Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello all!I have an 04 male 100% het for kahl strain albino,That I recieved about a month ago,The little fella wasnt using his tongue when I recieved him,It looked like it had been ripped out!I finally got him to eat twice then I reckin he caught a r/i from shipping!I took him to a local vet an mind you the vets here don't know nothing about boa's!She prescribed him baytril for 7 days every other day!He got his last injection on saterday!Still not eating!So I took a cuetip an forced his mouth open to make sure his tongue wasnt stuck to the bottem of his mouth!I shot a small amount of water in his mouth an he started using his tongue a little bit,I seen him in his little water dish that night,which was a good sign!The whole next day he just layed their,so this morning I put water in his mouth again an he actually really started using his tongue then but it wasnt going back in his mouth all the way an the tips of it are white!He was all over the tank checking things out an then he stopped using it again!Am I doing wrong with the water an how often should I do it?An the baytrill seems like it burned him an I have been treating these with neosporin!Any help on this problem or a vet specialist near the 42003 zipcode would be greatly appriciated,I am only an hour an half from nashville!Thank you Charles Heres a pic of him so you know hes small an loosing body weight an strength from not eating?

www.herpvetconnection.com

www.arav.org
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Jeff
0.1 Wife (Homo sapiens sapiens): Kim
2.0 Hogg Island Boas, Bob Sears Line (Boa Constrictor imperator): Ham-let and BLT
1.1 Smooth-Scaled Sand Boas (Eryx johnii johnii): Xerxes, and Sa'rai
1.0 Kenyan Sand Boa (Eryx colubrinus loveridgei): Solomon
0.2 Kenyan Sand Boas, 100% het anery (Eryx colubrinus loveridgei): Sheba, Jasmine
0.1 Doberman (Canis familiaris): Princess Grace
1.0 Pitbull Mix (Canis familiaris): Popcorn
1.0 Rough Collie (Canis familiaris): Dante
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“It’s not bragging if you can prove it”

miles or a 2 hours 14 mins drive from you. Call Jackie Smith, DVM, Animal Clinic of North Clarksville, 1567 Fort Campbell Blvd. Clarksville, TN 37042, Tel: (931) 645-9890
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Jeff
0.1 Wife (Homo sapiens sapiens): Kim
2.0 Hogg Island Boas, Bob Sears Line (Boa Constrictor imperator): Ham-let and BLT
1.1 Smooth-Scaled Sand Boas (Eryx johnii johnii): Xerxes, and Sa'rai
1.0 Kenyan Sand Boa (Eryx colubrinus loveridgei): Solomon
0.2 Kenyan Sand Boas, 100% het anery (Eryx colubrinus loveridgei): Sheba, Jasmine
0.1 Doberman (Canis familiaris): Princess Grace
1.0 Pitbull Mix (Canis familiaris): Popcorn
1.0 Rough Collie (Canis familiaris): Dante
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“It’s not bragging if you can prove it”

You mention a few different things with the snake. The tounge thing may be a birth defect of some kind. I could be wrong or it may just be the picture but it looks as if the very tip of the snakes tail is kinked? if so, that with the aberant pattern may be a sign that the snake has some birth defects at issue. However, you also mention that the snake developed a RI which would be indication that there is some sort of husbandry problem to go along with it.
The Baytril, which is a suitable antibiotic for an RI, should not have been given in a strong enough dose to cause the skin blistering on the boa, so there may also be a Nerotoxin problem from over dose of meds?
I would try another VET, check with the breeder who sold you the animal and do a close inspection of the husbandry practices that you have. Check the temps, the humidity, and all the other enviromental issues. I have posted on the FAQ of my website a bunch of info on these issues and they should answer most if not all of your husbandry questions, but you also have these other factors that you must look into.
Good Luck
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Jim Hopkins "Hoppy"
Hopkins Holesale Herps
Hopfam1@aol.com

Thanks for the info at your sight,that definatley helps!I keep a humidifier in the room where I keep my boa's an its stays at a constant 50%,which I know could be better but I do mist when,they go into shed stage!An temps at a constant 90 to 95 degrees with a night bulb at night to keep his temps up!His tails not kinked your right it does look like it in the pic I never noticed that till you pointed it out,but it not!I was misting every couple of hours just like I was doing with all my boa's but he caught the r/i,I wasnt sure if,I caused the r/i from misting or it was caught in the shipping of them cause they were like ice when I got them,But I got 3 boas at one time an this is th only one that caught the r/i,I feel anger at the vet for overdoesing the little gut,but thats the main problem here,vets no NOTHING about boa's here an don't care too!I honestly believe at least half of my collection of redtails I have saved from local petstores because the local petstores dont know crap about husbandrey an dont care too either!I have talked to fish an game but no one cares!I just wish I knew more to help the little fella!I started giving him a soak an swabbing his mouth out with warm water an he uses his tongue for a few minutes then quits an I noticed thisevening the tips of his tongue when he is using it,sticks out of his mouth an they are white,his tongue is dying isnt it?I was rembursed for him an the other 2 are well,so I am not mad at the seller hes been great about it but I would like to save the little guy if possible!The pic does nothing for him,the flash ruined his natural color,Ive never seen a silver het before but thats his color a very pretty silver!Thanks to all who have tried to help me an anymore info would be great!Thanks Charles!

You've mentioned in posts that your snake is spending time in its water bowl. Have you checked for mites? Are there black specks in his water bowl? Look closely, that is one reason why he would not eat. If he has mites you need to treat all your snakes right away. Second, 95 degrees is too hot. If the cage is 95, his body temp may be 100 degrees. Way too hot, mid to upper 80's is perfect. There's another reason. If he isn't eating, give him a hide spot and don't handle him. Let him settle down and offer something small and live but don't leave it in overnight. Its all about keeping their stress levels down. Check for mites!
web site

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Mark Kennedy Reptiles

It is impossible for me to say whether or not the discoloration is from dying tissue or something else. If it is dying tissue, then it well need to be amputated to prevent the cause from spreading, but dying tissue is normally black. Mark is right, your temps are way too hot and that may be the cause of the soaking. The hot spot should be in the 90 degree range, the cage should rang from 78-88 degrees. Mites could be an issue as well as stress. make sure there is a tight hide box and the snake is by himself with out the others that were shipped with him.
I sorry to see that you have such a low opinion of the Vets in your area, I have never came across a Vet that didn't care about the animals they work on. I have come across some that are not very familiar with reptile care, but that is where you have to take some of the are responsibility too. You have to research to find a reptile vet in your area. If you just don’t have one that is within a reasonable travel distance and you do not feel comfortable shipping the animal to an out of town Vet then you have to help and provide some basic knowledge for your Vet. Have your Vet obtain a copy of Dr. Mader’s Veterinarian Reptile Medical Car book (The Vets reptile care bible [black bound hard covered book]) If your Vet does not have this then he/she should. If you have to order a copy for check out from your local library to bring with you for your Vet to review. When I needed a Vet to care my snakes I too did not have a Vet Close by. I chose a very good Avian Vet who was willing to take on the challenge of reptile care. I did my own research and studying about my animals and made suggestions as to what I thought the problems might be and the symptoms that I see in the animal. Only you can know the symptoms of your snake. You can not just bring a snake to a Vet and say that it is not acting right? It does nothing for the care or diagnoses of the animal. A Vet can not possible spend the needed time to observe all the symptoms of a sick snake, some of the symptoms may take a week or more to observe (such as unusual defecation). As the owner and keeper of the snake, you must be able to teach your Vet what may be the problem. Provide them with the reference material that you used to support your theory. I have, more then once brought in an article to my Doc that I have read and thought she could use. We have learned together and she has become a great Herp vet over the years that I have been going to her. I normally assist her when working on my animals and she takes her time in explaining any structures or issues as she is working.
A Vet is the only source that you have to save a truly sick animal. You have to find one that you can work with, one that will be open to learning and suggestion. But you must also respect the fact that a Vet has gone through the equivalency of humane Medical School, incurred all the costs involved with long term post graduate schooling and has chosen to work with animals at a greatly reduce pay when compared to working with people. A Vet is someone who must have a love and respect for animals or why else would they have gone through such effort. I doubt that your Vet does not care, I don’t doubt that your Vet is not familiar with reptiles and you must help him/her learn in order to have a Vet you can use long term.
Good Luck
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Jim Hopkins "Hoppy"
Hopkins Holesale Herps
Hopfam1@aol.com