how can i help my boa

[The BoidSmith]

Let me try this again:

Maybe she had food still undigested in the stomach, which combined with less than ideal temperatures (due to the delayed shipping) resulted in her death.

 

[monitorman85]

no thats just a crapy pic i sent him of the ball.i dont think she had any food in her stomach cuz i shipped her the day she was going to eat so i had to be atleast 5 days sense she ate.

 

[Junkyard]

5 days? From my experience it takes a little longer before a snake fully digests and defecates.

 

[crotalusadamanteus]

Gotta agree with michael. Depending on the temps kept, and health of the snake, it will take like 7-12 days. Give or take depending on the snake. That is also why many only feed every 10-14 days. Allows for a better digestion.
Your BP may have had food still in him undigested. I would say "probably".

 

[hhmoore]

IMO, the reality lies somewhere in between. It is an acceptable enough theory that the snake would have defecated by 5 days (depending on several conditions, of course). That does not, however mean that there was nothing in the stomach. As for whether or not stomach contents at the time of shipping had anything to do with its 'death', that would depend largely on what had been fed and the conditions the snake was exposed to during shipping. I haven't had time to investigate the other thread, so it is time for me to butt out of that discussion

 

[crotalusadamanteus]

I actually meant 7-12 days for "digestion" in the above post.
Shoulda been more clear.

 

[monitorman85]

i wouldnt think some food in the stomach would kill the ball though.im not sure if he fed the ball or not cuz i told him that when i shipped him that he should give him a few days to settle in before feeding so he might not have.the boas mouthrot seems to be getting better.his mouth use to be a little swollen and the sore in his mouth was red looking but now it seems like the same color of his mouth and the swelling is going down.hes still blowing bubbles here and there though.and making hissing sounds but as long as i got my temps up how they are now cool side 85 and warm side 95 i think he will be better in a week or so.i proble already know the answer to this but do snakes teeth grow back when they fall out or what i was just wondering cuz he has lost 2 teeth sense i have had him.

 

[The BoidSmith]

i wouldnt think some food in the stomach would kill the ball though.im not sure if he fed the ball or not cuz i told him that when i shipped him that he should give him a few days to settle in before feeding so he might not have.

What was meant was that if you fed 5 days before shipping what could’ve killed the ball was the partially digested feed in the stomach, combined with the low temps due to the delay in shipping USPS. In my opinion the death was not likely Mike’s fault, unless he was keeping the python under sub-optimal ambient temperatures.

, not that the boas mouthrot seems to be getting better.his mouth use to be a little swollen and the sore in his mouth was red looking but now it seems like the same color of his mouth and the swelling is going down.

Glad to hear that.

 

[monitorman85]

i had a question im using cypress mulch and was wondering if this is ok i have heard that it is and i have heard that it isnt i was just wondering what you guys think of it.i was usng newspaper but i ran out so i was using cypress til i get some more.i checked my temps again and they went up a little was wondering if coolside 90.4 and warm side 91.4 these will be ok sense he has a RI i figured that this would help him out to get over it faster.also i have the humidity down to 52% and was wondering if i should lower it more to lke 40 or so.

 

[The BoidSmith]

Having a one degree difference is probably the same as having no gradient at all. As far as the substrate goes, I would stay with newspaper at least until the mouth rot and the URI clear. Nothing against the mulch but in my opinion the less organic matter particles you have around, and the more often you can replace the paper the better. She needs to be "squeeky clean" if you want the condition to improve, and I don't know if you can replace the cypress as often as it needs to be done.

 

[monitorman85]

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.

 

[hhmoore]

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)

 

[monitorman85]

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.

 

[hhmoore]

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?

 

[monitorman85]

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.

 

[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.
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

 

[hhmoore]

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.

 

[crotalusadamanteus]

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

 

[The BoidSmith]

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.

 

[monitorman85]

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.