Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I'm new to the world of red tail boas but I've had ball pythons for about a year so I have the jist of basic snake care. I just rescued from from a very poor home. He's 49 inches long and 1030g (that's just over 2.2 pounds). He seems very thin and lethargic when in his cage...but when you hold him he explores and crawls fine. I checked for mites and can't find any. He has refused to eat. His scales are raised and his eyes cloudy...like he needs to shed. What can I do?

Can I wait for him to shed before I take him to the vet? Or should i take him immediately?

I would wait to take him to the vet. How is he otherwise? Is he set up now with plenty of water, heat, etc? Let him shed, try feeding. If he doesn't eat I might take him to the vet depending on the conditions if known of how he was kept and why rescued. Good luck.....Oh, and keep him quarantined if you have other animals to be on the safe side.

I say I rescued the snake because of the conditions he was in. He was being fed 1 adult mouse every two weeks, keep in dirt gathered from the previous owners back yard and had mites. I treated him for mites, which I can't see anymore. I'm very concerned about the excess skin on him and his lethargic behavior. Perhaps his cage is too small. The previous owner gave me the snake and the cage. He is in a 20 gallon aquarium. This is far to small I assume. Can anyone suggest what he may need? I'm guessing 40 gallon breeder tank? His temps are 90 on the warm side to low 80s on the cool. He has a large water dish, not large enough for him to completely submerge in. He has a hide but seems to prefer burrowing under the aspen bedding substrate.

A 20 gallon is a bit small but as long as he has the necessary life supports, including a caring owner it sounds like he should be Ok. I would wait until after he is fully settled in and has a shed and see how he comes along.

Ok. I'll do that. I'm just a little nervous...I needed a second opinion from someone who has a little more experiance than me. Thanks a lot.