My husband and I acquired a 7 year-old, 6'9" Red-tailed boa about a month ago. The snake had been attacked by a rat about a month before we bought him (the previous owners were feeding him live rats) and got pretty messed up. He has healed nicely, but has refused to eat since then. We have tried freshly killed, and frozen/thawed, and have tried dipping one in chicken broth, but to no avail. He is underweight, but otherwise appears healthy. Also, he is starting his third shed since we got him. My husband had to treat him for mites two weeks ago, using Nix. Thankfully, the mites have been eradicated. My questions are: 1. Why is he shedding so much, and is this normal/acceptable? I assume that he's not growing since he hasn't eaten in two months. 2. How can we get him to eat? Does he have a psychological problem with rats now, or what? Please write if more info is necessary; my husband is the "snake person", so I'm not sure what information is pertinent here. Thanks in advance for any help.
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New snake with eating problems and excessive shedding
Replies (1)
i'm no expert but i can give you a few ideas. first the shedding. if you have been treating for might and have rubbed anything on the snakes body. that increase the chance of them having multiple sheds early sheds. it would be okay. that if it doesn't keep happening after a few months. also your snake probably is still recovering from it wounds and will probably eat when it's really hungry. from my understanding. just give water and watch him closely. once they are hungry the will start searching for food. hope it helps
