Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i ran out of rats for my female hogg island 2 weeks ago, and since the reptile expo is tomorrow, i figured i would just buy one rat from a certain large petstore to last until i could buy them from a small rodent supplier at the show.

well, she shed a few days ago, and when i got her out yesterday morning, i noticed that she had lost a significant amount of color...

ironically, thursday i was reading about the toxic rats...and the color loss...

she poo-ed last night and it didn't look abnormal...it wasnt runny, wasnt anymore stinky than usual, and she seems alright...

i checked her mouth to make sure it wasn't mucus-y or anything...and besides her insane color loss, she looks good...

my question is, should i be worried?

i am irritated/upset that this has happened, and that she has lost color...but it doesn't change the fact that she is my favorite snake...

i am just extremely paranoid/scared that she will die...

what should i do? is there anything i can do?

today i washed/rinsed her with a mild soap & afterwards let her soak in some plain warm water...just in case there was any acid/poo/etc on her skin...

she hasn't regurged recently, or ever... and i only gave her ONE rat from the previously stated petstore. i plan on getting my rats from the expo tomorrow...i havent had any problems with them... (i get them from the frozen supplier at the Mars/W.PA expo...can't remember the name)

is there anything i should be watching for/worried about?

here are some pics of her: the 1st 2 are her after the color loss, and the 3rd is her about a week before the shed

thanks!
jessica

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0.1.0 Hogg Island Boa
0.1.0 Albino Columbian Boa
1.0.0 Carpet Python
0.0.1 Red Albino Cornsnake
0.0.1 Aberrant California Kingsnake
1.0.0 Greek Tortoise
1.0.0 Normal Leopard Gecko
1.0.0 Hypo Leopard Gecko
1.0.0 Leopard Toad
2.2.0 Dogs
1.2.0 Cats
1.0.0 Rabbit
1.0.0 Gerbil
....................................

Shed Your Fears!
http://www.freewebs.com/ShedYourFears

I wouldnt worry too much because boas can change color slightly. Hoggs are known for having a light and a dark stage. without the greasy stool or gurge I wouldnt worry too much. All the talk about bad feeders is going to cause a lot of hysteria. If the snakes personality hasnt changed I wouldnt worry.

Don't let the recent talk about toxic or fat rats freak you out. If you do you may never feed your snake again. I dont believe the rat you fed him/her caused the color change more so than the recent shed. Especially in a Hog Island. Their color change is crazy anyway. From what you said you the snake is and appears healthy. In short, the color change is natural and by the way a good looking animal.

thanks for the responces!

haha, i am extremely paranoid when it comes to Arie (the hoggie)... she is my baby...and so i freak out everytime i think something is wrong!

i think the color change is more than a light/dark phase change...but i've been wrong before, so i won't rule it out

other than that she is her normal, fiesty self...the pictures don't show how significant the change is, but because she is otherwise healthy appearing, i won't worry too much.

the whole toxic rat thing is a scary situation...thanks for the responses!

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0.1.0 Hogg Island Boa
0.1.0 Albino Columbian Boa
1.0.0 Carpet Python
0.0.1 Red Albino Cornsnake
0.0.1 Aberrant California Kingsnake
1.0.0 Greek Tortoise
1.0.0 Normal Leopard Gecko
1.0.0 Hypo Leopard Gecko
1.0.0 Leopard Toad
2.2.0 Dogs
1.2.0 Cats
1.0.0 Rabbit
1.0.0 Gerbil
....................................

Shed Your Fears!
http://www.freewebs.com/ShedYourFears