Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I purchased a Nicaraguan Red Tail in September. I was told it was a good feeder. I took it home and it was a tricky feeder. I managed to get it to feed after 3 weeks of trying.

It would not eat for me after that. I tried live and frozen mice. It took one adult mouse and a friend of mine tapped on the cage and it regurged it. That was three weeks ago. I tried over and over feeding it. I never took another feed.

One day I was looking at her in her cage and she started moving her head and contorting her body. I knew this was not a good sign. I think I've read somewhere else that is not good...even though I cannot recall what was said. I took her out of her cage and she continued doing the same motions. Yesterday she quit doing that.

Today I thought I wpuld try feeding her again. I took her to school where my professor has a stock of live mice. She refused her meal again. I took her home. She died right in my hands. I dunno. It is very upsetting. She was a very pretty snake with a red tail. Would have grown to be a nice breeder.

Anyone have any insight?
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9 Leopard Geckos 2.7.0**
1 Tokay Gecko 1.0.0*
2 Ball Pythons 2.0.0*
1 04 Nicaraguan Red Tail Boa 0.1.0
2 Black Kingsnake 1.0.1*
4 Baird's Rat Snake (Thanks Vadoni!) 2.2.0
***1.0 Loma Alta***1.2Hawkeye 04 stock***
2 Gray Ratsnakes 0.1.1
1 04 Amel Cornsnake 0.1
1 04 Anery Cornsnake 1.0
4 Dekay's Snake 0.1.3**
1.0 Ambystoma tigrinum nebulosum*
1.1 Green Tree Frogs (H. cinerea)*

0.0.1 Red Milk
1.0.0 Mexican Black/California King Hybrid (Missing)
1 Leopard Gecko 1.0

*indicates possible breeders
**have bred

I can't tell you what your boa died from and it would be difficult for anyone to make a diagnosis based on what you wrote. I can tell you that these boas are born on breeding farms in Nicaragua by the thousands. Shortly after being born they are gathered up for export. They can change hands several times before reaching you. Even though they might eat a meal for who has the snake at the time it usually is not with that person long enough to really evaluate how well it is doing. Careful observation over an extended time of several months is usually what is needed to get a good idea of how the snake is doing. For many wholesalers and jobbers the scenario is "the snake ate a mouse and there is no mucous coming from the snakes mouth or nose so the snake is fine". The first few months of a snakes life is a critical time. If there was something wrong internally it is possible that it didn't catch up with the snake until it was in your hands. Only a qualified vet can tell you for sure by examining the snake.
If I can I would like to give you some feeding tips that work for me. I have found an adult mouse to be too large of a prey item for a newly imported Nicaraguan boa. These are small babies. Feeding too large of a prey item will usually result in regurgitation. For Nicaraguan babies that are difficult feeders I like to use a crawler sized mouse and leave it in overnight. I have had great results with problem feeders this way. Pinkies usually did not work for me. The snakes I had that were problem feeders always grew out of this phase. All of mine currently eat frozen but to get them to convert I really had to animate the mouse on the end of long tweezers. Sometimes the mouse had to dance a jig first. I think the snakes just wanted to be entertained. lol. I hope your experience does not sour you on keeping snakes. It can be a very enjoyable hobby. Best of luck to you in the future. Chris Ginkel

You may have stressed that poor little boa to death. If a snake shows signs of being stressed...i.e. refusing meals or regurgitating, AVOID stressing it more. Sources of stress are constantly picking it up, looking at it, attempting to feed it, shipping it to schoool, etc. LEAVE THE POOR THING ALONE, and in the dark!!! Babies especially are prone to "stress death". Also, next time you obtain an import, try feeding it a SMALL meal. A baby nic. in the wild could go for weeks, even months without eating. So in captivity, if you were to feed a baby nic 1 pinky mouse every 3 weeks or so until it was acclimated to its new environment you'd be doing OK. Hope this helps.

The "head motion" thing may have been something else. Check your temps. if they are high (95F ) that may be the reason. It may have been a chemical that caused it too. What are the temps in the cage, and what have you been using to clean the cage, or prevent mites? It could also have been a disease, its hard to tell without witnessing the snakes actions first hand.

who did you buy it from?
Some babies are very delicate and need to be treated as such..

Sometimes we are overly excited and devote too much time and attention to this tiny animal and sometimes it is a bit too much stress for their bodies to handle.

I know i've sold lots of Nics this year, and even though they eat fine for me for months, there are several times when they first go to their new homes where they will not settle in and eat, either because they are not comfortable due to poor conditions, or they are just too stressed out due to too much attention.
They usually pull around real easily though..

Thanks, Joe Rollo - BciJoe
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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

I bought it for fairly cheap. I guess I get what I pay for. They were through a man that I know and he got them from someone he knew. I bought mine for $36.

When I picked mine I picked the one that bit me because I figured that it would be the most healthiest. I guess I also didn't think that it might be stressed out.

I took the snake to school yesterday to have my professor look at it. His knowledge likes mostly with colubrids, but I wanted to see what he thought anyway. He told me he thought the snake might have had a respiratory problem. He said its throat was extending like he had seen in snakes with similar conditions. I feel like an "A" word now because I know that is usually linked to husbandry techniques.

It is probably a combination of all things said that lead to the demise of my Nic. I feel like a moron now, but I will try again at the Nic game when I can make sure I can provide the proper conditions for it and I can come across one for a fair price from someone I can trust.
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My Critters

6 Leopard Geckos 2.4.0
1 Tokay Gecko 1.0.0
2 Ball Pythons 2.0.0
2 Black Kingsnake 1.0.1
4 Baird's Rat Snake (Thanks Vadoni!) 2.2.0
***1.0 Loma Alta***1.2Hawkeye 04 stock***
2 Gray Ratsnakes 0.1.1
1 04 Amel Cornsnake 0.1
1 04 Anery Cornsnake 1.0
4 Dekay's Snake 0.1.3
1.0 Ambystoma tigrinum nebulosum
1.1 Green Tree Frogs (H. cinerea)

Critters under my care

7 Red Milk Snakes 02,04
2 Mexican Milk Snakes
2 Black King snakes 03
2 Mexican Black/California King Hybrids
11 California Kingsnakes
1 Eastern Kingsnake
11 Graybanded Kingsnakes
2 Baird's Rat Snake
1 Yellow Rat Snake
1 Everglades Rat Snake
35 Corn Snakes
2 African house snakes
1 Green Tree Python
2 Boa c. constrictor
1 Mottled Rock Rattlesnake