Rosy boa IBD?

Hi all,

I'm looking for some advice from people with experience here. I have a 2-3 month Mexican Rosy boa that is exhibiting some weird behavior. I got Hedwig at the Retpicon show in Raleigh this November.

She ate 2 meals the first 2 weeks I had her, and then went off feed. I read that this can be typical so I tried not to stress to much. It's now been a month since she's eaten.

The most peculiar behavior I've noticed has been that she avoids the warm side of her cage completely and has been burying her head in the aspen on the cool side, or just laying out in the open. The temperatures are on point, so that's not the issue.

Most alarmingly, today I noticed that she had her head wedged under her water bowl. I took her out of the cage and she exhibited a lot of yawning and corkscrewing. It seems like it's most definitely something neurological.

Not quite sure what to think or what to do. Any advice? Thanks,

-Mack

it is difficult to determine a true IBD case from just those symptoms listed, as there are plenty of other diseases/disorders that display these same types of symptoms. The only way to know for sure is to take it to a vet for a biopsy for confirmation.

What are the temps and other cage conditions? Symptoms of IBD can mimic overheating and any kind of chemical reaction (disinfectants, chemicals around the house, etc)

Rosy's do tend to hibernate as well, so if the temps arent dropped, they can develop overheating (neurological) type symptoms.

Also, at that young of an age, IBD would be way down in the list of diagnosis or even differential diagnosis, for me anyway.

Originally Posted by reticguy76

What are the temps and other cage conditions? Symptoms of IBD can mimic overheating and any kind of chemical reaction (disinfectants, chemicals around the house, etc)

Rosy's do tend to hibernate as well, so if the temps arent dropped, they can develop overheating (neurological) type symptoms.

Also, at that young of an age, IBD would be way down in the list of diagnosis or even differential diagnosis, for me anyway.

Temps on warm side range from 85-90 and on the cool side 70-75. Should I remove heat? The warm side is heated by an under tank heater. There haven't been any chemical exposures that I am aware of.

It is also a possibility, depending on lineage, that if these were displays of neurological issues, genetics could also be the cause as well. The list of speculations is endless, so professional help from a vet must be done.

Originally Posted by mpdescha

Temps on warm side range from 85-90 and on the cool side 70-75. Should I remove heat? The warm side is heated by an under tank heater.

What kind of thermometer are you using to measure the temperatures? What's the surface temperature of the substrate on top of the under-tank heater?

Using a probe thermometer so temperatures should be pretty accurate.

As far as genetics, I'm beginning to think that might also be a possibility. Even after I brought the snake home, there were some small indicators and weird behaviors. Maybe they just progressed.

I've been very meticulous about the care of this snake and it disturbs me to think that its decline in health might be my fault. I work at Duke and have access to an exotic vet on a daily basis. I shot him and email and will see what he thinks about the situation.

It's a bit gut-wrenching to see her constantly corkscrewing and unable to right herself. I just don't want her to suffer unduly.

I understand that. Did you buy her from a breeder or a reseller? If the breeder have you tried contacting him to see if there have been problems reported or if he's seen similar issues with the rest of the litter?