Reptile & Amphibian Forums

That tough little snake made it, and boy was she eager (sluggish but eager) to get out of that box. The pictures do not do this snake justice. Her colors seem to glow, and she is so calm and gentle. Even after she had a chance to warm up, she just moves along minding her own business. She is strange too, in that the way she moves isn't like a colubrid. Her movements are more exact. The strangest thing was that her eyes can move...they're not fixed (or seemingly fixed) in one position like most snakes I've had. She'll move along and "watch" you and you can tell.

Well she has water, warmth, and numerous hiding places. Tomorrow she'll have the company of food (just offering, I don't expect her to eat though). Also, instead of hiding immediately when I put her in her new home, she explored the whole cage (a 20 gallon tank) and then looked out at me. She made a bee-line to the glass real slow and just stared for a little while. Then she decided to explore some more and finally picked out a good hiding place.

The snake spent almost 7 days without food, water, or warmth with temperatures being as low as the 40s. I am just tickled pink at the shear heartiness of this species.

I am so glad she made it home. I'll send pictures as soon as the film develops.

First off, congrats and very happy she made it OK.

IMO, DO NOT be so quick to feed her. A couple of weeks without food will not hurt her. Wait a few days to a week before feeding her. Let her recoupe from the shipping before you add another strain to her.
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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:
12.24 BRB
11.13 BCI
And those are only the breeders

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

I'll keep that in mind. I talked to the seller who raised up the snake. I don't know if he is right or not, but I'll go ahead and mention it and let you all decide. He said that he has been feeding her once a week (on Fridays) and she has a peculiar way of letting him know she's hungry. Once in the cage, she'll come out of hiding and look at anyone in the room. Any other time she ignores you. She has been fed in a separate container since she initially started eating. He recommended a live hopper, since she hasn't been switched over to f/t yet.

I've handled her for a little bit (she never made any attempt to bite). She's had a few hours in the cage now and has explored every inch of it...even picked out a good hiding spot. However, like clockwork, whenever I walk into the room, she knows I'm there (maybe sees me? Or hears the footsteps?) and will pop her head up and look through the glass. Just out of curiosity, I moved one of my hands a little, and she kind of moved with it.

I'm not sure what to make of this. Could she really be hungry but the stress might make her regurgitate? Also do I need to keep her extra warm to help her recover from the cold or just leave the temperature as it is? It's about 70* outside lately.

then feed her. If she doesn't want it, she won't take it. I've had plenty of snakes shipped to me that have eaten the same day they arrived, some even a few hours after, with no ill effects. Sure they can last weeks without eating, but why? If she's hungry, let her do her thing, if not, wait another week and try again. I wouldn't worry too much on the "what if's" as much as what's right in front of you. If she throws up, then you have that to deal with at the time, but I don't believe you should withhold food because she "might" throw it up. Just my 2 cents.

All Dave is saying is....don't be in such a rush to feed her if you really don't have to. It is a snake, an ectotherm....therefore it doesn't need to eat right away. Let it adjust to it's environment for a few days, warm up and get settled in after a week of being in a cold box shipped all around creation.

I would take that advice as it really wouldn't hurt to wait.....it won't starve, believe me.

Good luck...

I'd be more concerned with the week without water. That Dum has to be dehydrated. I'm only suggesting to let it settle in and recover from it's ordeal before you add anything else to the mix.
-----
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:
12.24 BRB
11.13 BCI
And those are only the breeders

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

She drank a little bit. I keep forgetting that snakes are much slower than other animals. I have a dog (about 11 years old...she's slowed down a bit too) and some chickens. With chickens, most things have to be rushed, especially when they get sick. I knew enough to let the snake gradually warm up. I tried to not handle her much (very, very tempting though)so that I wouldn't be complicating the situation.

It's not a problem for me to wait another week before feeding her. The pet stores will be open again by then.

I am concerned about respiratory problems though. What can I do to keep that to a minimum right now? Aside from wheezing, what are some other signs? She was very alert and her eyes appeared to be clear. I don't think she'll be going into shed anytime soon, but I'll watch her closely.

I'd hate to lose this snake "again." I really thought I was going to open the box and find a dead snake. Wouldn't be good to accidentally kill her because of something I didn't know or misunderstood. The temperature is 85* on the hot side, 76* on the cold side and about 90* in the basking area. The humidity is between 80-85%.

Then please heed the advise already given and be patient
for a "few" days and let the jet-lag wear off.
Waiting another week will be nothing but positive,just because its alive now and not showing you(a snake novice correct?)any signs. Does Not mean there isnt something already in the works.
Stress causes "MANY ISSUES"

Patience "CURES"and or prevents most of them!

M/
>>I'd hate to lose this snake "again." I really thought I was going to open the box and find a dead snake. Wouldn't be good to accidentally kill her because of something I didn't know or misunderstood. The temperature is 85* on the hot side, 76* on the cold side and about 90* in the basking area. The humidity is between 80-85%.

Yeah a snake novice for the most part. I've had colubrids, but they were more forgiving about temperatures and such. I had a king snake for a long time, and had a ribbon snake when I was a kid (tragic end when the neighbor's kid thought she was doing me a favor). With the king snake I learned how to gradually change him over to f/t mice. The temperature and humidity requirements were very similar to the climate in my area, so the cage didn't need much tinkering. Mainly just a heating pad, water bowl, substrate, and some places to hide. I knew that with the boa I wouldn't be able to get away with being that lax. So I went ahead and did as much research as I could.

Most of what I know is "theoretical" and I have yet to actually see it or deal with it. I know of respiratory problems and stress problems, but I have yet to actually "see" it first hand. I'm also afraid of forgetting important things. Luckily this snake doesn't tease me while she's in the cage. She comes out periodically to move from one side to the other, and seems interested in climbing. The temperatures don't seem to be high enough to make her uncomfortable...I don't think?

Well anyway, bare with me if I'm a little overzealous, nervous, and keep asking the same questions. All of this is new to me. I'm still at the stage where watching the snake move around in the cage is entertaining. The new will wear off soon enough.

Sounds like you're on the right track, temps are good. She's lucky to be in such caring hands.

Of the top of my head things to watch for:

Wheezing
Mucous
Bubbles
Erratic movements
head kept at odd angles.
-----
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:
12.24 BRB
11.13 BCI
And those are only the breeders

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

Sounds like she found a great home....

Sesha,
...Glad the snake finally made it and seems to be okay. Did you look at the shipping label on the box to make sure that the sender did in fact send it overnight express? I have had shippers lose two priority overnight express boxes over the last two years. In both cases attempts to get them to do something were pointless but they did finally get them delivered on the second morning after they were shipped and the snakes were fine.

...I would guess that a Dumerils Boa could last for several weeks to a month in a box if the temperatures were not too extreme. At some point the lack of water would cause physical harm to the snake. There are some desert species that could probably stay in a box with no food or water for a couple months and come out of it with harm except for some small weight loss. Some other species would have serious dehydration problems after just a couple days in the box. Most any healthy snake can go for a month or more without food with no permanent harm. Temperatures? I am guessing again but I think a Dumerils Boa would be fine for a week with temperatures anywhere between 60 and 90. The more time that they were exposed to temperatures below 60 the greater the chance of harm. Temperatures as low as 40 for a short time do not seem to harm boids.

...I am wondering if anyone has experiences they would share of boids going a long time without water and surviving? We all know about boids that have gone for as long as 15 months without eating and then resumed eating and been okay.
Happy Holidays,
Jeff

I imagine not too many people will be willing to say they have witheld water intentionally, for fear of being reamed. In my own experience sometimes it is difficult to approximate water intake if you live in a dry climate, evaporation happens so quick in just a few days water bowls will be empty despite attempts to keep humidity up (misting, etc).
I did have a 6 foot male Columbian go into what I called a hibernation for about 4 months. I had him in a 3L x 2W x 18 inch enclosure and he would preferentially hide in the colder end (60-75 F ). The warm side was up in the 85-90 but for at least 4 months he never left that cold box. It was winter so I figured he just wanted to be left alone. I always had water in the cage but never saw him out to drink. Once things outside started to warm up a little he was out more so I fed him and he resumed "normal" activity. He ate again a week and a half later and about a week after that he left the largest poop in the cage I have ever seen. I think it was his winter storage that he figured he didn't need anymore.
He was a perfectly healthy snake that went on to breed 6 months later. One of my favorite boas of all the ones I have owned.

Interesting to say the least.

Rich