Reptile & Amphibian Forums

How do I remove calcium deposits from viper boa's. They always seem to get calcium build up on their heads. I've tried using a soft troothbrush to scrub around their head. They don't like that a whole lot lol but they put up with it as long as the water is warm. What is the trick here?

Could I use distilled water? Or is that harmful? Is there any kind of reptile spray that will stop them from drying out and stop that white chalky deposit from building?

Hmm..... I am not sure how to remove the deposits.... do they not shed off? I would use different water (distilled water should be fine). Try it and see if it makes a difference.

-Chris
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Christopher E. Smith
Contact
Captive Bred Herps
Wildlife Research & Consulting Services, LLC

Hi Christopher,
Distilled water was one of my first thoughts too. But I was always under the assumption that prolonged drinking of distilled water wasn't really good for humans and pets. Is this inaccurate? It does come off with the shed, but in the meantime many of my vipers have a greyish whitish head that doesn't look that great.

A little more digging I found this

http://www.durastill.com/myths.html

Apparently it is more than safe for reptiles to be in. I occassionally give the electrolytes so I'm sure they'd be fine in distilled water.

Yeah, I would give that a try. You can try spring water, etc... too.

-Chris
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Christopher E. Smith
Contact
Captive Bred Herps
Wildlife Research & Consulting Services, LLC