Reptile & Amphibian Forums

This weekend I got in some boas that are in bad shape. They have severe RI and mouth rot. I dont know how long theyve been this way and dont know if theyve gotten treated in time. Im trying all I know to save them. Does anyone know of anything extra I can do to help them? Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Take them to your veterinarian. He/she may treat this as a herd health problem which will likely save you alot of money.

As per what you can do at home in addition to the vet's workup, I"d keep them all in seperate cages, and as seperate from you existing collection as possible (different building ideal, seperate room if you can... far side of room is pushing it). Look up quarantine in previous posts. Make sure husbandry parameters are ideal, use a quarantine/hospital enclosure setup, and raise temps to the upper half of the prefered range. I'd aim for 85 on the cool side, and 95 hot side, perhaps a hotter basking spot if the snake is mobile and active. If the snake isn't moving much and lethargic, you'll need to be more precise and keep temps 86 to 88 as you don't want to cook it.
Don't forget to measure humidity and aim for around 75%
Good luck

Ian

Thanks Theyve gotten antibiotic treatment but the vet seems to think they might be a little too far along for it to do much good. Their RI seems to be doing better though. And the one who didnt have very severe mouthrot is eating and I think hes gonna be fine

According to Fred Frye's Reptile Care, snakes recover from mouth rot quicker if the diet is supplemented with ascorbic acid (vitamin C) than if not supplemented. Getting the snakes checked and treated (if necessary) for flagellate protozoans would be a good idea too. Flagellates are a secondary invader in the mouth rot lesions. Good luck.

Paul Hollander

If you're really gung ho, ask your vet if they'll do more than suggest antibiotics and crossing your fingers. There are a lot of reptile clinics that offer the same intensive care as available to dogs, cats, and humans. I'd first start with some fluid therapy if anything; ICo fluids would help them out, even if they were to be cared for at home.

Ian

Thank you for your helpful tips. We have started giving iv fluids and one of the 2 looks to be getting better quicker than the other but both are making progress. We are getting some vitamins and nutrition in them and of course some very agressive antibiotics and their swelling is going down, their hydration levels are up and they have much less mucus showing.