If you've produced any number of boas you know what I'm talking about. An occassional baby that starts small, eats but doesn't grow, then starts turning dark brown and it's skin gets "crinkly", even though it isn't in a shed cycle. Most people I have talked to just take them to the freezer when they see this happening. In '02 I had two babies out of about 165 that did this. I know that there are probably a lot of causes for this condition, but here's a success story from a 03 litter:
First the details. I had a "first timer" Bolivian whose two ovulations were spaced more than 11 days apart. Then she dropped a good week early when a huge front moved in. About half the small litter was born preemie, with the white placenta things attached. They didn't make it.
There was one small "runt" that did make it though. She started eating and I had hope. Except she never much grew, and didn't have shed cycles. Then she started turning dark and crinkly. I had always assumed she was born premature, but then I recalled that she wasn't born with that white thing. While talking with a friend we discussed that this could be the result of a bacterial infection. What if the "yolk" became infected during development, hence the digestive system of the baby, causing it to be born small, or a "runt".
With nothing to lose I tried flagyl. 125 mg/kg every three days for a total of three treatments (I dissolved the flagyl in sugar water and injected it into pinks). She then went into a successful shed cycle. With the aid of bene-bac I then weaned her back onto larger prey items. This girl is now rocking! She's eating great, growing nicely, and shedding regularly. Maybe something to try before giving up on that runt.
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Something to try on brown crinkly babies and "runts".
Replies (4)
dont freeze them, give them to me. please!
my e-mail is rmman125@sbcglobal.net
Great story!!!!!!!!!!!!
that people put them in the freezer is out of compassion, the animal is suffering and dying. Watching a snake that is eating starve to death is not a pretty site.
The baby was born with it’s yolk sac (the white thing) still unabsorbed. I have had this happen before and tie off the cord with no problems. It does cause the snakes shed to be prolonged and I normally start to feed them after a week or so.
Two years ago one of the babies did just what you are say, the skin dried up and started to look all crinkled. I would mist the baby and the snake would uncrinkle. It was very odd and the baby looked as if it would be in pain if the skin would get dry again. I then placed the baby in a shoe box with a small water bowl and filled with damp sphagnum moss. The baby stayed in the shoe box for about two week before it finally went into shed. Once the baby shed it was fine and never had any problems again. I never had any idea what had caused it, but water seemed to relieve it. And the first shed cured it. I had always assumed that it was a problem with the premie thing that it did not yet develop the ability to retain moisture but once the first shed happened it was fine.
Thanks for bring up the subject
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Jim Hopkins "Hoppy"
Hopkins Holesale Herps
Hopfam1@aol.com
That is a wonderful story and it's great to see that hard work still pays off in great ways.
That animal is a SMOKER!!!
Take care, Joe
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Thanks and take care - Joe Rollo
'Tis not the stongest of the species that will eventually survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change' Charles Darwin
