I just got a new blood python saturday. I examined him thoroughly yesterday again and noticed a small amount of foam in his mouth as well as a small amount of mucus in his nose. It is just a hatchling. No wheezing or popping. He has eaten very well. I have heard that baby bloods can exhibit r.I. like symptoms during shipping and set-up only to disappear within a week or two. Is this a fact? I would take him to the vet but my wife went into labor this morning 3 weeks early. I have to deal with MY baby first. Should I be concerned? All opinions are appreciated.
Welcome to the forums Benzo, I'm sorry to hear about your new addition. I don't know much about Bloods myself nor do I have much personal experience with RI's, hopefully someone can help you out soon. I'm in the process of sending you a message that may be beneficial...it's the best I've got PM sent.
R.I.'s suck, I know. Some of my guys have gotten them in the past, and they're just plain annoying. I've not heard of that happening with a snake through shipping (I mean not heard of it being a temporary/not real thing), so I honestly can't comment on that. Usually though, if you raise the temps in the cage by a few degrees a mild R.I. will go away on its own. Mild is what it sounds like he's got right now (it does sound like a R.I., but I can't be 100% sure over the Internet), so try raising the overall temps by three or four degrees. Now for the record, I've had no first hand experience with a blood python, so if someone with more experience with this species is out there please chime in. I've helped a couple of balls and a boa get better who have had a R.I., so I'm going on what worked with them. Hope he gets better soon man.