# Boas > Tree Boas >  Emerald tree boa help!!

## Panic2336

Hello world I have a emerald tree boa been having him for about 1 month and a half he's about 10-12 month old (what" backwaterreptiles.com" says) got him from them. He's very dócil he's kept at 80f day and about 76F night time humidity is always between 70% and 85%. I'm worried I think he's too skinny has some wrinkles while he perchs and you can see his spine and maybe a bit of his ribs he pooped 2 times a week in between poops then fed him a small live mouse and after about 10 days pooped again now it's been about 3 weeks and a half since he ate and he does not want to eat.i failed to feed him f/t several times as well as live mouse with no success either he avoids the meal by going away which is more frequently for him to do or he flicks his tongue follows the meal but no succes he don't eat help please he doesn't make noise when breathing,no mucus,no bubbles in nose not breathing thru mouth so I don't think it's a respiratorial infection. i need information about this topic any type of help will be extremly appreciated thank you. I need info people! Pictures below


http://s349.photobucket.com/user/pan...ar6/slideshow/

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## KMG

Does it have a hotspot? An ambient temp of 80 should be alright if you have a hotspot for him as well. 

A three week feeding schedule is normal with these.

My tablet hates Photobucket so I had to look at the pics on my phone. From what I can see he looks pretty normal. These are long and lean snakes and being able to see their muscle and such is common, especially in a young snake that has not filled out completely.

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## Panic2336

Awesome dude thank you so much for replying I been stressing out too much I'm very concerned about his well being there's not much info on the internet. So his wrinkles are ok? Also it's been 25 days since his last meal I tried r¡to feed him last night and instead he pooped. Any thoughts on that? Thank you so much.

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## KMG

Most snakes will have a wrinkles when they are coiled. 

A movement is a good thing. It means digestion is going good and the temps have been ok. Most Tree Pythons and Boas are strong feeders so not wanting a meal after 3.5 weeks tells me he doesn't like something.  

In order for me to help you I need my questions answered though. 

Does he have a hotspot?

Do you have a IR temp gun?

How do you heat his meals?

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## Panic2336

Yes he has a hot spot right under the heat lamp he never goes there (sometimes at night)he stays where it's around 80F most of the time his first and only meal he had was a live mouse. I offered him another live one last night but did not eat, I don't have a temp gun

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## Panic2336

What can be wrong? Temps are ok humidity is ok 12/12 cycle help

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## KMG

You need to get a temp gun. GTP and ETB are more delicate than many snakes and knowing what the real felt temps of each perch is important. 

Im not there so I cant know for sure but my first impression is that the temps may be a bit low. ETB are said to not use their hotspot often but one should still be available. This spot should be 85-90 and some keep them as high as 93. Without a temp gun you are only guessing what the hotspot is in your cage.

If it were me Id boost the ambient temps a bit and get a temp gun a.s.a.p. They are fairly cheap on Amazon but if you are able Id go to a hardware store and get one today.

You should be able to insulate the back and sides of the cage to raise the ambient temps. Ive used thick art paper on my glass tanks to do this. It raised my temps a couple degrees. 

It is also very important to get the temp gun so that as you are raising the temps you can check each perch and make sure they are safe.

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## KMG

If you could post some of the cage pics in the thread so I can see them better. You do this by simply pasting the "img code" into the text box. When you submit the post the pics will appear in your thread.

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## Panic2336

Ok I posted a pic of my enclosure which has a temp and humidity gauge so I'm always checking those things I also put some art paper on the sides of the cage for privacy and to insulate, my next more will be getting a temp gun to be extra sure about what's happening in there.
https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...3/img_0343.jpg

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## jmcrook

Temp gun is a good move. I'd also ditch the analog thermometer/hygrometer. They're terribly inaccurate. Try to get a digital thermometer/hygrometer combo like an Acurite or something similar. Can find them online for like $10-15. Much more reliable.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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WarrThox (05-05-2017)

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## KMG

> Ok I posted a pic of my enclosure which has a temp and humidity gauge so I'm always checking those things I also put some art paper on the sides of the cage for privacy and to insulate, my next more will be getting a temp gun to be extra sure about what's happening in there.
> https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...3/img_0343.jpg


What size is that cage? 

An adult ETB is suggested to have at least a 3ft x 2ft x 2ft. You seem to have the height but not the width. Also you need to have at least two perches but three would be better. The snake needs to be able to regulate itself by moving up and down the enclosure by moving to the different perches. 

The analog gauge you have is actually pretty accurate but it is no replacement for have a IR temp gun. Keeping arboreal snakes they are incredibly valuable. You need to be able to know the temp of each perch so you know has the proper hotspot. A regular thermometer or even a digital one with a probe will not keep your keeping like a temp gun will. 

The paper on the sides is a nice addition and should help the snake feel more secure. 

If you are able I suggest you check out PVC Cages. That is what my GTP has been in since 2012 and what I just ordered my new ETB. I got mine the 3x2x2 with perches, led light, and rhp. I also got three greenery bundles as my first cage could use some pieces replaced. My total with all of that including shipping was $416. He sent me an email and said Im about 3 weeks out for delivery. 

http://pvccages.com/

They make great cages for arboreal snakes and make keeping the temps and humidity a snap. You will also need a nice tstat for the rhp. For that I suggest Herpstat from Spyder Robotics. All four of my tstats are from them and none have ever given me an issue. 

http://spyderrobotics.com/



Also I can not help you if you do not help me. By failing to answer the few questions I ask you make it harder for me to help you as I have to work with little information. 

So again. How are you preparing your meals for your snake?

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## KMG

One more thing.

If you are getting a 80F reading from the thermometer near the perch it tells me my guess of a low temp hotspot is correct. Then with such a low reading at the top of the cage the bottom of the cage has to be really low as well. Especially with the moisture that appears to be there. A night drop of 75 in the cool area is alright but I would not want those low temps during the day.

I cant guess what the hotspot is as that depends on the wattage of the bulb, type of bulb, and the surrounding temps. This is where the temp gun is so valuable as it can tell you what the actual perch temp is. 

The way you setup sits you snake's only options are places that are not warm enough. If the snake knows its too cold it will not eat as it knows it will not digest properly.

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## Panic2336

Will do thank you

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## KMG

> Will do thank you


Did you miss my post before my last?

Im really trying to help but you are not making it easy and you are making me feel like Im wasting my time when you fail to answer the simple questions I have asked. 

Im here to help and like you want the best for your snake.

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## Panic2336

Sorry mate I did miss your post the only time he ate was a live meal and by preparing what I did was I put the mousse in the cage then as soon as he saw it he ate it. So if I read 80f where he perches at the top of the cage ... about what should my substrate temp be? He has a 40W exo Terra heat bulb. Thank you!

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## Panic2336

Ok so here's my upgrade, added a new perch right under the heat lamp. Total 3. 
  (note only upgrade was one more perch under heat lamp)

Exo terra 18x18x24

 HEATING:

 Perch under heat lamp 100F. 
 Middle perch 91F. 
 Front perch 82F. 
 Note all temperature were taken from the left side of the cage closest to heat lamp. 

HUMIDITY:
 85-90% and dropping slowly thru the day down to 65-70% when reaching night time. 

LIGHTNING:
 Daylight:
 40 watts zoo med day light heat bulb. 
 T8 flourecent tropical 25 UVB from Zilla. 

Nighttime:
 40 watts zoo med night light bulb (red)
 usually off because temperatures stay between 70F and 75F. 

Emerald tree boa perching on middle perch (temp 91F)
https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...3/img_0374.jpg

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## KMG

Ok so here's my upgrade, added a new perch right under the heat lamp. Total 3. 
  (note only upgrade was one more perch under heat lamp)

Exo terra 18x18x24

*This cage is not large enough. If you can get him eating you can use a bit but it will not be able to live its entire life in it.*

 HEATING:

 Perch under heat lamp 100F. 
 Middle perch 91F. 
 Front perch 82F. 
 Note all temperature were taken from the left side of the cage closest to heat lamp. 

*From your note Im guessing these were taken with the analog thermometer? Not the best, but at least its something. The first perch is to close to the light and to warm. The hotspot should be 88-90. 100 on the side of the stick means directly under the stick is going to be much hotter plus if the snake was to coil on it the snake's back is even closer to the lamp which makes it even warmer. The other two perches are good so I would move the top perch somewhere below the second.*

HUMIDITY:
 85-90% and dropping slowly thru the day down to 65-70% when reaching night time. 
*Your humidity is good.*

LIGHTNING:
 Daylight:
 40 watts zoo med day light heat bulb. 
 T8 flourecent tropical 25 UVB from Zilla. 

*Whatever size bulbs works is good. If it turns out you are between sizes you can always get a larger watt bulb and place it on a dimmer to turn down the output. The snake does not need UV so maybe some of those plants are live. That's good if they are, it helps humidity.*

Nighttime:
 40 watts zoo med night light bulb (red)
 usually off because temperatures stay between 70F and 75F. 

*None of my cages ever get lower than 75F. I would turn that night lamp on each night and keep the temps up. Nothing bad will happen with supplying good temps all the time, but bad things will happen if bad temps are offered even some of the time. This is also related to your question about the substrate temps. I like to keep my cage floor no lower than 75. That gives my snakes a great range of options but they are all still within the ideal range. These snakes will come down at night and crawl around. They will swim in their water bowl, if large enough, and sometimes coil on the ground and just chill. With that you don't want your snake going down there and getting to cold.*

Emerald tree boa perching on middle perch (temp 91F)
https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...3/img_0374.jpg
*
Your cage looks nice and I think you are close to getting it correct. You want the perches to be on three different levels instead of close to the same level. Id move the one showing 100 down below the other two. Go here and check out there pics. You can see how they stagger and distance there perches. If you go through "Design Your Cage" it has different pics for each size. You can just select them to see the different pics.* http://pvccages.com/

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## Panic2336

Thank you so much ! You're being a great great help I really appreciate that. 
Okay so my middle perch already is the "hot spot" being 91ish Fahrenheit correct?
 I will lower the first perch closer to the light as you said, that will give me something lower than 91ish Fahrenheit okay. Will try to get my floor to 75F. 
 Yes live plants in terrarium with fake bottom for draining. Earth worms for keeping soil clean.

 By the way I'm aware of the cage will not last him his whole life but then again he's 3ft long about 10-12 month old I will be getting him something much bigger when I have the chance.

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## KMG

> Thank you so much ! You're being a great great help I really appreciate that. 
> Okay so my middle perch already is the "hot spot" being 91ish Fahrenheit correct?
>  I will lower the first perch closer to the light as you said, that will give me something lower than 91ish Fahrenheit okay. Will try to get my floor to 75F. 
>  Yes live plants in terrarium with fake bottom for draining. Earth worms for keeping soil clean.


Yes, if that perch is in fact 90F that will be the hotspot. Then the other two will be lesser temps so it can regulate itself properly. 

An IR temp gun is still very important. When I got one I can not tell you how wrong some of my temps were. It showed me that many surface temps were way off from where I would have thought them to be. It really showed me that analog thermometers are really not that great for trying to determine a snakes warm zones and even though the digital thermometer with a probe are better they are still no where near as good as a temp gun.

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## Panic2336

Will try to get a temp gun as soon as possible and I hope that the problem is temperature and not something worst I just hope he's not sick in any way he's my first arboreal I try to do as much research as possible but can't find much about these wonderful creatures. You said his body mass looks good so that got me feeling better. Can I see your gtp's set up please thanks !

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## KMG

These are a bit old. I stopped putting real plants in with him because he kept digging them up and destroying them. 



I also have some in my gallery here. 

https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/sho...mageuser=28059

https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/sho...mageuser=28059

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## Panic2336

Wow that is beautiful man amazing set up. That gtp seems so healthy beautiful animal. I'm looking at these pvc cages I will get me a 49x24x24 as soon as possible I say about 3 weeks from now. I hope to fix my problem with my ETB  before that tho. I don't know what else to do. I guess I just have to wait and hope for the best. Big thanks Man. !

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## Panic2336

Let me ask you something. I have the opportunity to get a "pastel,fire,spider ball python for really cheap, I heard these morphs might get or have a head wobble, I do get it and if in the worst case it has that head wobble is that something to consider will that be IBD? And if it its IBD will it be noticeable at first sight ?

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## KMG

> Let me ask you something. I have the opportunity to get a "pastel,fire,spider ball python for really cheap, I heard these morphs might get or have a head wobble, I do get it and if in the worst case it has that head wobble is that something to consider will that be IBD? And if it its IBD will it be noticeable at first sight ?


Its the spider gene that will have the wobble. To my knowledge is has nothing to do with IBD. A snake with a wobble can be just as healthy as any other snake. Im no gene master though so you may want to ask in another thread for a better answer.

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## KMG

> Wow that is beautiful man amazing set up. That gtp seems so healthy beautiful animal. I'm looking at these pvc cages I will get me a 49x24x24 as soon as possible I say about 3 weeks from now. I hope to fix my problem with my ETB  before that tho. I don't know what else to do. I guess I just have to wait and hope for the best. Big thanks Man. !


Thanks!!! I love how these display and I really enjoy owning them.

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## Panic2336

Alright I should do that but I think Even if I don't find a answer I'm still getting it because he seems healthy and beautiful will post picture tonight once I have him. Take care yourself and we'll keep in touch I'll keep posting the progress of my ETB hoping he eats for me and if I get this ball python I'll show it here aswell cheers brother.

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## KMG

Sounds good.

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## hhw

Your ETB is most likely wild caught, as CB ETB's are fairly rare and are very expensive when they're available. Backwater would be unlikely to have any CB. Don't be fooled by "Captive Hatched" or "Farmed" as more often than not, that just means wild caught.

Next time the snake poops, you need to collect the stool and take it to a specialized reptile vet for a fecal examination. Wild caught specimens are prone to having parasite, protozoa, or bacterial issues. You should abandon any and all decorations other than the bare essentials for the time being, and clean the enclosure frequently and fastidiously, so that the parasites and or microorganisms don't end up becoming concentrated in the small enclosure. If you haven't already, quarantine this ETB away from the rest of your reptiles. Not only can your ETB expose your CB animals to wild bacteria that may cause problems in captivity, but your CB animals may also have bacterial loads that could cause problems for the ETB.

Secondly, the animal most likely arrived dehydrated, as you noted it looks very skinny with pronounced spine and ribs. From the skin folds in your pictures, that definitely looks to be the case. Even if the humidity in your enclosure is good, the ETB may need some extra help getting properly hydrated. A few long soaks may be warranted to help with that. ETB's preserve their weight pretty well, so yours is more likely to be dehydrated than undernourished, although both are of course possible.

Also as mentioned, your enclosure is much too small. The enclosure needs to be large enough that there are a variety of microclimates in which the snake's entire body can fit within to thermoregulate.

On the bright side, it's a good sign that it's eaten at least once, but less so that it's gone 3.5 weeks without eating since. Have the actual poops been runny or showing any other obvious problems, or were they reasonably solid? Reptiles are good at hiding underlying conditions, so just because the animal appears healthy doesn't mean it is. From the looks of your photos though, it does not look to be that healthy. The fact that the spine and ribs are prominent as you noted, along with the apparent skin folds, as well as the fact that it's not eating, is evident that not everything is okay.

In any event find a good reptile vet, and as soon as the snake next poops, collect the stool and take both snake and stool to the vet. This should have been done from day 1 with a wild caught animal, but better late than never.

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_Albert Clark_ (11-21-2016),_cletus_ (11-21-2016)

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## Panic2336

Wow now I'm worried. Well not sure if it is wild caught or not he's very docile but that doesn't mean anything. Poop been reasonably solid not like diarrhea or anything. so for me to help with the dehydration how should I do it? Soak it in water and leave it there ? Put him in a plastic container and close the lid? How ? For how long? And should I do it once a week? once a day ? how does that work? Thank you !

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## Albert Clark

> Wow now I'm worried. Well not sure if it is wild caught or not he's very docile but that doesn't mean anything. Poop been reasonably solid not like diarrhea or anything. so for me to help with the dehydration how should I do it? Soak it in water and leave it there ? Put him in a plastic container and close the lid? How ? For how long? And should I do it once a week? once a day ? how does that work? Thank you !


  Well don't be worried, just have to take the appropriate actions. Certainly getting a stool sample and double ziplocking it into the fridge is the most important first step. Next would be to start the rehydration process by soaking the animal in a tepid water / shallow tub. 30 - 45 minutes should be a good starting time frame bc snakes absorb considerable amounts of fluids through their cloacas. Plastic tub with airholes and a lid should suffice. Great looking ETB btw. Good job!

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## Panic2336

Thank you so much yes he's beautiful I hope he gets even better once the issue is solved. I will set him up now, check his mouth for anything and soak him for at least 20 minutes since it's the first time and I'll go from there secondly I will have to wait till he defécates (but how if he's not eating?)
will post pictures soon today.

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_Albert Clark_ (11-21-2016)

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## Albert Clark

> Thank you so much yes he's beautiful I hope he gets even better once the issue is solved. I will set him up now, check his mouth for anything and soak him for at least 20 minutes since it's the first time and I'll go from there secondly I will have to wait till he defécates (but how if he's not eating?)
> will post pictures soon today.


  Well don't let the collection of the stool sample deter you making a appointment for the exotic vet. If you can get it that's good. If not , so be it. The vet will have the ability to collect tissues for microscopic testing once you get there.

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## KMG

They must have been able to see something I couldn't on my phone. Is it really the ribs you see and not muscle striations? For some reason Photobucket and my gadgets do not get along. I hate even trying to use it. On my tablet the site repeatedly crashes ever since they updated the site.  

It may be worth a call to the source you bought the snake and see exactly what you got and what if anything has been given to the snake, as is any previous treatments.

Testing a sample would be nice to strike those problems off your list but I still believe the issues are more with the setup. Now that you are getting your temps better and you added some security I would leave the snake alone as much as possible to relax and settle in. Do some soaks but other than what is necessary I would leave the snake alone until it settles in and starts to eat regularly.

I would also really work on getting that larger cage sooner rather than later. It will allow you to provide a better environment for the snake to be able to find just the temps its looking for. The one it is in just does not give that many choices.

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## Panic2336

Yes I believe he's dehydrated he's skinny i can really see ribs and spine. 
As soon as I got him off the cage I notice 3 mites crawling on him, that tells me he has dozens under the scales so I left the guy in a plastic container for 40 minutes to get him nice and wet. Then I treated him with reptile spray, rubbed all over his body very well, I tried to get it on him as best possible, I did use a Qtip near eyes and mouth.
 Checked his mouth and everything seems normal nice pink color, denture seemed ok aswell, I did notice like a very very thin red line on the bottom jaw gum kinda like a line of blood or maybe like a vein maybe it's from me trying to open his mouth with a Qtip, maybe he scratched himself with fang or maybe I scratched him by accident but don't seem something to worry about (for now) I read a lot about mites so I ended up deciding to dismantle his set up completely clean everything as best possible washed the whole cage and treated with reptile spray. 
 I'm don't mind loosing my vicariamente as long as it helps with the mite infestation and the wellbeing of the animal.


PS: will see if he gets any better over the course of time if I notice he deteriorates then I'll take him to a exotic vet.  Keep finger cross everybody, I don't wish what I'm going thru not even to my worst enemy even tho I have no enemies.

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## KMG

Now we have mites!?! You are lucky you have a well mannered ETB.

The Reptile Spray is a great choice. 

When you are cleaning everything use that on all of it. When I had mites once I put everything in the bathtub and gave it a good spray.

Also when you clean don't forget to clean around the cage, even the floor. I had carpet and even sprayed it well and then vacuumed. 

Mites only stress the snake so this paired with the other issues is going to make it really important to leave the snake alone now. 

Mites alone will make most snakes stop eating.

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## Panic2336

Sad but true.
That's correct, I found mites on my guy. I have never mites on him first time and they were adult mites, glad I have a petshop a block away from my house so I went and got me a bottle of reptile spray.
 That's exactly what I did, I put water bowls, perches, background and everything I had in my set up in the bathtub and ran really hot water over it for about 15 minutes after that I treated everything with reptile spray, I did the exact same thing with my exo terra washed it as best possible treated with reptile spray inside, corners, sides tried to do a good job which I hope I did. 
 Now he's back in his enclosure and seems very stressed because he be breathing heavily so I'll leave him alone for a few days hoping for the best. 

QUESTION:
 1:what do you mean I'm lucky to have a well mannered ETB?

2: how did I get mites? He's my only reptile my g/f has hamsters but I don't think they transmitted mites (I can be wrong) could be from branches I picked for perches maybe?

3: How many times did you treat your snake/s and enclosure with reptile spray to fully get rid of the mites'?

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## KMG

> Sad but true.
> That's correct, I found mites on my guy. I have never mites on him first time and they were adult mites, glad I have a petshop a block away from my house so I went and got me a bottle of reptile spray.
>  That's exactly what I did, I put water bowls, perches, background and everything I had in my set up in the bathtub and ran really hot water over it for about 15 minutes after that I treated everything with reptile spray, I did the exact same thing with my exo terra washed it as best possible treated with reptile spray inside, corners, sides tried to do a good job which I hope I did. 
>  Now he's back in his enclosure and seems very stressed because he be breathing heavily so I'll leave him alone for a few days hoping for the best. 
> 
> QUESTION:
>  1:what do you mean I'm lucky to have a well mannered ETB?
> 
> 2: how did I get mites? He's my only reptile my g/f has hamsters but I don't think they transmitted mites (I can be wrong) could be from branches I picked for perches maybe?
> ...


A ETB can have a nasty attitude and with their teeth being so large if you had one like that you were trying to handle and treat for mites you would have had a lot of fun dealing with it. When I say fun I mean a p.i.t.a.

Mites can be brought in by you after a visit to a place with mites. They could have been on something you brought home from the pet store. You should always clean anything you are going add to a snake cage before placing it in with them. 

I was lucky and got them killed quick. After the first treatment I did the second treatment and have not seen a live mite since. That was years ago. The three Bloods I bought online arrived with them. I was not pleased.

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## Panic2336

Oh I see, yes I'm fortunate because this guy is not aggressive at all! He's so docile that's why I don't think he's wild caught he's very very shy, hisses a little bit but he just wants to go his way he does not want no trouble he just wants to be there ... has never shown me any type of aggression. I'm surprised but happy at the same time. When he sees me he hides his head doesn't get on strike mode or anything so that's pretty cool. That being said I respect him and give him his space after all it's a wild animal anything could happen.

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## KMG

Don't forget to treat the floor and other items that are near by.

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## Panic2336

Just spoke to backwaterreptiles and yes he's wild caught, that solves the mistery of the mites  they also said to feed him rats, now should I try adult rats ? You seen his picture he's about 3ft not very thick should I ?

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## KMG

> Just spoke to backwaterreptiles and yes he's wild caught, that solves the mistery of the mites  they also said to feed him rats, now should I try adult rats ? You seen his picture he's about 3ft not very thick should I ?


I feed rats. If that's what they had him eating I would keep it going.

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## Panic2336

But adult rats ? Or baby rats ? I'm afraid he might regurgitate if the meal is too big.

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## KMG

Feed the correct size. If that's a weaned rat, get that.  If it's a small rat, get that.

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## KMG

> Just spoke to backwaterreptiles and yes he's wild caught, that solves the mistery of the mites  they also said to feed him rats, now should I try adult rats ? You seen his picture he's about 3ft not very thick should I ?


Did they say if they treat the snakes on arrival or have them treated before delivery?

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## Panic2336

They're answer was that they don't keep records of they're snakes which tell me that they did not treat him for parasites. That's my first and last time doing business with backwaterreptiles.com I'm very disappointed.

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KMG (11-21-2016)

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## bcr229

> Did they say if they treat the snakes on arrival or have them treated before delivery?


BW doesn't treat anything, they get imported WC snakes and sell them off as fast as they can before they die.  Their facility is probably where the snake picked up the mites as well.

OP before ordering another snake online read this first:
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...g-Herps-Online

I also hope you have access to a good exotic specialist vet close by, your snake is going to need it.

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KMG (11-21-2016)

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## Panic2336

Thank you.

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## hhw

> PS: will see if he gets any better over the course of time if I notice he deteriorates then I'll take him to a exotic vet.  Keep finger cross everybody, I don't wish what I'm going thru not even to my worst enemy even tho I have no enemies.


Do not wait to take him to a vet, or to get an appropriate setup. 

ETB's are not for novice snake keepers, especially not untreated wild caught specimens. Given that you don't seem to have a lot of experience with snakes, you definitely need the help of an expert on this. Without being experienced, you may not even really know what to look for. Having the vet weigh him may also be a helpful baseline to see whether his condition is improving or not. On a healthy animal, mites aren't a huge deal, but on a dehydrated, malnourished animal, the additional stress of mites can put them over the top and be a death sentence. That he ate for you before, but not now is something I would be really concerned about as I mentioned before, especially if he's already very skinny. That could indicate that he was strong enough before, but his condition has degraded since then. A freshly wild caught snake being docile could mean that you got lucky with his temperament, or it could mean that he's too weak to exhibit his natural temperament. By the time there's something more obviously wrong to an untrained eye, you could already be past the point of no return so you should not wait until then.

Exo terras aren't ideal even for a healthy snake, let alone one that's having multiple health issues (dehydration, not feeding, mites). The screen tops let humidity out the top. Heat lamps are also not good for arboreal snakes, as they tend to dry them out. Even if you have the right humidity in some parts of the exo terra, there may be other parts and/or the effect of being under the heat lamp making it much drier. Buy a PVC enclosure with a radiant heat panel and thermostat right away.

Wild caughts don't always make it even when they come in in perfect health, and into the hands of an experienced keeper. I don't mean to be alarmist, but the more I've read, the worse it looks and there is definite cause for urgent concern here, and the situation should be treated accordingly.

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*bcr229* (11-22-2016),KMG (11-22-2016)

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## KMG

> A freshly wild caught snake being docile could mean that you got lucky with his temperament, or it could mean that he's too weak to exhibit his natural temperament.


I was thinking the same thing about being weak. I hope that is not the case but from what I know about wild caught GTP and ETB they are not usually little sweethearts. I was first thinking because of the snakes temperament that it could not be a wild caught....I should have asked. Good call hhw.

OP, I think the vet is a really good idea as is biting the bullet and making the proper cage happen now. 

I also had no clue BW did business like that I will stay away from them. Ive never used them and now I know I never will. 

I wish you luck and Im here to help when needed.

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_Ba11er_ (02-24-2017)

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## boasperu

Dear Sir,
My name is Ryan Richards. I'm  the manager of Captive Breeding EIRL, Iquitos, Peru. Please contact me at boasperu@gmail.com for possible help. 
Sincerely,  
Ryan

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## PitOnTheProwl

> Dear Sir,
> My name is Ryan Richards. I'm  the manager of Captive Breeding EIRL, Iquitos, Peru. Please contact me at boasperu@gmail.com for possible help. 
> Sincerely,  
> Ryan


 :Confused:  :Confused: 
The purpose of the forum is to help NOT spam....

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## boasperu

Hi,

From the photos, I would say it's on the thin side. When you say it won't eat, maybe its not hungry or what you are offering it, it doesn't like.

Some questions:

1. What generation is it? Wild caught, F1, born in captivity of at least one wild caught parent, or F2, born in captivity of both parents born in captivity.

2. What kind of food are you offering it? I always give mine live prey no larger than their mid-section. For the little guy like yours, I would try a newborn rat of a fury little mouse. Offer it with a feeding tong and see if its hungry. If it is, it should take it immediately.

3. What kind of water is it drinking? Here in the Amazon, the rain/well water is very soft and with nothing in it - like battery water.

4. Here in Iquitos, Peru where I am, the average temperature in the shade is usually between 71-73ºF at aroung 5 am to 86-88ºF around 2-3 pm, with humidity of 85-95%, with a slight wind.

5. I have learned how to tell if a Corallus is hungry by observing them for many years. Sometimes they aren't hungry for 6 months and other times they are hungry all of the time. They are usually hungry when you see their head outside of their coil and looking down. I like a cage of at least 6 feet high.

6. Has it been given any medication? Perhaps some Metronidalzole PO 50mg/kg may help.

Ryan Richards
Captive Breeding EIRL
Iquitos, Peru

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## boasperu

What is its country of origin? I ask because you mentioned finding mites. Here in Iquitos, I have never seen a mite in 25 years.
Also, some have mentioned dehydration. I spray mine down day and night with water. It rains about 12 feet a year, rains year around. You will notice, the Corallus will drink the water off its scales like a vacuum cleaner.

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## boasperu

Some have mentioned about Emeralds being aggressive. I have never encountered an aggressive Emerald in the Amazon (Iquitos). I have never been struck by one, not like the Boa constrictor or the Epicrates cenchria, they will hit you at the first opportunity. Also, the Corallus hortalanus I have found to be very aggressive, but not the Emerald from here.

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