Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi all!

I was hoping to get some advice regarding my roughly 10 month old Dumeril. I've had him since Sept. and this is the first time I'm having problems with him.

Here's the situation:

The first of January Everett (the Dumeril) had a REALLY REALLY bad shed. On top of that, he looked as if someone had deflated him - his skin became very wrinkled and loose looking. He sort of looked like the majority of snakes you see in pet stores (bad shed, wrinkly dehydrated looking skin, etc.) I'd noticed he'd been hugging his hot side (burrowing under the aspen AND paper towels) for days on end and wondered if he dehydrated himself. I gave him several baths for the next couple of weeks and that took care of the bad shed but not the wrinkled, slack skin. On top of that, I think he still has one "spectacle." Since this happened, he has stopped eating regularly and at one point I heard him making quite a few "sneezy" noises but haven't really noticed any other signs of a respiratory infection.

Here's his setup:

Glass tank 36x12x13 with a heating pad under one side. I've taped a washcloth over the hot side so the snake can never burn himself and have a few layers of paper towels under the aspen to help make cleaning easier. Aspen, large water bowl, several hides. Two digital temp/humidity probes. Cool side ranging from 60-70 F and 50-60% humidity. Hot side roughly 83-85 F. (I used to keep the hot side around 89-91 but since he seemed to be baking himself, I've turned it down)

If anyone has ANY ideas or has ever experienced this, please provide me some sort of feedback. I've never had this kind of problem with my snakes (corn, ball, and of course, dumeril) and I don't know what to do.

Thank you all for your time.

Melinda

For starters. Your temps are TOO LOW. Cool end temps should be in the mid 70's. Your hot end temps should be in the high 80's to low 90's (90 being preferable). NEVER lower cage temps, unless you are doing a cooling period as part of a breeding attempt.

Your humidity level is good. Don't go any higher, Dums can get a respiratory infection if humidity is too high. High humidity combined with low temps breed respiratory infections.

Decreased feeding can be related to the cooler temps & a possible respiratory infection.

Poor sheds loose/limp skin = DEHYDRATION!!! Soaking him is a good idea to help with dehyration. Your doing good there. Use room temperature water when soaking him. Water straight out of the tap is too cold. I prefer room temp, bottled spring water.

Unless he was already on the thin side, lack of appetite shouldn't be causing the loose/limp skin.

If he has been "sneezing/wheezing" (signs of a respiratory infection) then you should get him to a vet soon, before the problem becomes worse.

Best of luck & please keep us (dumerils boa forum) updated.

Pat Higdon

P.S. - I am going to send you a email through the forum with some cage heating ideas.
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2.5 dumerils boas, 1.1 albino burmese python, 0.1 normal ball python, 0.2 bearded dragons, 1.0 german giant bearded dragon & 0.0.1 sulcata tortoise

Thank you so much for your wonderfully prompt response!

I immediately boosted the hot side temperature. Ambient is a bit of another story - I'm contemplating a space heater for the room.

I wish I would have known of flashing tape much earlier. Where do I get it?! Is this something I can pick up at Home Depot, etc.? And once applied, can I peel it off somewhat easily? I try to deconstruct the entire setup and give it a thorough cleaning every 4-6 months or so...

Thank you again for all of your advice!

Melinda

No problem on responding so quickly. Like I said, I have been in the same situation. And know how frustrating it is.

You can get flashing tape at Home Depot, Lowes, any hardware store and probably Walmart. At Home Depot & Lowes, it will probably be in the heat and air departments, & at Walmart in the hardware area.

You can peel it off, but it is a pain. To get it all off you will need to use a razor blade. I generally just wipe it off with the rough side of a sponge soaked in 10% bleach solution, until all "crap" comes off, then rinse it really good (do not let the tape soak in water) & let it air dry outside if possible.

I hope Everett gets to feeling better. Keep us posted.

Pat
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2.5 dumerils boas, 1.1 albino burmese python, 0.1 normal ball python, 0.2 bearded dragons, 1.0 german giant bearded dragon & 0.0.1 sulcata tortoise