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My female used to be a really gorgeus light colour now she has started to get darker but also black dots everywhere on her head. Is she sick or is this how they age Note the small black dots everywhere

Man, it looks like you need some moisture in your house...Hey snakes need heat and when you add heat it takes out the moisture...so add the moisture back all the time. Those boas need to soak in some luke warm water in a tub...make sure they can rest on the bottom and not have the water over their head or they will drown...it would be even better if you could have this water tub inside their cage...so they can soak at will....Then after they go into another shed...use a spray bottle every so often through the day and misting them down...They should shed in one piece and it should be all rolled up like a doughnut. Aquariums with screen tops and a heat light is usually the problem for low humidity. Boas need belly heat more than the heat from the lights, so that may help you. Andy
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in addition to what ajf said, it appears that your snake has a retained eye cap on its right side.
this is due to improper shedding and you may try rubbing it off with a wet q-tip. if that doesnt work i resourt to clear scotch tape.

as far as the spots go, my snakes tend to have dark and lighter colorations. it varys with mood, shed cycle etc. the spots may come with age but usually they are there but just darken up. i do not think spots are anything to worry about.

>>Man, it looks like you need some moisture in your house...Hey snakes need heat and when you add heat it takes out the moisture...so add the moisture back all the time. Those boas need to soak in some luke warm water in a tub...make sure they can rest on the bottom and not have the water over their head or they will drown...it would be even better if you could have this water tub inside their cage...so they can soak at will....Then after they go into another shed...use a spray bottle every so often through the day and misting them down...They should shed in one piece and it should be all rolled up like a doughnut. Aquariums with screen tops and a heat light is usually the problem for low humidity. Boas need belly heat more than the heat from the lights, so that may help you. Andy
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Unless you're certain there is a retained cap, and it's loose, IMO, scotch tape seems unwise. I'm no expert but scotch tape to the eye.....ouch!! I know it's a "scale" but ouch, what if it's not ready to come off?

Over the years I've pulled a few caps. All were on BRB's and all came off farily easily. I've never used any kind of tape.

I did "rescue" a BRB two years ago....stupid people, she's the best colored BRB I've ever seen..... She had crusty eyes and skin from lack of humidity. Took a several sheds for the skin and eyes to return to normal.

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Thanks,

Dave "Rainbows-R-Us"

0.1 Wife (WC)
0.2 kids (CBB)
4.12 Brazilian Rainbow Boa
2.1 Hypomelanistic BRB
0.1 Het for Hypomelanistic BRB
0.1 BCI "Elvira" normal from 1989
1.0 BCI albino / het-anery
0.1 BCI Hypo / het-albino
0.1 BCI Anery / het-albino
0.1 BCI Hypo (possible super)
1.0 BCI albino het stripe
1.0 BCI salmon hypo
0.1 BCI ghost

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

i should have made it more clear, tape method is used as a last resourt. i have only used this for eye caps that are opaque. again i appologize for not stating to use caution with this method, but deffinately DO USE CAUTION.

thank you rainbows-r-us for making it more clear, thats why we have these forums.

>>Unless you're certain there is a retained cap, and it's loose, IMO, scotch tape seems unwise. I'm no expert but scotch tape to the eye.....ouch!! I know it's a "scale" but ouch, what if it's not ready to come off?
>>
>>Over the years I've pulled a few caps. All were on BRB's and all came off farily easily. I've never used any kind of tape.
>>
>>I did "rescue" a BRB two years ago....stupid people, she's the best colored BRB I've ever seen..... She had crusty eyes and skin from lack of humidity. Took a several sheds for the skin and eyes to return to normal.
>>
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>>Thanks,
>>
>>Dave "Rainbows-R-Us"
>>
>>0.1 Wife (WC)
>>0.2 kids (CBB)
>>4.12 Brazilian Rainbow Boa
>>2.1 Hypomelanistic BRB
>>0.1 Het for Hypomelanistic BRB
>>0.1 BCI "Elvira" normal from 1989
>>1.0 BCI albino / het-anery
>>0.1 BCI Hypo / het-albino
>>0.1 BCI Anery / het-albino
>>0.1 BCI Hypo (possible super)
>>1.0 BCI albino het stripe
>>1.0 BCI salmon hypo
>>0.1 BCI ghost
>>
>>lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

np, I saw that suggestion and I immediately thought:

If a newbie reads this they could get in serious trouble.

I really do enjoy these forums, kind of like a think tank.
-----
Thanks,

Dave "Rainbows-R-Us"

0.1 Wife (WC)
0.2 kids (CBB)
4.12 Brazilian Rainbow Boa
2.1 Hypomelanistic BRB
0.1 Het for Hypomelanistic BRB
0.1 BCI "Elvira" normal from 1989
1.0 BCI albino / het-anery
0.1 BCI Hypo / het-albino
0.1 BCI Anery / het-albino
0.1 BCI Hypo (possible super)
1.0 BCI albino het stripe
1.0 BCI salmon hypo
0.1 BCI ghost

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

put the snake in a moistened snake bag or pillow case with some dampened paper towels....rubber band the top and lie it in the enclosure over nite, the snake will move about and rub all the retained skin off. i have done the scotch tape thing once but i really dampened the eye cap well before i did. the black spots are just part of the natural coloring of your snake, many boas darken up as they mature, and have babies. when your snake goes "into shed" mist the enclosure lightly until they do shed. hope this helps, john yocum