Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Welcome to kingsnake.com's message board system. Here you may share and discuss information with others about your favorite reptile and amphibian related topics such as care and feeding, caging requirements, permits and licenses, and more. Launched in 1997, the kingsnake.com message board system is one of the oldest and largest systems on the internet.

Click for 65% off Shipping with Reptiles 2 You
Southwestern Center for Herpetological Research
Click for 65% off Shipping with Reptiles 2 You

redtail boa having breathing problems

chris90 Sep 27, 2007 12:14 AM

my boa is having breathing problems he has water coming out of his mouth i want to know what i can do and i dont have a vet i can take him to where i live. my cage is about 4ft long 2ft and about 3ft high i just bearly got him he is about 6ft 5in and i put him in with my female. the tank is about 80 degrees with about 30% humidity with the hot and cold sides and wondering what i need to do?? please help

Replies (7)

boachris Sep 27, 2007 01:07 AM

I'm new to Boas, but I'll give my 2cents anyway. Sounds like your snake has an RI. 80 is too cold for both sides. The warm side needs to be closer to 90 with a basking spot of 93 or so. Also, humidity should be closer to 50%. You should warm it up right away as their immune system depends a lot on proper temp. Hope all goes well!

TnK Sep 27, 2007 07:51 AM

Any chance the animal was drinking prior to you handleing the animal? If so it sounds like some water just didnt get swallowed and drained back.
Your 80'ish temps are fine but your humidity needs to be up another 20-25%.

Our animals are maintained at 83-86* with constant 50% humidity.
Doesnt sound like a real need for concern to me . . . .
-----
TnK

Ophidia_Junkie Sep 27, 2007 06:04 PM

>>Any chance the animal was drinking prior to you handleing the animal? If so it sounds like some water just didnt get swallowed and drained back.
>>>

Gotta kind of think along those lines myself.

The mucous created from Respiratory infections, is a pretty thick substance, not like water. When it is present in the mouth, it will often cake up on the lip lines, it will blow bubbles through the nostrils usually before that though.
-----
Richard Carew
Sunset BCI
You laugh at me cuz I'm different! I laugh at you cuz you're all the same.
Stop Inhumane and Illegal Practices

chris90 Sep 27, 2007 11:55 PM

well the water is more like mucus and it is bubbling but just through the mouth and not the nostrils and he sometimes opens his mouth and its almost like a hiss but it seems like he is trying to push out the mucus i have also put the cage to high 80s and little over 50% humidity but it dropps when im not around for a couple hours will wet rags keep a better humidity for longer and where should i put them?

boachris Sep 28, 2007 02:19 AM

I have a large water dish halfway on the warm side and my humidity stays between 45% and 55% without much trying. This is with an under tank heater and a small wattage bulb on the warm side.

Ophidia_Junkie Sep 28, 2007 05:25 AM

>>well the water is more like mucus and it is bubbling but just through the mouth and not the nostrils and he sometimes opens his mouth and its almost like a hiss but it seems like he is trying to push out the mucus i have also put the cage to high 80s and little over 50% humidity but it dropps when im not around for a couple hours will wet rags keep a better humidity for longer and where should i put them?
>>>

If your humidity drops that fast, you need to adjust the amount of airflow, or get rid of the light. Lights suck humidity from the air, and are not needed for snakes anyway.

And, if your Boa really is producing phlegm from an RI, than it has already advanced, and you WILL need anti-biotics to clear it up. Get to a vet would be my suggestion. Raise the temps to the higher end of the spectrum, (upper nineties) and keep them there for a while. (like a couple months). At the minimum, collect some of the phlegm, put in a sandwich bag, squish the air out, seal it, and take that to a vet, or put in fridge until you can. Do not freeze. You'll need to have culture and sensitivity tests done to determine the proper treatment.

Good luck.

...........Oh yeah. Isolation, quarantine, whatever you prefer. You should never introduce NEW boas into your collection with out it. You ask for serious trouble doing that.

Hope it all works out.
-----
Richard Carew
Sunset BCI
You laugh at me cuz I'm different! I laugh at you cuz you're all the same.
Stop Inhumane and Illegal Practices

Ophidia_Junkie Sep 28, 2007 05:27 AM

Meant to say upper 90's on hot side, not throuout the cage. When i deal with RI, I keep the ambients at no less than 85° and hot spot pushing 99.
-----
Richard Carew
Sunset BCI
You laugh at me cuz I'm different! I laugh at you cuz you're all the same.
Stop Inhumane and Illegal Practices

Site Tools