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baby nicaraguan boa

kalismom3

kalismom3

snake whisperer :)
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hello. i have to start by saying i'm an idiot. i ordered a baby nicaraguan boa from lllreptile oct 1st. baby got here the 2nd. my husband and i have struggled with this baby who won't eat or drink. temperatures are 92 hot side and 80 to 82 cool side. i'm at a loss as what to do for this poor dehydrated baby who stopped drinking oh his own 4 days ago. i'm sick to my stomach with worry. we are trying to get him to drink through a dropper. i gave lllreptile a good guy review for the baby. i didn't know the baby was sick.... i have kept in constant contact with lllreptile. i don't know where to go from here. i also hope i posted this in the right place.
 
Does he look ropey at all?

I wouldn't worry too much about a new aquisition not eating for a few weeks, depending on how he looks. If he looks reasonably chunky and is alert it might just be that he's slow to settle in.

As for drinking, how confident are you that he's not drinking when you aren't around to see it? I bought a Brazilian Rainbow in june and I still haven't seen her drink, but she has access to water, humid hides, has a fogger and is growing like a weed.

Where does he spend most of his time? Is he reliably huddled up the cool end or sticks to the warm end?
 
Make a vet appointment, might just need a run of panacur to knock out some fun parasites.
 
Did LLLReptile tell you what the baby boa was eating when he/she was with them? Also, what feed item the boa was started out on (if they know)?
What have you tried to get him/her to eat?
Is the boa being handled a lot?
Does he/she have hides in both the warm side and cool side?
Is the boa very thin or does he/she look filled out?
Are you positive that he/she is dehydrated? What brings you to believe he/she is dehydrated?
 
i believe the baby is dehydrated because he just shed and he's very wrinkly. he drank tonight on his own for 15 minutes straight tonight. he spends part of his time under the big fake ivy plant in the middle of the cage or up on his perch in the heat for the rest of the time. i tried hide boxes but he doesn't like them. i'm constantly watching him off and on 16 hours a day to see if he drinks. we have tried live rat and mouse pinkies, f/t pinkies and fuzzies. he's not chunky, he's about 18 inches long and skinny. lllreptile whom i'm in constant contact with, hasn't said what he eats. the problem is they tell me to leave him alone. if i would have done that, he'd be dead by now. Gratch the baby nicaraguan is handled 4 times a day, just to get him set up to drink. then a little love kisses and back to his cage.
 
That was going to be my exact question. Also, are you taking the snake to a vet? This sounds very serious.
 
Welcome to the hobby. My first concern is how often he is being handled, 4 times a day if far too much. If you feel that he is dehydrated then mist him heavily twice a day and add an extra water bowl for his convenience. Second, I have found that in my experience boas do not thrive in 90 degree temps, I would take the hot side down to about 87-88 F . Pictures would help a lot here and I agree, if you feel that the animal is within immediate jeopardy, then you need to contact a vet.

When you purchase again, I would highly recommend buying from a private breeder who can give you more information and follow up support tailored to the specific animal you bought.
 
EmeraldBoid said:
Welcome to the hobby. My first concern is how often he is being handled, 4 times a day if far too much. If you feel that he is dehydrated then mist him heavily twice a day and add an extra water bowl for his convenience. Second, I have found that in my experience boas do not thrive in 90 degree temps, I would take the hot side down to about 87-88 F . Pictures would help a lot here and I agree, if you feel that the animal is within immediate jeopardy, then you need to contact a vet.

When you purchase again, I would highly recommend buying from a private breeder who can give you more information and follow up support tailored to the specific animal you bought.
Click to expand...

This, above, about sums it up.
He/She really does need to be left alone, for awhile, (aside from needed handling if taken to a vet) and, then, minimal handling until older or really settled in and an established feeder.
Also, don't offer food each day or every other day (don't know how often you are attempting to feed). Allow some days between attempts.
If your baby boa still refuses to eat (after following advice), and you need some feed tips/tricks, let me/us know.
 
hi. by handling we take him out of his cage and set him on my table in front of my chair to give him water. once he's done we hold him for about a minute or two. he loves to be held. he ate on october 21st. i usually offer food every 5 to 7 days. he is going back into shed after just shedding on the 14th. i found his biggest problem is he has shed stuck over his nostrils. it's making it a touch difficult to breathe and i don't know what to do. he has improved alot. the shed on the nose and drinking from a dropper is the only things wrong with him now.
 
Boas do not require a dripper nor do they need help finding water or drinking as long as it is available in their enclosures. I assure you. A good thing thing to focus on at this point is to make sure he can have a full shed this time. This entails misting the enclosure daily, but avoiding spraying him directly, especially while he is opaque, and minimizing the handling. The shedding process includes a build up of several oils that help get the job done, too much direct misting and disturbance in general can inhibit this process. Goodluck.
 
You can also make a humid hide for the boa to use. Get a plastic food storage container with a lid, cut an access hole in the lid, and put some damp (not sopping wet) spaghnum moss in it. You may have to re-wet the moss every few days. Also check it often because snakes really like to do their business in it - it can be washed and re-used a few times.

If there's enough room in the enclosure you can use two water bowls, one on the warm side and the other on the cool side, to increase humidity.

You also said the boa is thin. They are supposed to be thin - a chunky/round boa is a FAT boa, and fat boas have shorter lifespans than fit ones. They should not look like corns/kings/BP's, they should have a square body shape.

If you can get him onto f/t feeders and you're still worried about him not drinking, you can give him damp feeders.
 
Could you get us a pic of your boa? I think people are speculating a bit too much on this thread without really having some firsthand knowledge of the situation. Also, boas don't love to be held. They don't "love" anything, although they're generally pretty enthusiastic about feeding. They tend to prefer to be left alone, truth be told.
 
gratch

hope these pictures are ok enough for you to see
 

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Does he have any problems closing his mouth fully? The pics look like his mouth is partially swollen...granted it could just be the pic.
 
OK, while the stuck shed is definitely not a good thing, it looks like overall tone isn't too bad. I'd recommend ditching the aquarium and heat lamp for a rubbermaid sweaterbox with a ring of holes put in it. Use a small hide and a water dish on the non heated side. This will help with heat and humidity retention and the snake's feeling of security.
 
I agree, that could lead to mouthrot and a subsequent resp infection pretty easily.
 
kalismom3 said:
the reason his mouth is partially open is because of old shed stuck over his nostrils.
Click to expand...
If that is the case, then I reiterate what me and others have already said. Focus on hydration and security, so that this next shed goes well. If you notice any mucous or unusual sounds (symptoms of an RI), then seek out a vet. Is he out of the opaque stage yet?
 
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