Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello,

I currently own a Colombian Boa, about 1 yr old, about 5 ft. long and I've just recently noticed that he is having some respiratory problems.

I do use an undertank heating pad and I have a space heater nearby his housing (only used temporarily (last few months) due to low winter temps). I do live in Las Vegas, where it is quite arid and I realize humidity is probably an issue.

My boa is currently in a 90 gal aquarium with a locking screen-type lid. I noticed that his breathing sound is very loud and that he appears to be opening his mouth to breath and his nasal passages do appear to be at least partially blocked (at least to the naked eye). He is otherwise feeding and acting normally.

Was considering maybe stopping the use of the space heater and/or maybe starting to use something for humidity (like a Habba Mister). I don't know of any exotic animal vets in this area, but there are some exotic pet stores I could possibly turn to for help too.

Any info, suggestions, etc. would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Steve

Hi

Maybe look into getting a humidifier for your snake room, and or move the tank into a large closet to make it easier to control the humidity. Also, if you happen to have a split screen top (as I have on a couple of my tanks) maybe you could replace one side with plexiglass. Or cover half (as long as you're not making contact with above-tank heat sources like lamps--if any) with a towel....anything to help trap the humidity in.

I've also bought a mister and misted our tanks twice a day on really dry days.

Depending on the size of your tank and the size of your snake, I've also been told that getting a hidebox with moss that can be dampened down can help. It didn't work out so great for us because we bought plastic drawers at Walmart, but one of them fit the tank but not the snake. And then they got too pregnant...

Do get the snake to a vet, and possibly on meds (Baytril??) as soon as possible. Not getting them in early can lead to chronic lung damage---a very hard lesson to learn.

Just putting my 2 cents in.

Antigone

You need to provide a little more information in order to get help. What are the temps in the cage (over the UTH and on the cool side)? What is the humidity in the cage? If you are not measuring these you need to. You should have no problem finding accurate care sheets for red-tails. MOST problems seen with exotics, especially reptiles, can be attributed to husbandry. Space heaters dry out the air. If you need one to maintain temps, then you have to figure out a way to increase the humidity. You may have to mist the cage, use a humidifier, or both. You can also put a metal bowl filled with water on top of the space heater. The water will evaporate and increase the humidity. If your husbandry is perfect and still having problems find a vet. You live in Las Vegas?? Here are two members of the association of reptile and amphibian veterinarians that are in Vegas.

Jason Sulliban
Aloha Animal Hospital
2009 Scenic Sunrise Dr
Las Vegas, NV 89117

Christie Hicks
2750 W. Wigwam Ave. Apt. 2156
Las Vegas, NV 89123

hope this helps

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Michael McFadden, M.S., D.V.M.

Well to fix a respitory problem you have to raise the temps up a few degrees and lower the humidity. It kinda dries them out but it causes the rp to go away. Also dont try to feed him at all while he has it. He can become more stressed.

Kyle

Cage humidity levels that are too low are probably almost as common a stressor as temps that are too low or too high as far as respiratory issues with boids are concerned. The biggest issues occur in the winter months when temps are kicked up slightly in collections and the warm cage interiors rapidly drive humidity out into the low humidity room. Because the amount of water vapor the air can hold increases rapidly with temperature, the relative humidity within the cage actually decreases rapidly with increasing temperature, unless the evaporation potential can be met. This means that unless the rate of evaporation can keep up with the demand for moisture brought on by the rising air temperature, there will be a rapid net loss in relative humidity within the cage. Unless you have a good source of cage humidity in the drier winter months, you can sometimes risk RI’s in your collection even when maintaining optimal temps. And that brings up the point that you should never lower humidity on a tropical boid with an RI. Low humidity air dries the lung tissue of these boids and this damages the tissue making it more susceptible to bacterial infection. I’m not saying keep it overly high, but in the 60% to 75% range depending on the species. When temps are good, sometimes the appearance of initial RI symptoms are caused by lung irritation due to low humidity, and many times it can be resolved before progressing into an actual RI by raising the cage humidity and maintaining temps in the proper range. Usually this initial phase manifests itself as opened mouth breathing without the presence of heavy mucous as is seen with an actual RI. However, observe closely so the appropriate action can be taken if the problem progresses.

Kelly

Thanks for the very informative post and thanks again to everyone that responded to my inquiry, I really appreciate the help. My colombian is my big baby and I would hate to lose her. Taking care of the humidity as we speak.

Steve