Sick Hog Island

Ok.... I got this guy in a group of snakes at the local reptile expo.
I don't deal in larger snakes or boas... I'm a corn snake breeder.
I figured I'd just sell this guy off, but the market is bad.

So I've had him for a couple months.

I'm a bit of an idiot, I admit.
He has been in his temporary cage... Way too small.
40 gallon tank, I think.

I have been taking him out daily for exercise and the occasional soak in the sink since he doesn't have a water dish big enough.

BUT- I am killing him, I think. He won't eat- not live, not f/t, not rats, not mice. And he shed---- very badly. Now he has patches of scales missing off of his beautiful self.

And now his mouth isn't shutting fully. Swelling on one side.

I am freaked out. I have over 150 snakes and I have NEVER had a snake this obviously sick.

I have sanitized evererything. I have washed him, applied hydrogen peroxide, given him a soak in Novalsan and applied neosporin to his wounds.

I have a vet appointment first thing Monday.

I need advice, though. What am I doing wrong?
Go ahead, slam me.... I know this is a bad situation. This poor beautiful animal deserves better. I have researched all I can. I'm building him a huge viv today. I am spending way too much money on this guy... What do you suggest I do?

I love snakes and hate myself for getting in over my head. I am so sad that this guy is sick. I feel like all the crappy snake owners that I hate.

He is looking at me right now.... He is adorable and I need him to thrive.

Thanks....
Deserae

Hopefully(?) the vet you take it to is a knowledgeable one
Hopefully(?) the animal is able to withstand corrective treatment(s)
Hopefully(?) You acquire better sources for your husbandry information
because "NONE" of what you posted makes any sense in regards to "being corrective"

BUT! all is not lost,you likely have a mouth rot issue and a good case of RI
Both of which can be corrected in a few weeks "WITH PROPER CARE"
If the conditions are not to far advanced there is still hope.

BUT! there is still reality and often it isn't positive.

Mean time 88-90*F Temp/60+% humidity,cover the cage completely(complete dark)
no handling or anything to cause stress.
Dont even peek till ready to transport on Mon.

My $.0¼

First and best thing you can do for him is quit handling him every day. A sick snake is already enduring plenty of stress, and you may be adding to it. Stress can and will kill a Boa, because it lowers their immune system. Second would be remedy his housing situation. Tanks and Boas rarely work out for each other, not just because they are less then optimal for retaining heat and humidity, but because the type of glass isn't designed for them, and it can be easily cracked if they press hard enough against it, then you have worse problems.

Do you have pictures? What you are describing sounds far worse then a bad shed. Bad sheds do not cause loss of scales. Are these scale losses in patches? Little round holes perhaps? or irregular patches? Are they open wounds? Soak in plain water, don't add Novalsan. Although it has been used to irrigate wounds, I'm not sure soaking in it is a good thing.

Do you have extra hands around? If it has mouth rot, you'll need extra hands to treat it effectively. But you first have to find out what the main issue is. Mouth rot usually occurs secondary to some other systemic infection, it never occurs alone. Possibly an RI and or the skin issue and stress lower their ability to fight off everything, and mouth rot occurs.

Sounds like you have your work cut out for you. But as long as the main problem can be isolated and dealt with, the rest should be doable with a little dedication. I've managed to fix up some pretty messed up critters when I was rehabbing them. Boas are pretty resilient critters, but they do have needs that must be met, or these things occur.

Good luck

Update ?

How did the vet visit go, Deserae? Fingers crossed for you and your boa....