Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i am super upset...i noticed that my yearling hogg island boa female is making a sort of "pfft" sound...

...she doesn't have any discharge coming from her nose, she has been eating & drinking normally...and seems to be herself...

could this be the beginnings of a respiratory infection?

i have a under tank heat pad & a lamp on her...and i put a humidity box in there to try to raise humidity...

i use aspen bedding, and i have a large plastic dog-dish for her water...

the humidity box is a sterilite container with a hole cut in it & the edges of the hole are wrapped in duct tape to prevent injury from the sharp edges... i put a small hand towel in the bottom that i soak in warm water to keep in humid & i put it on the warm side of her cage, as well as a hide on the cool side...

what should i do?

should i see if the humidity & heat works? or call the vet immediately?

i'm really worried, if i lost her i don't know what i would do...shes my baby girl

PLEASE HELP!

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0.1.0 Hogg Island Boa
0.1.0 Albino Columbian Boa
0.0.1 Red Albino Cornsnake
0.0.1 Aberrant California Kingsnake
0.0.1 Musk Turtle
1.0.0 Normal Leopard Gecko
0.1.0 Argentine Black & White Tegu
1.0.0 Leopard Toad
0.0.1 Wolf Spider
1.2.0 Dogs
1.2.0 Cats
2.0.0 Rats
1.0.0 Rabbit
1.0.0 Gerbil

what does the inside of the mouth look like? It should be clean and free of debris and mucous. It should also be a light pink colour, not reddened, yellow, or grey. A lot of times little noises are not abnormal, however if something new, it's a good idea to watch closely for anything new. You might consider raising the temp's a bit, especially the cool end. This is a temporary action to raise the immune system and shouldn't be long term. Temp's should not exceed the normal range, nor be entirely a "basking temp". For boas I suggest 85F with a basking of 95F.

Again, if you are worried, a trip to the vet that finds nothing is always more comforting than waiting too long and having the vet find everything

Ian

You did well by raising the humidity when you increased the temperature. Even with temps maintained in the appropriate range, one of the biggest problems for boids in the winter is the lower humidity. Sub-optimal humidity levels will cause respiratory problems if too low, even with cage temps in the 80's range, and most definitely when into the 90's, as this drys the air even more.

Kelly