Reptile & Amphibian Forums

hey my female suri just finished a shed on the 6th of october and now it looks as if she is going into another one (blue eyes) only she is fully grown and should not shed this often, her colours have also darkened and ive noticed that some scales down her back also look like they have been pulled loose somehow these changes a few days after i fed her last which was last wednesday Nov.14th (f/t jumbo rat) please see attached photo

please let me know what you think it could be (her temp was down about 2C and ive turned it back up)
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I think everyone here knows what I mean. Just a thought? I hope this is not the case. Or could it pos be a "Zucker"?

Joe

actually the first thing i thought of was a toxic rat post on this forum and if thats the case is there a way to clear it up? or does it just take its course? and what do you mean when you said "zucker"?

If I remember right, the "Zucker" was a rat that came from a labratory line that was bred and genetically modified to be really fatty. It looks obese and totally different from a normal big rat.
Do a search on the forum for toxic rats. It was all that was talked about on here for several days!

If you had a zucker rat you'd know, from what I've seen in photos, it will look like it ate the '3 course meal' gum from the Willy Wonka Movie (only not blue) and blew up like that bratty kid! LOL! Seriously, the rat from the zucker pics looked like it had swallowed a tennis ball and its little legs and head didn't belong to it's body!
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Steph S.
Boas...
1.1 Albino boas (Loki & Hope)
1.4 07 Het. albino boas (Petty & Lady,Sierra,Madeline,Lola)
0.1 Reverse stripe poss. het albino (Cookie)
0.1 Salmon/hypo (Scarlet)
0.1 Anery poss. het snow (Missy)
1.0 Anery (Reno)
0.1 DH Sunglow (Bonnie)
1.0 Het. Anery (Guy)
0.3 Normals (Ophelia, Sasha, & Lulu)
1.1 Surinames (Solomon & Surreal)
1.2 Hogg Isles (Mr.Orange & Peaches, Apricot)
0.0.1 Central American (Sassy)
0.1 Emerald Tree boa (Jade)
1.0 ATB (Satan... seriously!)
Pythons...
2.1 GTPs (B., Monty & Jewel)
0.0.3 BPs (MJ, Precious, Houdini)
1.1 Carpet Pythons (Jackson & Charlotte)
0.1 Blood python (Akaia)
Misc.
1.1 Mandarin Ratsnakes (Jack & Jill)
1.0 Boxer/Pitt Mutt (Tyson)

Is this your only boa?
How long have you had her?
Do you feed live, fresh killed, or frozen/thawed?
Does she soak alot?
Has she ever regurged?
Are the scales "coming off" or are they just "bent"
Do you have a male boa nearby?
How often do you clean her cage?

OK, if this is your only boa, you don't have to quaranteen. If it isn't then you should quaranteen her immediately. This is just a precaution for "just in case purposes".

If you've only had her for a short while, less than 6 month, you might not be familiar with her shed cycle. Some boas shed more often than others. My adult boas shed every 6 to 12 weeks. For my boas, this is normal.

The type of food you give them makes a difference. Live or Fresh killed can sometimes have internal or extrenal parasites. You can check for external parasites. You'd need a vet to check for internal ones. Frozen thawed is the best way to go, if your female will take them. That way you "shouldn't" have to worry about parasites.

Some boas just like to soak. Others soak for a reason. Sometimes it's the humidity. Other times it's parasites. Parasites can cause a boa to shed more often. If your boa likes to soak. Check the water bowl for "little black specks". If you see any.... Then you could have mites. Mites will cause a boa to shed more frequently.

If your boa has regurged recently, that could cause her to go into a shed cycle. Especially if you didn't wash off all the digestive juices that comes with a regurge. That could also account for the problem with the scales.

Sometimes, and I don't know why, boas will have bent scales. Maybe it's a sign that they have a little extra fat or maybe it's just the way the were laying. Maybe it's a humidity problem. I just know that they can get bent scales sometimes. If the scales are actually coming "off". What do you mean by coming off. Are you getting scale shaped flakes in your hands? Are the scales coming off and she's bloody, red, or swollen where they're coming off. If it's scale shaped flakes coming off in your hands..... The only time I've seen scale shaped flakes coming off a boa was when "oil" was put on them. It was vegetable or mineral oil. It caused this weird flaking. It also cause the boa to go into shed. If that area where the scales are coming off is red or swollen. Take her to a VET!

If you have a male nearby.... That could cause your female to have a shed cycle. Especially since it's breeding season. My boas always go into a shed cycle during breeding season. My males do too. So, if you have a male boa hanging around, it could be a hormonal shed cycle.

Anyway if you think she's sick you should take her to a Qualified Herp Vet. If she's not your only snake, you should quaranteed her. Especially since you're not sure what wrong with her.

BTW she looks pretty darn good in those pictures. She's a beautiful boa.

yeah i do have a male boa when i bought the pair the guy threw in the cage also its 4x4x2 and divided right in the middle so each snake has 4x2x2 and it just so happens that im buliding hre a much larger cage in the basement and as soon as i can finish that ill place her in it. The scales seem kinda bent forward they havent fallen off but if you saw it you would definently say it doesnt look normal. Yes i have had these boa's less than 6 months and both have already shed, both in october normally she is a very gentle snake but now when i go to handle her so i could get those pictures she hisses at me the male is fine he is acting as he always does and i thought breeding was controlled by a temp change or does it also have to do with weather outside? i live in calgary AB so its pretty cold outside -10C sometimes 0C if we are lucky

oops forgot to add the new picture please not how her eyes have cleard up but at the bottom you can see a black spot which i have NEVER seen before in either snake she doesnt have mites and her eyes dont seem swollen at all and while im at it ill post all my critters
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Can you post a close up of the scales?
It's really hard to say if it's normal or not, without seeing it.

Do you mist your boas?

Boas like to have it a little on the humid side. It helps with the shedding process too.

Breeding isn't a temperature controlled thing.

Boas will breed when they're ready. Cooling/cycling isn't actually required. I guess natural lighting is probably needed. That would just be day time and night time hours. The days getting shorter helps stimulate them for breeding season. At least, that's how it works with my boas. Since your boas are living so close to each other.... This could be a hormonal shed cycle. My boas go into shed cycle shortly after being put together. For my boas the shortening of the daylight hours seems to trigger breeding. I guess some people cool their boas, but I don't.

Cool pictures. I enjoyed seeing all your critters.

I did see that black part in her eye. Boas have 2 different shades in their eyes. The top part of their eye is lighter and the bottom part is darker. Are you refering to that as the dark spot?? If you are, then that's normal.

Your boas really do look very healthy. I can't see anything wrong with them from the pictures.

hey just posting to let everyone know that it turned out to be nothing, Anna shed today and is looking more beautiful than ever, i know i kind of freaked out about nothing but id rather be concerned and find out its nothing than to ignore it and find her dead one morning. The scales that were turned up came off and now i couldnt even tell that they were ever there.

thanks to everyone who posted with a response, i have no doubt that the changing time of daylight triggered a shed

one more quick question. If this is a breeding cycle that they have both entered what now? im not interested in breeding them, they are strictly my pets and not a source of income. Will they just eventual get over it? or is there a trick to bringing them out of the cycle?