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Dead boa and not quite sure what to think....

G

Griz

Driving the short bus....
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I purchased a 7 foot boa this past June that never really seemed right. Her head looked very odd and she just appeared to be a very old snake (bulbous eyes and rough looking animal). Her stools have always been runny, never anything remotely similiar to a typical dog-style stool. She ate just fine and had good weight on her. Over the past month she had a slight foul odor to her. Nothing that was overbearing, you just noticed it when you would clean her cage. I really had not thought much about her stools as I have had boa's that had mostly loose stools in the past and she was acting fine. Anyways, last night I went to check on her and she opened her mouth as I approached the cage. Her mouth appeared normal and clean but this morning I awoke to a dead snake with her mouth fully opened.

So, here are my issues:

1) We do not have anyone local who specializes in this and who could do a necropsy.

2) I had my dh sunglow male in with her for several weeks about a month ago.

My questions regarding the above are:

1) In light of the fact that I do not have anyone available to perform a necropsy what do I do?

2) Since I had a $3000 animal in with her what do I do to ensure him as well as the rest of my collection are not affected?

3) Do you think this is something to be overly concerned with? Or do I simply keep a close eye on my male/other animals and go from there? He is acting/feeding just fine.

Any input is greatly appreciated!

Griz
 
Yes, be concerned. After knowing someone who has dealt with IBD in boas, I would suspect anything. I was told of a study done on a boa, they injected it with IBD and watched the snake for 2 years, it never showed any symptoms, nor did it just die. They euthanized it to futher testing. Two years with no symptoms! Do not take it lightly, maybe even find a vet you can ship the dead boa to and have them test it.

IBD is very contagious, simply using the same feed box can infect another boa.
 
Griz,
Sorry to hear of your loss. Something seems amiss with the stools, but who knows what the problem may be? One thing I would surely do is quarantine your sunglow for a while to be on the safe side.

No, I don't think that you are being overly concerned, not when your whole collection is at stake. Why take chances with the unknown. Cross your fingers. Art
 
I am sorry for your loss. I would be wigging a little if it were mine, so you are probably right to be concerned.

Did you ever have her stools checked for parasites? Even a Vet that does not specialize in reptiles should have done a fecal then if they found anything out of the ordinary they could have referred you somewhere else if they didn't feel comfortable treating her. (Longwinded, but something to think about for the future.)

Don't freeze her-freezing destroys tissues- and try to get her somewhere for a necropsy, even if you have to ship her it would be worth it for the sake of your remaining collection.
 
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