Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi all! I have a question regarding columbian redtail boas. My brother purchased a 110 gram female last month. She looked great, and ate frozen thawed adult mice like crazy! After her third meal we noticed her body was getting very swollen. We figured that she was constipitated since she had not releaved her bowels at all since we go her a month earlier. We brought her to the vet (an exotic specialist), and they took an x-ray. They said she was impacted with a bit of substrate (we never used anything but newspaper...it was probably from the petshop). They gave her an enema, and they said she had HUGE urates! They told us all looked well and to soak her every day for ten minutes....we were told to let them know if she stops pooping again. For a week straight the little snake relieved herself virtually every other day (only uric acid). She also shed during this time. We noticed some problems with her balance also. She didn't seem to have the best equilibrium during this time either (if you went to put her down a lot of times she flopped on her back. However, today my brother woke up and found her dead. He said she was stretched out to her full length with her mouth slightly open. We are unclear to what happened to her. He is calling the vet Monday, and he already called the store he got it at. They said they haven't had any other snakes come back with that sort of problem.
If anyone has any experience with a situation like this please let me know! Also, my brother is hoping to purchase another columbian redtail, but he wants to find a breeder this time, so if anyone knows of someone who has a good reputation, please refer me!
Thanks
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*Amy*
0.1 Green Iguana (yes, I have a lizard in my bathroom)-iggy
2.1 Ball Pythons (normal)-cosi, jake, and frosty mcfry
0.1 B.smithi (mexican redknee tarantula)-athena
0.0.1 midland painted turtle-nemo
1.1 dogs-rocky and skippy
1.0 normal grey cockatiel-opie
0.0.30 betta, guppies, rosy reds, fantail goldfish, clown pleco,...

...Based on just what's in your written description, I would suspect an infectious etiology (cause). Salmonella would be likely. Sometimes feeding adult mice to a 110 gm boa can be a bit much, a lot of nutrients going through a taxed system (Did the urate stones do any damage in their passing?). It gets to be a bit much and all of the sudden you have a dead snake.
For others reading this, ALWAYS go slowly with the food (smaller meals, longer interval) after ANY medical stressor!
Scott J. Michaels DVM

this might be what the poster below was saying but not sure anyway it sounds to me like it was to late when you took the animal to the vet. When they back up like that they build toxins in their blood from not being able to relieve themselves. Most likely what happened is the level was to high prior to you taking it to the vet and slowly killed the animal. Their are other things that can cause it but one thing that is common to cuase something like that is dehydration. Word of adive for next time feeding weekly isnt a big deal however with any new snakes feed it once and wait for it to defacate to make sure all functions are normal and the feces look normal. from there slowly increase their meals. Your boa may have been a decent sized snake for its age but these animals change hands so fast you never know what it was being feed prior to you aquiring it. Say the breeder feed them really good and when sold it to the pet store it was used to eating an adult mouse weekly. Now the pet store has it for 6wks and feeds it fuzzy mice. You buy it and put it right back on adult mice, there is a good chance it will regurge, just like humans snakes stomachs will shrink some when not eating a lot. I always start with a medium sized meal and work my way up.
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Jason & Danica
Well, I'm off my rocker, I fell out of my tree, I've been standin' on shaky ground, There's no helping me, yeah, I can't remember my number, I can't remember your name
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Classic Dums frozen feeders

Thank you for the great advice! The mice were virtually hoppers being only about 10-12 grams, we've used them to feed a 100 g rosy boa for the last year (than again she is seven and we know she is in great health). We figured that they were decent sized mice for this snake. But I definetly agree with your advice! It makes sense to feed one smaller item and wait for it to pass before it causes too big of a problem. She died a week and 3 days after her vet appointment, so my brother is calling the vet to let her know, and to get her advice. I've only had ball pythons, and I've never seen anything quite like this!
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*Amy*
0.1 Green Iguana (yes, I have a lizard in my bathroom)-iggy
2.1 Ball Pythons (normal)-cosi, jake, and frosty mcfry
0.1 B.smithi (mexican redknee tarantula)-athena
0.0.1 midland painted turtle-nemo
1.1 dogs-rocky and skippy
1.0 normal grey cockatiel-opie
0.0.30 betta, guppies, rosy reds, fantail goldfish, clown pleco,...