Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Now I know this isn't a boa forum lol! I'm posting this message in a few forums to try and get everyone's advice on what might have happened to my brothers snake!

"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 for your time!
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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,...

np

Just curious. Your advice is exactly opposite what my Vet is telling me right now. My Ball is a month through a septicemia infection and is eating like crazy right now. I'm feeding him Mice on Ice and he's eaten nine in the last week. He's about seven years old. I asked my Vet and she said that as long as he's drinking on his own, which he does quite often, just feed him as much as he'll eat. I'm just trying to educate myself as much as possible because after this last month I'm thinking about a future in herp/Vet care. Or, if nothing else, I also want to start breeding and this seems like valuable information. Thank you for your time.

Well septicemia is blood poisoning...basically too much bacteria in the blood. My brothers snake was impacted with substrate and undigested food items, so since the illnesses are quite different, it doesn't suprise me that the treatments were different!
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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,...

...Reptilicus is correct, it's fine to feed a BP a month out of its infection all it wants. It's an entirely different story with a small boa a week or so post retained urate stones. Clearly something traumatic occurred in this boa and an infectious process secondary to trauma is likely. At any rate good luck with your educational goals. Scott J. Michaels DVM