Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I recently resecued 2 boas. Male(6.5') and Female(7.5'). Both where very thin with their dorsal ridges showing already. They were covered in mites to the point of dehydration. And on top of it suffering from mild respiratory infections. Well the male has responded very well to therapies. He has gained some of his weight back and has about 1/4 of the mites that he had. But, the female was not responding as well. If anything she'd lost weight. Well, about 2 weeks ago, I was giving the two a warm bath to help with the mite problem and noticed...THE FEMALE IS GRAVID! As horrible of shape as she was in, now I realized that it was going to be harder to pull her through. Now I used to keep and was working on breeding boas but that was several years ago. My question is, is there anything that could help her through this? And what are the signs of eminant birth? She just went into shed mode and was wondering if this could be one of the signs. I know that she is getting very close. I just hope she has them soon so that HER body can finally recooperate. Any advice will be helpful. And the male will be ready for a new home soon.

Get thee a can of Provent-a-mite RIGHT NOW. Go to www.pro-products.com and order a can. Your mites will be gone the next day after you use it.

Next, have you taken them to a vet for evaluation? If they had mites, and were that skinny, there well may be something else wrong.

As for the female, if she is gravid, she may not eat. If she doesn't eat, giving birth may kill her. On the other hand, force-feeding a gravid female is a baaaaaaad idea. You're just going to have to nurse her along as best you can.

Post on the boa forum regarding the gravid one, they can guide you.
-----
Bonnie Keller
VA Reptile Rescue
www.vareptilerescue.org