Clicking and not eating

[chris-uk]

One of our new 4 marcianus is worrying us a bit.

She's the second largest of the 4, so we know she has been eating well. She refused food yesterday and this morning though.
She shed last night, and the shed looks complete, but she does still have a few very small bits of dry old skin (literally just like a couple of small threads of skin in a couple of places).

What's worrying us is that she's making a clicking sound. I've read some old posts about clicking, and there seems to be two opinions - first that it's normal, or second that it's a sign of a resp infection.

I can't see any sign of mucous around her mouth or nose.
The clicking is fairly frequent and not at regular intervals. Sometimes she clicks a twice in succession, other times she goes 15-20 secs without clicking. It's audible from several metres away when she's being held. When she's in the viv you can still hear her clicking if you listen carefully, but it's less regular, maybe every 15-30 secs.
Every time she clicks she moves her mouth slightly, about the distance she does when she flicks her tongue.
The clicks tend to coincide with her breathing, but she doesn't click every time she breathes.
Temps are good (22C cool, 28C warm), she's not in a draft, the tank is dry (aspen substrate), there's some damp moss in one of the hides.
Don't know about humidity as I haven't got round to buying a hygrometer yet, but the house isn't damp and humidity here is about 82% according to the weather forecast.
She doesn't seem bothered by being handled when I took a look at her.

Any advice? Is there anything else we should look for?

Thanks.

[BLUESIRTALIS]

It could be some of the dry shed sometimes it blocks the nasal passages and makes that clicking sound.

[guidofatherof5]

Sometimes that clicking noise can come from the glottis opening and closing.
I've had that happen with a few of my radixes.

It's never been anything more then a noise.

[RedSidedSPR]

I've heard a quite clicking noise come from mine...

[kibakiba]

Snakey and Mama make a clicking noise, it's not too loud, but it's just their glottis opening and closing.

If you are really worried about her having an RI, softly (and I mean softly!) squeeze her head and see if any mucous come of of her nose. One of my friends rescues ball pythons, that's what she does if she suspects an RI in them. I don't know if it's the same with garters, but I would assume it would be.

[RedSidedSPR]

I bet if you put your other snakes to your ear, Chris, you'll hear it with them too.

[chris-uk]

There's definitely no mucous, I'd read about that in older threads so looked specifically for that. Is mucous a defining symptom of infection
Something I was wondering, is whether they ever get their jaws locked? I had a friend at school who could slightly dislocate his jaw and click it.

Hopefully she's just got a noisy glottis. Char was mainly concerned in case it was an infection that Binky could catch.

[kibakiba]

Mucous is very common in RI's, I don't think they can lock their jaws.

[chris-uk]

Thanks everyone. I doubt it's an RI based on your feedback. We'll keep an eye on her and see if anything else develops.

If it is just a noisy glottis and she doesn't grow out of it, at least she'll be easier to track down if she escapes... "shhhhh, I'm listening for the click"...

[Mrs N1ntndo]

Im asking in her cause this is where it was mentioned.... What is a glottis . Can someone show a pic please. Sorry for asking but I dont quite know the snakes anatomy or anything yet. Where would be a spot to show all the terms and things so that if I see them I know whats said. Thank u.