if you follow the directions exactly. I believe a couple freinds of mine have used Hartz 3 in 1 (or 2 in 1- cant remember)cat flee powder in the cages with success. I think vets sometimes use ivermectin(or something spelled like that). Jerry ( Log- on name-Bay Area) might be able to help with the flea powder idea. Others use baby oil or something similar- its supposed to coat the mite so they suffocate- but I'm not sure on that one. Also, a good luke warm water ( 85 degrees?) soaking will help drown alot of the mites that are on the snake.
Keep in mind mites can spread like wildfire- wash up thoroughly between handling any of your animals until you get it handled- (even in between the ones that dont have mites- because they might have them now), and dont let anything from 1 cage contact another. Keep inspecting all of your reptiles on a regular basis.

[Loren]

I think I meant to say mineral oil- not baby oil- but again, I'm not sure on that one.

[brandon0133]

ive heard that to,,the big albino has a few mites,,,id say probably 50 that i can see under his scales,,and remember 50 aint many on a snake thats 8 ft long,,lol,,anyways i will check with the vets,,probably call a few tomorrow and then take him to one on tuesday,,maybe they can get me the best stuff that have for the mites,, i just talked to the lady who had this snake,,she said his light broke and its been broken for over two weeks now,,so this is probably why hes sick,,dont u think?

[Loren]

On the sickness- yes that sounds like what probably caused it. I've heard of a few people tell me about their large boas/pythons getting resp. illnesses, and it seems like it is often people that have the snake cages in their garage, and its often in the winter.

[brandon0133]

yeah i guess its like kids and winter and getting sick,,im still going to call,,this snakes over 5 yrs old,,and i want it to live as long as i can,,any ideas on how much this will cost me?

[Loren]

not really.

[brandon0133]

good answer,,,lol,,also i know that the snakes will get in the water to drown mites,,,but mines sleeping under the water,,,well has his head up out of the water,,,but hes sleeping like that,,is this normal for a snake this size?