Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I guy that I know who is NOT my friend told me that he was having trouble with his boa not eating.

I asked to see the snake.

When I saw her I knew it was not good.

She is extremly skinny. He said she is aprox 8-10 years old. She is no longer than a couple of feet maybe even close to 3ft in length. I can see her bones proturding a bit.

He said she has not eaten in aprox 5 months. She has also not had any type of heat in her tank for aprox that long. So she has been in a constant temp with no gradient for apox 5 months. She has a couple of scabs on her nose and one on her tail from when he left food in her tank for to long and they began biting her.

She is doing something i have never seen a snake do. She will sometimes slither on her back with her head upside down.

I took her home to my house and put her in a 90 gallon tank with a hea pad under one hide and I have raised the humidity to aprox 90% because I am sure she has also had no humidity.

I am thawing a couple of mice out for her to hopefully eat.

If she does pass on at least she will have lived her final days in a nice place.

If you have any tips for me please dont hesitate to let me know as this is the first boa that I have ever dealt with.

I will also post pics later.
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1.1.2 bearded dragons
1.1.0 ball pythons
1.1.0 veiled chameleons
0.0.1 spotted pythons
0.3.0 dogs

I hope you don't have other reptiles close by. That snake needs to be quarantined ASAP. Check her for mites - I'm betting she has them. KEEP HER AWAY FROM ANY OTHER REPTILES YOU HAVE.

Obviously, get her to a reptile vet ASAP, although if she's got what I think, she's not going to survive...

Poor baby... at least you tried to help.

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Bonnie Keller
VA Reptile Rescue
www.vareptilerescue.org

wow that sounds horrible. Im surprised he/she lived that long under those conditions. Definately quarantine that anmial - Personally I would not keep it in the same room as my other animals - take it to a vet if you have the funds. What kind of funny things is the snake doing (IBD??). Red tail humidity and Ball python humidity is different.. You might want to establish a Humid Hide box rather than keeping 90% humidity throughout the tank.

Other than that it seems that your on the right track

If this guy only had one snake the neurological symptoms are much more likely to be from a rampant bacterial infection than from IBD or other snake-to-snake viral diseases. Either way it's not good. There's a good chance that the snake might die in the next few days and if that happens it was probably already too far gone for you to save it.
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Eryx - All the fun of a boa in a convenient pocket size!

I have checked her for mites very closely.

This was his only snake other than a garter snake he caught in the wild. The 2 snakes were not kept anywhere near eachother nd the garter seems fine.

He told me when he found her she was coiled with her head upside down and her mouth open. I have seen her move around a little bit and I think the heat/humidity is helping a great deal.

I hope that she takes a mouse tonight really badly.

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2.1. bearded dragons
1.2.0 ball pythons
0.3.0 dogs

Ok I just got home. She seems to be atadmorelimbernow than yesterday when I got her.

I tried to feed her a f/t mouse but it was as if it wasnt there. She never even flicked her tounge at it once.

One thing that scares me a great deal is the noise I just heard her make. The only way to discribe it is the noise you make when you unexpectantly get punched in the stomache. My fiancee said the poor gal has been making that noise all day when she exhales.

I will try to feed her again tomorrow and all advice is welcome and I will try any idea anyone has.
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2.1. bearded dragons
1.2.0 ball pythons
0.3.0 dogs

If she's breathing that hard she may have a respiratory infection on top of all her other problems. I don't know if you'll be able to save her- she sounds like she's on her way out and feeding is probably the least of her worries now.
Good luck!
Lora

Here are some pics. I hope these can help you all provide me with some answers.
3 very large pics of her.

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2.1. bearded dragons
1.2.0 ball pythons
0.3.0 dogs

Judging by the pics it looks as though the boa may have enough weight to bring it through what is in all likelihood a respiratory infection....and it's most problematic symptom. I have pulled many boas out of even some of the most chronic stages of RI without drug or medical intervention....not to say that you shouldn’t take it to the vet....if you have the means, do so...however if you can’t or don’t........
I have found heat to be sort of a double edged sword as far as ailing herps, particularly those with RI, it is absolutely necessary for their recovery as it gets their bodies functioning but in the process it speeds up their metabolism which especially in the case of a thin animal doesn’t work in their favor. I recommend giving a very warm area for belly heat...don’t take up the whole cage floor with it though...the ambient temp. in the cage should be around 86 degrees and the belly heat 95 degrees or better....humidity is a factor that is a bit misunderstood in my opinion; with humans, when we have a cough or respiratory problem we increase the humidity as it generally gets the phlem moving so we can cough it up...however as snakes lack the ability to cough, I believe this to be more of a hindrance than help...keep the air and cage as dry as possible.....sometimes I will alternate keeping the water bowl in a tight enclosure to keep the humidity down...a day with a day without...definitely keep it away from the belly heat....with the stage your boa is in now though and until you’ve seen it drink at least once, keep a nice big low edged bowl in there full of fresh water. The movement of the head and turning as you described is something I have seen in many boas with RI, it’s almost as if they are trying to “yack” it up....screwballing necks are often associated with boas with IBD, and the pic showing the tail curled is a bit alarming as it almost suggests some neurological disturbance...but it may very well be a result of the animals depleted condition. As far as food, most subjects with RI won’t even attempt to and in many cases can’t eat when in the progressive stages, so your best bet is to wait a few days and offer it a small/med. rat...not mouse...if it doesn’t eat, don’t push the issue..simply wait a few days and try again...usually once they begin rebounding from the RI and are familiar with the routine of the introduction of food, they will take advantage of it....try to keep offering it fresh killed prey items. If you see mucus aroung the immediate mouth area of the boa, use a Q-tip to dry it up and keep an eye on it...I have also found that boas with RI have a tendency to want to keep their heads elevated, so keep a brick or branch in the cage as they may use these to aid them. Keep a very close but private eye on the animal, don’t stress it out with lots of handling...mind these conditions and you should see some improvements. Again, if you have the means go to a vet, but if you don’t as I’ve said...I’ve brought a lot of boas back from some pretty bad situations using these techniques....there's also the option maybe of turning it over to adoption agencies who may have better luck and finances or time than yourself. If you don't see any improvements, don't wait too long to go to plan 'B'. Best of luck with the boa....and remember; snakes are survivors, they can be quite resilient at times, which is why that boa is even still among us.
-dinopolis

Thanks very much for the advice. I am going to do everything you said. I will come back with updates.
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2.1. bearded dragons
1.2.0 ball pythons
0.3.0 dogs

i just don't think an 8 year old boa could stay that malnourished and survive...a boa grows fastest during the 1st 2 years...if it was so badly treated that it was unable to grow beyond 2.5 feet in that time, i doubt it could survive. also, from the photos, it's face looks like a young boa...it doesn't seem as weathered as a mistreated 8 year old boa's face would look. your aquaintance doesn't know his a@$ from a snake...but i hope you can turn her around. i read a story from bob clark that said he rescued a 5 year old burm that was only 3-4ft...and with perfect husbandry it grew to 11ft in one year!

good luck to you...do you think someone should stop that guy from eating for 5 months...

chris o

From the pics i would say underfed,dehydrated, and bit badly by some rodent.Looks like the mouse/rat bites may have severed the spinal cord in the tail.I would try giving the snake some luke warm baths to rehydrate,one every other day.I also agree with the above post of keeping it nice and warm around 85 to help the snake get through the RI.If it survives a week i would try force feeding something small like a rat pinky and then wait and see what happens.If it holds the food down wait a week then try a couple rat fuzzies.Ive seen snakes in worse shape than make it...I wish you the best of luck..Paul.