Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have an imported boa and I've noticed something strange about his nose. His nose looks absolutely normal after shedding(pic1). Then a few weeks later the nostrils start to narrow somehow and as you can see (pic2, pic3) almost disappear. That stage remains until the next shed when it starts over again. Also noticed some breathing difficulties. He is rather taking breath through the mouth due to the closed nostrils. Has anybody seen that or had experience with that? Any idea how to cure? Any comments, opinions could be useful.
Thank you in advance.

Regards,
Adam

looks like a rub nose. how big is the snake how big is its enclosure?
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He's about 3-4 ft and actually has a pretty big cage. Also, I have never witnessed him rubbing his nose.
Thank you,
Adam

Adam what are you useing in the cage. The animal could be digging in that dirt or sand and packing nostrils with it.
Jon

Paper towels used...

how big is "pretty big?"

Could it possibly be an RI and dried mucus buildup over the nostrils? Do you ever see any bubbles or liquid in the mouth when he's breathing with his mouth open? Just another thought...
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'There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness."' -Rainshadow

Yes. I agree. It is a respiratory infection.
It is possible it is exacerbated by nose-rubbing
Take him to a vet.
jsc
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"As hard as I've tried, just can't NOT do this"
John Crickmer

I didn't give the photos a sufficient look.
It is a serious case of snout abuse. A respiratory infection isn't out of the question, in addition.
I'd recommend some kind of antibiotic therapy.
That would require a vet.
Put the snake in a larger enclosure so it can't get so much leverage to push on it's snout.
jsc
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"As hard as I've tried, just can't NOT do this"
John Crickmer

What type of boa is that?
It looks like it could be nose rub.

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Sincerely, Jason
www.NortheastSnakes.com
NortheastSnakes@verizon.net

I had a similar situation happen to one of my boas. Sometimes they can rub so hard that their nostrils swell shut and have to breath with an open mouth. Two things to consider are that if it struggled that hard to escape than the setup may be unsuitable for it. also i would take an extra effort to keep the cage clean to avoid mouth rot or other infections. Imported snakes dont like cages sometimes

Its a sabogae from Panama. No bubbles or any sign of mucus has been observed. The area of snout has always been dry. However, I'm gonna take him to vet on Friday. Thank all of you for response.
Have a nice day!

Adam