Reptile & Amphibian Forums

A few weeks ago I bought a baby BRB from a reptile show, well known breeder. He was blowing bubbles when got him home (didnt notice at show unfortunately) but stopped doing that after 24 hours. Has been wheezing ever since and when he yawns we notice a small amount of mucus in the back of his mouth. He has eaten wonderfully. Also we have noticed a few white spots showing up lately. Not sure what they are, maybe scales coming loose??

From the other posts about RI I've read that the bubbles are a sign that its getting worse, so does them going away mean he's getting better? wouldn't he stop eating if he was really ill?

Any ideas? going to call vet and breeder on monday but would like some input now.

All the signs you are describing definitely point to a respiratory infection. This is typically caused from the snake being exposed to cold temperatures for an extended period of time. RI can also be cause by a cage that is not well ventilated and has too much humidity. Boas need humidity but the cage needs to be well ventilated. The white stuff you are seeing could be from the snake running his mouth along the cage and leaving a trail of mucus. Boa don’t loose there scales they will shed there entire skin normally once a month. The best thing to do is to take the snake to a vet as soon as possible. For now you should remove the water bowl and make sure the cage is very dry and clean. Raise the temperatures up to about 86 to 87 degrees. Just remember if your snake is still eating that doesn’t mean he is okay it just means that it’s in the early stages. If you allow this condition to persist, you will eventually have a dead boa. They typically don’t get better without antibiotics from the vet. Good luck

Rick Douglas

is it safe for BRB's, especially babies, to have hot, dry cages? they're not BCC's or BCI's, they need relatively cool temps and SUPER high humidity when they're young.

why not contact the breeder and tell him? he's obviously been dealing with BRB's long enough to breed them, so he should be able to offer you advice.

Thanks for the advice. I did contact the breeder and he said that because the bubbles stopped he is getting better and to just keep doing what we are doing and it should be completely gone within a few weeks. He says that vet care, especially with babies, is extremely stressful and hard to correctly dose antibiotics.

There seems to be two trains of thought on this from herpers. One side says always go to the vet, the other side recommends changes within the climate that encourage healing. It seems that both sides have had success/failure so at this point I will follow the breeders instructions.

>>Thanks for the advice. I did contact the breeder and he said that because the bubbles stopped he is getting better and to just keep doing what we are doing and it should be completely gone within a few weeks. He says that vet care, especially with babies, is extremely stressful and hard to correctly dose antibiotics.
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>>There seems to be two trains of thought on this from herpers. One side says always go to the vet, the other side recommends changes within the climate that encourage healing. It seems that both sides have had success/failure so at this point I will follow the breeders instructions

IMO, you should also have some sort of agreement with the breeder in case the baby does not do well. Sounds like you're willing to work with the breeder and they should be willing to work with you.

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Thanks,

Dave Colling

www.rainbows-r-us-reptiles.com

0.1 Wife (WC)
0.2 kids (CBB, selectively bred from good stock)

LOL, to many snakes to list, last count:
13.26 BRB
11.16 BCI
And those are only the breeders

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

Yes the vet right away, also call the "well known btreeder" too, and see if they will replace the snake. You paid good money for the snake, it should be healthy. Maybe they will help with the vet bills if they can't or give you your money back. An ethical breeder should help you with this problem, in my opinion. Good luck.

Caden