Snake Goes to Vet for Odd Symptom

Penelope is going to the vet to finally get some answers. Is it mites, a respiratory infection, a growth spurt or somthing worse? Let's find out.
Penelope is a two year old African House Snake, Boaedon capensis. This species is truly one of my favorites out of every reptile I've ever kept, so when I noticed an odd change in her shed cycles, I was immediately concerned. I attempted to keep her in a Bioactive rack system and wondered if that might have contributed to what was happening. My first theory was that bacteria was building up on her skin, so i put her on paper, but didn't noticed a change, but it turns out I made one major oversight...
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[@axxotics]

Better safe than sorry. Once my boa had VERY obvious RI symptoms out of nowhere like wheezing, clicking, and excess saliva. I booked a vet appointment for the next day and somehow a lot of his symptoms vanished before then. I still took him in and the vet told me it was just inflammation caused by substrate getting stuck in his mouth during feeding. No one even told me that was a thing

[@leafystreet]

Woh that’s actually super scary. Glad you caught that. What type of bedding out of curiosity

[@axxotics]

@@leafystreet coco fiber. They stick extremely well to f/t mice and even though I tried to prevent it from touching the substrate he would move it around too much. He got a mouthful of substrate and I thought it was fine because it had happened before and he got it out on his own, but then it caused inflammation. Coco fiber is just too light, it’s better to use heavier loose substrates that won’t stick to things.

[@ignightroad]

Had a similar issue! Ball python was being held and about ten minutes in, water gushed down her mouth and she started wheezing. Turns out, ball pythons are VERY bad at drinking and sometimes water stays in their mouth, so when they look down, it tips out.

[@cricketmuncher]

man i wouldve been TERRIFIED i use a similar substrate and i've always been scared of my snake getting it in his mouth 😭

[@rinaturalist]

I’m glad she’s okay! Always a good idea to take her to the vet.

[@leafystreet]

thank you my friend. You guys know how much i love this gal so i feel the same way

[@gijsrietveld3700]

Easy to forget that house snakes are a cooler species sometimes. Good call on taking her for a checkup. I havent had the need yet to luckily :). Congrats on 50K friend!💚

[@leafystreet]

It’s part of the reason they make such great snakes for newer keepers, they like house temps. Silly of me to overlook it but glad it clicked. Thank you my friend!

[@hi_tech_reptiles]

Heat was the last thing that came to mind, cuz it can happen but it's pretty rare. Go figure the African snake wants it cooler lol. But my Ball Pythons basically never leave the cool side too, upper 70s, while my boas like more varied stuff (other than my Sonorans, who like it even cooler) Glad you got it figured out! I try to keep my room cooler and just add more heat if needed - easier to heat things up than cool it off ya know? Edit: ok this is long but I gotta say, you are definitely the big up and coming reptile YTer dude. You could easily do 10x your sub count, you're funny, non-judgemental, but take great care of your animals, have a great variety etc. Really inspires me, glad to have your content!

[@leafystreet]

I was so not expecting that answer it’s crazy. Even climate data told me a warm summer would be ok, but it was lack of a true cool refuge that was likely the issue in the end. Sonorans and some of the cloud forest species interest me for that reason. Those color temps are pretty convenient. The support means the world. It’s always great so see your comments pop up, so thank you so much

[@leafystreet]

was this an overreaction on my part, or a better safe than sorry? And would the breeders comments made you react the same way? is a hotdog a sandwich? join the discord: discord.gg/PAW7BYraCr

[@thelilshadow7778]

I know you made this video a year ago, but I wanted to say thank you for telling us that she was doing better at the very end of the video. Huge relief. I love your channel and I think you’re a rather rad human being that’s super kind and genuine. Your response to her symptoms was definitely not an overreaction, and if the breeder said that, I’d do the same thing my dude. Thank you for all your lovely content.

[@timothymock4571]

I can’t believe Penelope lost four skins this summer, my gran-papi always used to dip us in tomato sauce if we shed too much… or maybe that was for getting skunk spray, either way reptiles usually do better with skin on. Now go outside and run.

[@leafystreet]

our grandpas did the same thing. But mine through his GPS in thegarage so the government couldn’t find him 👍🏻. Have a good day

[@whocares269]

Look at you Alex, 50k already?! I remember your community post around 1k only a few weeks ago. I'm so glad I found your channel early, can tell how much you care about your lil critters and Penelope the nope rope. I keep exotics, I know the vet isn't cheap but it's what makes a good owner stand out. Can't wait to see how big you and Penelope get🥰

[@leafystreet]

Thank you so much! It’s really been crazy but the support means a ton. You know, the Uber there was almost more pricey than the exam, I was shocked

[@welpppppppppppppp]

hope penelope feels better now !! vets are the experts so it’s always good to get a second opinion

[@leafystreet]

Thank you, she’s doing better already. Yea this guy was real knowledgeable, a shame Penelope had to be on her worst behavior lol

[@AlexIsModded]

I have a Colombian red tail. I keep Sophie at 75 on her warm side, and 65 on her cool side. CRTB's are perfectly fine with 75 - 80 degrees. They don't need to be any warmer than that. The most important thing is to make sure the temperature stays consistent, because fluctuation is what causes respiratory infections. A bioactive enclosure should not irritate a snake of any species. Things that cause irritation are substrates that are rough (such as reptibark), improper temperature ranges, and improper or unstable humidity. Lack of humidity is bad, but what's worse is being too humid. Snakes can become agitated when they are too wet, and boas get especially upset when they can't get away from excess water or dry off (this is true for all boidae species, but boinae species are even more particular about not being wet when they don't want to be). There are times when Sophie has spilled her water from her bowl, and she's shoved herself up against the glass doors and borderline flies out the tank when we let her out to clean up her mess.

[@marywegrzyn506]

Thank you for taking her in to the Vet. It shows you love her n you may have saved her life. Now she is a happy girl !!!

[@Crovus804]

this channel is super under appreciated ❤❤❤ you're making amazing videos

[@AccidentallyOnPurpose]

It is always good to go to a vet and get a checkup and get established with one anyways, no matter the pet. That way if there is an emergency or the animal is ill they have charts to look back on and it's easier to get in for an emergency.

[@wyattwienker8535]

You have me cracking up every time. The jokes are not going unappreciated 😘

[@marywegrzyn506]

Yes!! The plastic holds heat in. A Glass enclosure would be better. And away from sunny windows.

[@Grianfan90]

The mental image of a slightly concerned-looking bright orange snake lying in a tiny little bed under the covers with a mug of cocoa on the nightstand has now filled me with happy.

[@falcolf]

I really appreciate that you experimented with her setup, are you gonna try it again now that you have her temp figured? Glad she's okay, she's such a pretty and adorable little snake friend!❤

[@HKH_Oficial]

Good she wasn’t sick. 　house snakes like it pretty cool lol

[@janinebean4276]

Aww poor girl! I hate being too hot. It’s so hard to know when animals can’t speak to you and tell you though. Maybe you can get her one of those iPad or button systems that cats, dogs, and parrots can learn to speak with 😅

[@leafystreet]

looool that weird uncanny valley looking dog on tiktok

[@janinebean4276]

@@leafystreet aha I had to look that up because I’m an old 29 year old millennial who doesn’t have tiktok 🥴😂 do you mean bunny? She’s adorable but it is a little unsettling 😬 imagine how people would react if it was a SNAKE talking and asking “why?” 🙃

[@leafystreet]

@@janinebean4276 lol thats the one. If i gave Penelope a button it would just one labeled MOUSE

[@janinebean4276]

@@leafystreet ahahaha I joke that if i did that with my dog the only thing he would say is “BALL. BALL. BALL.”

[@janinebean4276]

@@leafystreet at this point he just brings you a ball and throws it at you anyway

[@14ToeBeans]

Enjoyed this, thx

[@blinschik2197]

That was very informative and Interesting ^^

[@leafystreet]

hey thanks so much

[@TwinkleTwinkleTruly]

Dunno about that Mario Bros’ incest fan art, man …

[@hw5035]

Wow so cool to see from October 2022 to December 31/2023 your channel grew from 46325 subscribers to 549k 😳😱🤯 So cool 🎉🍾🎉🎉🥳

[@imthescrubjay]

Feel better soon Penelope ❤️ . . I wonder who let those dogs out? 🤔

[@leafystreet]

Idk but I’m looking into it

[@LukeMcGuireoides]

I see, temp. How did you miss that?! Lol No shade

[@BlindSpine]

How much did you pay for the appointment?

[@mightypossum5996]

♡

[@serenamorin3269]

New shelf?

[@leafystreet]

👀

[@LukeMcGuireoides]

I see, temp. How did you miss that?! Lol No shade

[@LukeMcGuireoides]

Love the channel, btw. You're a natural, very charming personality. Your channel is going to be quite successful. I'd bet on it