Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Maybe its just the worried parent in me but I'm having a lot of problems with my two babies.

The first one (henry = central american boa) was eating like a pig until his eyes clouded over... of course I know this means hes preparing to shed so I wasn't concerned when he lost his appetite. my concern began after 2 weeks had passed and he still had not shed. Although when I handle him sometimes the skin from his underbelly will flake off. He has plenty to rub on, his tank is very warm, I soak him in warm water at least every other day, and even sprayed water in his tank to raise humidity. I just purchased a spray on vitamin for both of my snakes but don't know if something else may be wrong or if he is just having a bad shed. He has lost a lot of weight and is now starting to worry me. Yesterday he had a b.m. and today I tried to feed him and he still had no appetite so I tried to force feed. still no luck.

My second baby (sarai = true red tail boa) just started having issues over the past couple days. Last Sunday 10/26 her eyes clouded over. I've done everything the same for her and her shed seems to be going without any flaws. Although yesterday I noticed something was wrong with the alignment of her jaw. she was in her tank by the front glass and her water bowl and it almost looked as though her lower jaw was hanging down on the right side. I took her out to see if maybe there was just some shedding skin that was pulling it back. I didn't see any directly around her mouth but I guess there may just be some tension around it?? Anyways she was moving her jaw a lot even while I was holding her and then when I placed her back in her tank she unhinged completely and then reset it the same as it started. I believe this is the first day that I have noticed this considering Sarai often gives me kisses and I am very observant of their behavior. She is still very strong and no other changes in her behavior have been noticed... I'm wondering what other symptoms I should look for if its a URI (no bubble blowing etc.) The day after I first noticed it her mouth when back to normal and she has not unhinged since then. Today I tried to feed her and she ate just fine but afterwards her mouth was still slightly opened...

thank you so much.

Hi,
. I think Henry has a health problem. He may just have a stuck shed but it may be more serious than that. Stuck sheds can be corrected by soaking the snake in luke warm water for a couple hours. This will rehydrate a dehydrated snake and also soften and loosen the stuck skin so that it comes off easily. Do not attempt to force feed him. His not feeding is possibly a symptom of whatever is wrong with him. He can go many months between meals if he has to and force feeding is stressful and stress is often a cause of snake health problems. Force feeding should only be attempted after several months and only if a snake has lost lots of weight. I would take him to a good herp experienced vet. I am not sure about your other snake. It is normal for them to occasionally open and realign their jaws. It is impossible to tell with words whether what she is doing is within the range of this normal behaviour or if it is a sign of a problem.
Jeff

>>Maybe its just the worried parent in me but I'm having a lot of problems with my two babies.
>>
>>The first one (henry = central american boa) was eating like a pig until his eyes clouded over... of course I know this means hes preparing to shed so I wasn't concerned when he lost his appetite. my concern began after 2 weeks had passed and he still had not shed. Although when I handle him sometimes the skin from his underbelly will flake off. He has plenty to rub on, his tank is very warm, I soak him in warm water at least every other day, and even sprayed water in his tank to raise humidity. I just purchased a spray on vitamin for both of my snakes but don't know if something else may be wrong or if he is just having a bad shed. He has lost a lot of weight and is now starting to worry me. Yesterday he had a b.m. and today I tried to feed him and he still had no appetite so I tried to force feed. still no luck.
>>
>>My second baby (sarai = true red tail boa) just started having issues over the past couple days. Last Sunday 10/26 her eyes clouded over. I've done everything the same for her and her shed seems to be going without any flaws. Although yesterday I noticed something was wrong with the alignment of her jaw. she was in her tank by the front glass and her water bowl and it almost looked as though her lower jaw was hanging down on the right side. I took her out to see if maybe there was just some shedding skin that was pulling it back. I didn't see any directly around her mouth but I guess there may just be some tension around it?? Anyways she was moving her jaw a lot even while I was holding her and then when I placed her back in her tank she unhinged completely and then reset it the same as it started. I believe this is the first day that I have noticed this considering Sarai often gives me kisses and I am very observant of their behavior. She is still very strong and no other changes in her behavior have been noticed... I'm wondering what other symptoms I should look for if its a URI (no bubble blowing etc.) The day after I first noticed it her mouth when back to normal and she has not unhinged since then. Today I tried to feed her and she ate just fine but afterwards her mouth was still slightly opened...
>>
>>thank you so much.