Can anybody tell me whats wrong with my red tail boa?

Sn1per · #1 (**permalink**) 03-06-2008, 05:18 AM

Ok, as i said in my intro thread i bought my boa around a month in a half ago, and i really think shes sick so ill go ahead and post details

Ok well 2 weeks ago i got back from a 2 day trip and had my parents watch her and change her water etc. And i noticed she had mites everywhere. She was also whistling when she breathed. So i replaced all her bedding with Newspaper, and bumped up the temperature. I took her to a vet a few days later and he sais she had no sings of it in her mouth but she defiantly had mites. He gave her a shot thats supposed to kill them and is going back to get another one on saterday. Over that period of time the whistling went away but recently came back. This time its a popping kind of noise and she opened her mouth a few times after i took her out. Ive bumped the temperature up to about 95 degrees in the day and 90-95 in the night. Humidity is about 45-60. I also dont think that shot is working very well because there is still a lot of mites. Her feeding patterns dont seem to be off because she ate a med rat last week, but ill be trying again tomorrow. However shes been spending all day in her water bowl and not really moving much. Whats also worrying me is that shes supposed to shed soon i believe and i really dont want any problems happening since all this is enough. She also has some whiteish colored stuff on the top of her nose. O ya and i also bought provent a mite to add to the bedding when i add it back in. So pretty much what im wondering is:

1. is there anything i can do to further kill the mites before her next shot.
2. Do all the other symptoms sound serious and is it a respitory infection.

Id also like to know if anyone can give me an estimate on how much ill be spending in worse case scenario (like if she has upper respitory and needs further treating for mites). Im 15 and have to pay for this all myself including vet visits so id like to know how much ill need. Thanks a lot. If you you need any more details ill tell you.

Stigma · #2 (**permalink**) 03-06-2008, 05:28 AM

well...if it where my snake...i would say that it has a RI...u need to completely sanitize that enclosure...take everything out and clean with a water/bleach solution so no mites are still present in the cage...then take her back to the vet and make sure u point out the whistling and popping noise...that sounds like a textbook sign of RI ...

Adrya · #3 (**permalink**) 03-06-2008, 05:37 AM

The popping sound could be due to her getting ready to shed, and the skin is loosening up around her nose.

You need to follow these directions to get rid of the mites. PLEASE do this. If you can't find Repel, look for Provent-A-Mite and follow the same directions.

how to get rid of mites

If you follow this procedure I really think you do not need anymore shots that the vet is giving her. The treatment of the enclosure will kill the mites in the enclosure and the mites on her. But please follow the directions carefully.

In the meantime I think you can bump the temp down a little bit, and wait for your boa to shed. In the meantime if you do the treatment of the enclosure, do NOT spray or get the enclosure wet in the attempt to up the humidity so your boa will shed well. If the boa doesn't have a good shed, just soak for awhile in a tub of lukewarm water, then dry thoroughly before placing back into the enclosure. Reason being for not spraying the enclosure with water is so the Repel or PAM does not get into the water and is somehow ingested by the snake.

Xeikeness · #4 (**permalink**) 03-06-2008, 05:39 AM

Slather her, and I do mean -slather- her with olive oil. That will suffocate all the mites that are physically on her, as well as saturate and kill larvae and egg sacks. Treat the cage itself with provent-a-mite or other similar products(forgot the names of the others) let it air out for an hour or two before putting the snake back in it's enclosure. That should take care of the mites.

As for the RI, go to the vet, get some antibiotics, keep the temperatures bumped, and reduce the humidity as much as you can. Most importantly, follow your vet's orders to the T.

Adrya · #5 (**permalink**) 03-06-2008, 05:44 AM

Also, fill this out.

Species:
How long have you had this animal?
Ambient Temps:
Basking temps:
Size:
Diet within the past year for snakes--the past 6 months for lizards:
Last time this animal ate:
Frozen thawed/ live/ stunned/ freshly kiled?
Bulbs if any utilized (be as specific as possible--look on bulb to get make and wattage):
Heat sources (makes and wattage):
How are you measuring temps?
Cage size and type:
Substrate:
Symptoms:
Can you upload any pics?
Comments:

Sn1per · #6 (**permalink**) 03-06-2008, 06:00 AM

Species:
How long have you had this animal? month 1/2
Ambient Temps: 76-85
Basking temps:90-95
Size: 4 feet
Diet within the past year for snakes--the past 6 months for lizards: small rats and medium
Last time this animal ate: Thursday last week
Frozen thawed/ live/ stunned/ freshly kiled? frozen
Bulbs if any utilized (be as specific as possible--look on bulb to get make and wattage): 2 nightlights- 100 watt- Daytime-1daylight blue light 100 wat, 1 heat bulb 100
heat sources(makes and wattage): heat pad and 2 heat lamps
How are you measuring temps? thermometer
Cage size and type: 55 gallon aquarium
Substrate:bark (newspaper now)
Symptoms: popping/whistling breath, bubbling inside nose, mites.
Can you upload any pics? of the snake or the symptons?
Comments: I think that covers it

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