Reptile & Amphibian Forums

She just had her pre-birth shed today (Wednesday). I am leaving for the weekend on Friday, and I'm afraid I will miss the birth. Is there anything I should do to ensure the safety of the babies for a day or two?

By the way, with this shed, those white spots I was asking about in previous post are considerably reduced in size. Still would like to know if anybody has ever seen this or comes across it in the future.

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Zoodude

"Just because I'm paranoid, it doesn't mean they aren't after me."

I'm always leary to leave town reguardless of wheather or not I'm expecting babies, so I feel for you. In your case, I would worry about the mom rolling over her babies. The only thing I can think of is offering a deep and bouyant substate within the enclosure, like a mixture of forest bark type bedding, Canadian peat, and unmilled spagnum moss. This mix would provide a cushion between the weight of the mother, the hatchlings, and the floor.
As far as the white spots, I would guess its some type of bruising or possibly a burn. I have not seen this on a Dumerils, but I have seen a similar thing on my largest Suriname Red-Tail(8 plus footer). She at one time had a red barring along her mid-sagital. Worried me at first, it faded away gradually and seemed to be related to feedings. I have seen white scales on other types of reptile, like Savannah Monitors and Ball Pythons- all burn related. As long as its not spreading, I wouldn't sweat it.
Later-
Matt Schubarth
Pet Nebula

I aways put a medium size sterilte container with small holes cut into the sides big enough to give shelter to the babies in case she has them at night. I have also heard of people turning over small milk crates. Hope this helps.

np
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Zoodude

"Just because I'm paranoid, it doesn't mean they aren't after me."

I am 100% certain that these spots are not burn related. How was the barring on your Suriname related to feeding?

>>As far as the white spots, I would guess its some type of bruising or possibly a burn. I have not seen this on a Dumerils, but I have seen a similar thing on my largest Suriname Red-Tail(8 plus footer). She at one time had a red barring along her mid-sagital. Worried me at first, it faded away gradually and seemed to be related to feedings. I have seen white scales on other types of reptile, like Savannah Monitors and Ball Pythons- all burn related. As long as its not spreading, I wouldn't sweat it.
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Zoodude

"Just because I'm paranoid, it doesn't mean they aren't after me."

while I was still feeding live. I assumed it was some type of bruising caused from the struggling prey while the boa was constricting it. Not from the prey scraching or kicking. Just from the pressure the boa would exert between the prey and herself. Only a theory.. could also be age related.

Have you ever had a swab taken on the area to see if a fungus of some kind was involved? I will look in my "Reptile Medicine and Surgery" by Mader to see if there is another type of cause that is being overlooked.

Did you get any babies last weekend or are you expecting this weekend?

Later-
Matt Schubarth
Pet Nebula

Don't know why this didn't occur to me earlier. Could it have been caused by the boa's scales being rubbed against the grain? Like if the boa was being pulled out from her cage and the scales were bent backwards on cage furniture or the doorway of the enclosure causing damage. This is what made me think of it.

I have a few enclosures that I made from melamine. There are no really sharp edges but the doorway has an edge all the same. Last year, I was grabbing one of my Peruvians and I brought her out too high. She bumped her back on the edge of the door hole, bending her scales against the grain. They had a different color to them for some time.. has just started to repair. The area was a mix of white and reddish scales from the damage. I will take a picture of the area tomorrow to show you what I'm taling about.
Later-
Matt

so a picture of the area would be pointless. Still think that this is what it would be. I'll have to search through my archive pictures, might have a shot of the area from when it was fresh.
Later-
Matt Schubarth
Pet Nebula

I thought about fungus, but there is nothing visible. The spots have reduced in size.

Still waiting...

>>while I was still feeding live. I assumed it was some type of bruising caused from the struggling prey while the boa was constricting it. Not from the prey scraching or kicking. Just from the pressure the boa would exert between the prey and herself. Only a theory.. could also be age related.
>>
>>Have you ever had a swab taken on the area to see if a fungus of some kind was involved? I will look in my "Reptile Medicine and Surgery" by Mader to see if there is another type of cause that is being overlooked.
>>
>>Did you get any babies last weekend or are you expecting this weekend?
>>
>>Later-
>>Matt Schubarth
>>Pet Nebula
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Zoodude

"Just because I'm paranoid, it doesn't mean they aren't after me."