Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Just thought this was an interesting picture for everyone to see! Look at all of those ribs!!!!!! Snakes are very cool animals and if you have never seen an x-ray of one you might now think twice about mishandling them....you might break something, or everything for that matter, so be careful with your prized animals! This is a great forum and I am glad to be a part of it and love sharing information and pics!

WOW...Very kool pic ......

I have had several opportunities in the last 15 yrs working in vet clinics to witness 1st hand how delicate these animals are ....

Nett...do you have a opinion on how safe it is to X-Ray a gravid female?

Rolo
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www.AmazonBasinBoas.com

Hey Rolando,

From what I know about x-rays it is not a good idea to do it to a gravid animal unless it is absolutely a must. If someone is interested in seeing if a female is gravid an ultrasound is fine and shouldn't pose any threats to an animal. Annette is two hours behind so I am sure she will answer when she up and about. I do think though that if a snake is to fat to handle it shouldn't be bothered at all for an ultrasound. Even though you can see right through them the stress they get might be overwhelming......

Matt's right. X-rays are a big NO-NO unless absolutely necessary.

He's also right about the ultrasound. The ultrasound itself won't harm the babies, BUT getting mom to hold still enough to be able to clearly see anything plus the stress involved in the transport and all those strange people around aren't a good thing either.
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Karen Clark
Gems of the Rainforest

Hey Rolo..........I have seen several people X-ray gravid reptiles at various stages of gestation all with the same end .....Either aborted embryo or dead embryos inside the eggs .....I have read that there is a very small window where it is safe but why chance it when ultrasound is safe and way more accurate ........ believe it or not if the ultrasound tech is good at what they do its really not that stressful on the snake and very easy to get some really nice images.....Ill post pics

Now the only time I have ever used xray on a gravid snake was on my Indigo right before we surgically removed 4 eggs from her after a week of being egg bound ......If you look close at the pic you can see the eggs in the lower 1/3 of her body .....Kinda neat

This was done about 10 yrs ago on one of my Boas .......She was in her 4 month of gustation .....Her body weight was 55 lbs ..So you can see that even in a very heavy bodied animal you'll get a nice pic of the babies if your tech knows what they are doing .....It also helps if the owner or keeper who knows the animal is there to hold them it seems to keep things calm when dealing with vet staff that dont work with snakes very often

Thanks for everyone's opinion!

I didn't have the intention of having an X-ray done on a gravid female, but you never know when any problems can arise, so the educational information is always nice to have.

Thank you,

Rolo

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www.AmazonBasinBoas.com

Hey Rolando,

Myself......I would definately have an x-ray done on a gravid female if it was an emergency, she comes first. I'll tell ya one thing, if that female that is currently breeding becomes gravid the pics of the embryo will be worth a mint too! LOL!

By the way.....any new pics of the pair breeding? Are they still at it?

Here you go Matt

Looks like she is peaking

Rolo

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www.AmazonBasinBoas.com

I would say peak is the correct term! Congrats on seemingly being the first to breed an offspring of Tony's big diamond girl! WOOHOO!!!!!!!!

Thanks

Good luck with yours!

Rolo
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www.AmazonBasinBoas.com

He has been staying away...probably for good reason.

Tried posting a picture, but it would not come up.

Sorry

There is a nice picture of her on the site if you would like to look.

Rolo

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www.AmazonBasinBoas.com

i agree with all that has been said. Here with is a digital xray (much lower kvp and mas needed so safer if gravid) of my viper boa that i thought was gravid and ultrasound was inconclusive. Cheers, don