First is that you should never lower the humidity on a tropical boid with an RI. When the humidity is too low, the lung surface tissue dries to the point that it becomes irritated and damaged and allows bacterial invasion of this tissue causing an RI, or aggravation of an existing one. With the extra ambient humidity, this moisture will allow the boas immune system to operate more efficiently at the surface of the lung tissue where most of the invasive bacteria are located. This also allows any antibiotic that maybe used less restricted access to the surface tissue as well.

As far as the use of ampicillin, this is a penicillin class antibiotic that has a limited spectrum of activity against bacterial pathogens that are responsible for most RI’s in boids, and also less effectiveness on other causitive bacteria species due to acquired resistance. In addition, the dosing procedure you specified would give a highly inaccurate underdose of this antibiotic, which has serious consequences in itself. Antibiotics should never be used indiscriminately. If the increase in humidity and low 90’s temps don’t improve the condition in a week or so, a vet should be considered for a proper treatment regimen.

Kelly

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