Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I had 2 females go for me this season an a 3rd in the works!I got a female earlly in the fall that was over 6ft but very thin[supposebly wouldnt eat]She never gave me no problems with feeding!She ate 2 large rats every week like clock work!I got her up to 22lbs an figured in late december I would interduce a male that I didnt use with the other 2 females an surprizingly he went to work,Late breeder I reckin,lol!Well she ate her 2 rats a couple days before the male was interduced an he was in with her for 3 weeks an he went into shed so I seperated him an offered her alarge meal which she ate with no problems,well the next day I thought I smelt crap first thing I thought was the dog an no it wasnt the dog[poor girl catching the blame]lol!So I walked in the snake room an she was going in the blue an she had direaha big time it was awfull nastey,I got her out an soaked her in the tub with steralite an water an cleaned up the awfull mess!An cleaned her up an you could hear her stomach rolling!I put her back in an she was ok but the next day she did the same thing an I did the same process an when I put her in an she had a little mess an I spot cleaned it up an put fresh paper down an didnt want to move her!This day it wasnt as bad!I thought to myself NEVER will I feed another guinee pig again!She was blowing bubbles by then but I had been heavily misting in order to keep a 75 gallon tank above 60% for a good shed!So I cranked the heat up a few degrees an just poured the water in on the one end to raise the humidity instead of misting!Wasnt an Ri!Thank goodness!So I got to thinking she had never used the bathroom from the 2 large rats she ate before I interduced the male over 3 weeks ago!Ok quetion number 1!Could the male being in with her courting an copulating have made her hold back from using the bathroom an or stressed her out causing the diareah?A little over a week later she used the bathroom an it was normal[Guinee pig]Ok over a week later now no more bathroom problems an mouth looks pink as it should she wont eat an is laying in the heat position like a gravid female!Should I put the male back in with her or maybe he has already done his job?Thanks for all opinions,Eric[Hypoboa]
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E&C's Exotic House of Reptiles

Hi Eric,
Just like in humans diarrhea in snakes is normally caused by some sort of bacterial problem with the stomach. The problem being is that it does not have to be an introduced bacteria, it can be a spike of a plunge of the normally occurring bacteria that occurs in the snakes stomach. The problem is compounded when the snakes has repeated bouts of diarrhea. The diarrhea causes the snake to flush out any of the beneficial bacteria in it’s system. It is very similar to when you have to take antibiotics and the doctor recommends to you to eat some yogurt. Yogurt has live cultures in it that replaces the beneficial bacteria in our systems. The same is true for the boa. I use a product called NutriBAC df. It replaces the lost bacteria in the snakes system. If the snake is refusing to eat, you can mix some of it in water and using a tube place it directly down the snakes throat.

Also a treatment of Panacur and Flagyl might help too. It can stimulate the snakes appetite while also helping with any of the unwanted parasites in the snakes digestive tracks. Also as far as breeding the snake any more this season, I would say no. If the snake breeding took that is one thing, but if the snake is having digestive problems she will probably dump the litter long before it is ready anyway and it will just cause the snake to use needed healing resources. Get her healthy and work towards next season.
I hope this helps some.
Good Luck
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Jim Hopkins "Hoppy"
Hopkins Holesale Herps
Hopfam1@aol.com

Hoppy is on the money.
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Jeremy J. Anderson
snakepimp.com
gemstatereptiles.com
Of course it's my opinion, I said it, didn't I?
Breeding season is always just around the corner....JOY!!!

>>Hoppy is on the money.
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>>Jeremy J. Anderson
>>snakepimp.com
>>gemstatereptiles.com
>>Of course it's my opinion, I said it, didn't I?
>>Breeding season is always just around the corner....JOY!!!
>>
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E&C's Exotic House of Reptiles