how can i help my boa

im not sure eaither but i will try to replace it every time i see its been dirt(poo,pee)that sort of thing.i also noticed that he is colsing his mouth all the way to dont know if that means its clearing up or not but i think its a good sign.anyone know if there teeth grow back after they loose them.

yes, the teeth do grow back. the other thing to be careful about with cypress mulch, esp at those temperatures, is that it will increase the overall humidity of the enclosure. Given that the snake is already showing respiratory symptoms, I would be careful about that. (I am curious as to just how you are controlling the humidity...you make it sound so easy. Also, how are you measuring it)

i have a digital thermometer/humidity gauge.its one of those aqurite thermometers it shows the coolside and the warmside temps and the humidity.it says HI% right now so im going to have to lower it very soon so it doesnt make him more sick.i just notice that he has some realy extra skin on his side its like he is shedding but starting at his side.i touched it and pulled a little to see if he was shedding and he is.anyone know why he is shedding at his mid section.

I'm not sure what exactly HI% means in the real world...but it doesn't sound good, lol (actually, what it sounds like is that you accessed the memory function - most of those digital thermometers record HI/LOW temperatures...maybe the hygrometer does the same) As for the shedding skin - is it just a piece of retained skin? or is he shedding? Hard to tell by the way you described it...was it coming off before you tried to pull it?

ya its starting to go more down his body but not on his head.its like you can start to peel the skin off of him at his mid section.what hi% means is that it is to high when it goes past 80% thats what it says.you got any idea on how much longer it will take him to shed if hes already got all that loose skin on him.

I use the same gauges that you are using, and HI% is above 85% with mine. Way too high for the current situation IMO. Now, judging by the way the snake is shedding, and what you said about the humidity, sounds like you may want to get another one to see if it agrees. May be defective. With Hi humidity, your boa should not really shed in pieces the way you describe, unless the humidity is actually low.
At least, this has been my experience.

Do you have 50 cents? I would go get a newspaper from a corner vendor or something. Cypress is known to hold humidity pretty well. Not something you want a lot of at the moment.

Just my $0.025

Ciao,
Rick

Originally Posted by crotalusadamanteus

I use the same gauges that you are using, and HI% is above 85% with mine. Way too high for the current situation IMO. Now, judging by the way the snake is shedding, and what you said about the humidity, sounds like you may want to get another one to see if it agrees. May be defective. With Hi humidity, your boa should not really shed in pieces the way you describe, unless the humidity is actually low.

Another possibility is that the humidity is high, the skin is separating (or ready to come off) and was torn on something she rubbed against...but the question about whether the snake is actually in a shed or just has some retained skin was never really answered (unless I missed it). But you do need to get the humidity down. I, too, would scrap the cypress.

Good point HH!

I forgot to mention, you should not play with the temps on your boas cage unless they are not in the right ranges. A temperature gradient is very crucial for your boas recovery.
Here's a link that may give you more insight into what you are dealing with.

Respritory Tract Infections
Mouth Rot

I want to make it clear I am not suggesting you go against your vets prescribed treatment, just because you read something different on this page. It is meant to help you understand what you are dealing with. Nothing more.

Ciao,
Rick

i have a digital thermometer/humidity gauge.its one of those aqurite thermometers it shows the coolside and the warmside temps and the humidity.it says HI% right now so im going to have to lower it very soon so it doesnt make him more sick.i just notice that he has some realy extra skin on his side its like he is shedding but starting at his side.i touched it and pulled a little to see if he was shedding and he is.anyone know why he is shedding at his mid section.

You are keeping her too dry for her to be able to shed properly. You mentioned 50% humidity, that’s way too dry. I will highly doubt if she will be able to shed at all. Also, do you have any surfaces against where she can rub against in her enclosure? If she is truly shedding you should’ve seen the clouded eyes (blue) a few days ago. You may have to soak her for a while in lukewarm water (check the temperature!) for 2-3 hours until the skin loosens up. You may have to put a large wet towel to increase the moisture, and for her to rub against it in the enclosure. You may have to help her to complete the shed with your hands.

you got any idea on how much longer it will take him to shed if hes already got all that loose skin on him.

If you can peel skin off she should've already shed, you need to help her out particularly towards the head (check spectacles!). Make sure it's not old retained skin though. It seems as if she's too weak to attempt doing it on her own, that plus the fact that her enclosure is too dry.

well i got all the shed off of him but there is still skin on well i guess it would be his neck to his head and im not sure how to get that off so if anyone knows please let me know so i can get it off of him.