Reptile & Amphibian Forums

So up until last weekend I had a gorgeous healthy male BRB. Last sat/sun I can't remember which he regurged a meal for the first time ever. I checked on him though and he seemed fine. He seemed fine all week. When I did a check on him today he was upside down and dead. He had a blue hue to his belly in certian patches and his throat seemed VERY skinny. I have never had any probems with him b4 and he seemed fine. No respiratory issues, always ate, was ina good weight, growing steadily. I can't figure it out! I fed him FT so I doubt the mouse had anything to do with it??? If anyone has any ideas please let me know what you think as I am very concerened for the rest of my collection especially the ones that are housed in the same rack! Please help!

Only a necropsy by a qualified vet could possibly tell you what really was wrong.

IMO
A good cleaning with bleach is in order. As long as properly done and completely rinsed, can't hurt. Also I'd be very dilligent with hand cleaning and treat each like it's sick, no touching one and then touching another etc. Seperate tools, water bowls, feed bins etc. NO SHARING of anything

Could very well be just one of those things.

Let us know if there's anything else......

Sorry couldn't be more help...
-----
Thanks,

Dave Colling

www.rainbows-r-us-reptiles.com

0.1 Wife (WC and still very fiesty)
0.2 kids (CBB, a big part of our selective breeding program)

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

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

Oh man I'm sorry to hear about your loss. It's never any good to lose a pet but when there seemed to be nothing wrong makes it even worse. I can't tell you what was wrong with your BRB but I'd just make sure to take extra precautions with your other animals and keep an eye out for anything out of place with them.
-----
Thank you,

Tim

0.1 Colombian Rainbow Boa
1.0 Black cat

Bunke,
...Sorry for your loss. Dave's post reads like he thinks the problem might have been an infection and is directed at not spreading infection to other cages and snakes. Dave may be right. I have a different possibility to consider. In reading your post I notice no mention of temperature or humidity or substrate. Most snake health problams are caused by mistakes in those three items. Take a look at the husbandry isssues and what might have changed in the last few weeks that may have something to do with the loss of the snake. Perhaps with hot weather your snake room was warmer than before. Temeratures a little too hot will cause BRBs to regurgitate and continued high temperature following regurgitation can rapidly lead to dehydration and death.
Jeff

>>So up until last weekend I had a gorgeous healthy male BRB. Last sat/sun I can't remember which he regurged a meal for the first time ever. I checked on him though and he seemed fine. He seemed fine all week. When I did a check on him today he was upside down and dead. He had a blue hue to his belly in certian patches and his throat seemed VERY skinny. I have never had any probems with him b4 and he seemed fine. No respiratory issues, always ate, was ina good weight, growing steadily. I can't figure it out! I fed him FT so I doubt the mouse had anything to do with it??? If anyone has any ideas please let me know what you think as I am very concerened for the rest of my collection especially the ones that are housed in the same rack! Please help!

Thanks for the hints. I kept him in a sweaterbox sized rack with the themostat set at 90. They are all kept on paper towels with a large enough water bowl to soak in as well as a hidebox on the cool and warm end, and a humidity box filled with pretty damp paper towels. All of the paper towels are plain with no ink. I have another rainbow and two jungle carpets in there and the conditions havent changed in there for over a month. The whole room is temp controlled. Is bad mice a possibiity?? A friend said that he has lost snakes to bad mice the same way?? Thank you both for the responses I appreciate it.

not saying it is but temps of 90 is a lil high i personaly keep the hot spot no more than 85 MAX some feal different on this issue on temps but in no time flat ill be getting my new thermostat and there temps will be dropped a lil most will say about a 82 degree temp since what i have hear but not had happen is temps over 86 can kill brb in no time flat. but im no rainbow boa expert so hopefully dave or jeff will chime in again on this one

for a baby BRB. Of course a T-stat in a sweaterbox rack set at 90 does not mean you get 90 in the tub, usually less but sometimes more.

Have you ever measured the actual temp in the tubs? I keep my baby tub racks set at 81, actual temp in tub is 80.
-----
Thanks,

Dave Colling

www.rainbows-r-us-reptiles.com

0.1 Wife (WC and still very fiesty)
0.2 kids (CBB, a big part of our selective breeding program)

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

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

my t-stat for my big ones are 85 set temp but 84 inside temp but i knew 90 was way to high when i read he had it at that i was like whoa lol but i put my lil info and hoped your or jeff would make better lol. only another month then i get to pick up my new herpstat pro thanks to you corrupting me lol any question i have on it you better answer lol

Thanks again for all of the input. my probe must be off. I just temp gunned it and it read 86/87 right on the hot spot. I lowered the temp to 87 which should bring the temp on the temp gun at least to the correct temps. Thanks so much again for all the help. If the temp was the problem hopefully some one can learn from my mistake

I would recommend that you split the heat in the rack and have 2 thermostats. The Jungle Carpets do require different temps vs. BRB's. I do not have any carpets, but I believe they need the warmer temps.
-----
Mike

6.7 BRB
1.2 Spotted Python
1.0 Cal. King

90 is much too warm for a rainbow -- they are very sensitive to temperatures and can't tolerate temps over 85 for very long before they suffer permanent injuries and/or die. I have an adult male Colombian rainbow that was kept too hot by his previous owner. He was able to stay alive by spending almost all of his time on the cool end of the tank, but has permanent brain damage from being cooked. He slithers with his head tilted to one side, can't shed his skin off (he turns blue but will leave it on and if I don't get it off, he'll just build up layers of old skin), and needs to be assisted with feeding or he'll bite himself and attempt to constrict himself. All because he wasn't provided the proper environment.

You should have your rainbows housed separately from your carpets -- they require different temperatures and you don't want anything to happen to your other rainbow that you have left.
-----
~* Jen *~

Pink Lady Constrictors