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how can i help my boa

M

monitorman85

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i just got a new boa on wensday and it had mouth rot so i took it to the vet the next day and they gave me some mouth wash and gave him a shot.i just want to know what else i can do for him i have raised the temps and lowered the humidity i was just wondering if i missed anything else i should do.any help would be awsome.
 
the vet gave me some C.E.T home dental mouth wash and a vitamin shot and monday hes giving him another shot of something not sure realy.but he said that i have to use the mouth wash 2x a day.do you know how long it will take to clear this up.the only problem i have is keeping his mouth open when i give him his mouth wash any ideas on that.thanks for helping me out.
 
he is about 4ft and i use a metal thing the vet gave me.he is very tame and there realy isnt anyone here to help me most of the time so i have to put his body between my legs and go from there.also can i take him out of his cage and let him crawl around or should i just leave him in his cage.
 
The problem with using hard objects to open a snakes mouth is that they can cause trauma (not to say that I haven't resorted to such measures). One thing that I have used is one of those rubber spatula type things...the thing for spreading frosting on cakes. I understand the idea behind applying the stuff 2x daily, but I'll explain my feelings about it when you are done treating. I would be inclined to think that if the last shot wasn't an antibiotic, the next one probably will be since mouthrot is frequently (but not always) a secondary infection...a symptom of another problem - perhaps your vet opted to try to treat topically, and the next shot will be ABX if the condition isn't improved. How high was the humidity that you felt compelled to lower it? And what kind of boa is it (different boas have different needs)? Personally, I would recommend leaving it alone and in its enclosure for 2 reasons: 1) while it is fighting the infection, you should try to keep its temperature up. unless you have a room heated to at least 80`, you will be doing it a disservice by taking it out. 2) to minimize stress. You are already messing with it 2x daily, and doing things that it doesn't like...that stuff takes a toll on a sick snake.
 
alright thanks for letting me know.i just got done cleaning its mouth again i had to use a end of a cotton swab to get the stuff out of its mouth and then i rinsed its mouth out after that.the humidity was 65 so i lowered it to 50 and the basking is 91.6 and the cool end is 79.9.im not sure what shots he gave it i know he got an antibiotic and he got a vitamin as well.do you know how long it takes to get rid of.the vet said that hes glad i brought him in sense he has been like this for awhile.he also got a amiglyde v.1 also.
 
what kind of boa is it? You say rinsed its mouth out...did you mean that literally? (I'm ASSuming that you mean with the dental mouthwash) I guess I'm surprised that you aren't just swabbing the area with it, but since I don't know exactly what that stuff is... how long it takes to get rid of depends on how you are treating it, and what the underlying problem is. Just out of curiosity, does your vet have much experience with reptiles? Are there any other problems you have noticed? noisy breathing, foam or bubbles coming out of its mouth or nose, sitting there with its mouth open?
You say you just got this snake wednesday, it had mouthrot when you got it, and you brought it to the vet the next day...did you notify the person/company that you bought it from? Sounds like you should be getting some $$ back (of course, if you didn't notify them immediately, you're probably SOL)
 
Depending on how bad the problem is, mouth rot can take anywhere from 3 days to 3 weeks to fully clear up with out any signs(in my case). You are doing a good job, keep up with the treatments.

What I use to open a snakes mouth is a cotton swab, I have noticed the stick being very small and soft is not hard on the snake, they usually open right up as soon as you apply pressure to their mouth. See pictures, this Suriname Boa is about 4 feet.

When I go tmy reptile Vet he advised me to use a little hotter temps than what you are using 95-100 high to 85-90 low. This has been according to my Vet's recommendation. Before long your boa should be just fine and healthy. Lots of great advice has been given to you by everyone here.
 

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think you everyone for helping me with this.i hope if you guys ever have any problems that i can help ya out.i did notify the person the first day i got him my vet is the only one that looks at reptiles in joplin so i have no choice but to go to him.hes a real nice person and seems to know what he is talking about.i think the mouthrot is clearing up a bit cuz hes starting to close his mouth more and more it seems like.the vet checked him for RI and it only seems to be mouthrot at the moment.have any of you had to take stuff out of there mouth like snot looking stuff just wondering cuz i have to take it out of my boas mouth sometimes.he is a red tail boa just in case any one was wondering.THANKS VERY MUCH EVERYONE
STEVEN.
 
the caseation from mouthrot will be usually be offwhite-grey, cottage cheese looking stuff(not exactly, but that is the best description I can come up with at the moment). it will be found in an open sore(s) along the gumline or on the roof of the mouth. If you are pulling anything else out, it may be from another source. "Snot looking stuff" can come in any number of colors and consistencies - I know because that's what I do, lol - so without seeing it, or getting a little more accurate description, it is hard to say what you're looking at
 
do you know where i can get some pics of moutrot.you think it could be a RI cuz i didnt see any sores in his mouth realy from what i can see.but the vet did say he had mouthrot.if you got some pics or know of a place let me know cuz i would like to see some.thanks again for the help.
 
Did the vet show you what you were supposed to be doing, or just tell you to rinse the mouth with that stuff? When treating mouthrot - you gently open the mouth; with a swab, remove any caseous matter (the cottage cheese looking stuff); then swab or irrigate the affected area with cleaning agent/disinfectant/antibiotic. in its early stages, it can present as a marked reddening along the tooth/gumline (not really "mouthrot" yet). as it progresses, the caseous matter forms. when this stuff is swabbed out, an open area is revealed/left. be careful that you do not let either the stuff you swab out of the mouth or the cleaning agent get into the airway (or throat). if left unchecked, it can affect the bone structure of the mouth/jaw - in which case the animal is in a world of trouble. for more information, simply do a google search of mouth rot..you might get better results using the more technical term: infectious stomatitis.
 
Steven,

What I would suggest is for you to have custom cut 2’ PVC tube of slightly greater diameter than the thickets part of your boa. Insert her head in the tube and let her progress by pushing her until the head sticks on the other side. Grab the neck with one hand and hold the tube between your legs. Use a pencil to gently open her mouth and leave the pencil while holding head and pencil with one hand. Have everything handy (ear cotton swabs), solution, etc. to work with your free hand. Remove any cheese-like tissue with the swab and then apply the solution. Hydrogen peroxide also works well as a cleansing solution. Increase the temperature of the enclosure.
 
thanks for the the help i will try that.the whole thing about mike leonards thread i tried putting my imput but it said i didnt have access to that area so i thought i would try this and just get some ideas on what else i can do to help the boa.i guess he took it upon his self to just stop emailing me.he said he had pics of the dead ball but he didnt send them.i shipped first so he could see if he liked her and if she was a granite he could of sent her back and i would of been fine with that but he was happy with her.i just wish he could of told me that the boa was sick cuz you could tell so easy.
 
thanks for the the help i will try that.the whole thing about mike leonards thread i tried putting my imput but it said i didnt have access to that area so i thought i would try this and just get some ideas on what else i can do to help the boa.i guess he took it upon his self to just stop emailing me.he said he had pics of the dead ball but he didnt send them.i shipped first so he could see if he liked her and if she was a granite he could of sent her back and i would of been fine with that but he was happy with her.i just wish he could of told me that the boa was sick cuz you could tell so easy.
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Steven,

Any comments I’m making are for the sake of the boa’s health. I personally do not condone what you did as far as not providing the right information on your python and going against federal laws by shipping USPS. One way or the other if you received this snake on Wednesday the condition was more than likely already present as mouth rot will not develop in just 3 days. On the ball python issue I do believe there was something wrong with that animal. It’s just very difficult to “kill” a ball python in 4 days even under the worst management conditions.
 
i agree with you on the shipping and death of the ball.i got an account on dhl now so i dont have to worry about shipping anymore.when i had the ball she was in perfect health and he said she ws fine.its just that the first day i got the boa and told him he had mouthrot he sent me an email that said he was fine when he had him and that the ball died that morninig.i just whish that he could pay the vet bill sense he sent me a sick snake.if he would of took the ball to the vet and something was wrong with it i would have gave him some money for that just cuz it would be my fault.but my goal now is to give the boa the best home and husbandry possible to make him nice and healthy again.
 
Steven, it seems you need to be calling this whole situation a draw. According to Michael you were not home to receive the boa when it arrived and they had to deliver a day later. As with most sellers this would than void any guarantee to the health of the animal, you have to pay the bills.
 
no i was home the dhl place called me and they said that they couldnt find my house and that they would have to come back.i called them to see when they were coming and they said that they would have to wait till tomarrow.im not going to even try to get anything from mike cuz im sure is other boas have the same thng.he said that there was another boa in with the one he gave me so i told him to get them checked to be safe and all he did was be a jerk and say "im done with this deal and im not going to answer any more of your emails".so i would say thats the end of that i just wont be doing any more business with him in the future.
 
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