indent in my boas spine. help needed

I've had my red tail boa for around 6 months now & have had no problems until now. I noticed a couple days ago he has an indentation about half way down his spine. I handle gir regularly & have never seen it until the other day. I'm a member of arachnoboards so I posted it there trying to find some answers but all I got were 2 people arguing back & forth. So I was talking to boanerges & he suggested I join here. Could him regurgitating his meal the day before have anything to do with it? I usually feed him live but switched to frozen thawed because I didn't want him all knicked up. I also discovered he had mites lastnight & treated him for it. I think they might of came from a recently acquired snake though because he had them really bad & their enclosures are right next to one another. Any advice would be greatly appreciated & please let me know if I'm doing anything wrong. I've had a lot of experience with tarantulas but am a little new to reptiles. I tried to upload pics but I'm using my phone so it isn't letting me. I do have a photo bucket account that has pictures of it. My user name is M_MULLINS69.

Here are the images in question....

http://i1216.photobucket.com/albums/...011_142207.jpg

http://i1216.photobucket.com/albums/...010_011440.jpg

OP, it's my guess that it's an infection from a rat bite. If it is an infection from a rat bite, it will be fatal if not treated.

It looks like a kink to me, but as you stated, it just happened. it's located is far enough past it's stomach that I don't think the regurgitaion would have anything to do with it, I would have an xray done to be on the safe side.

Hi,

I think it's also repeated about an inch from the main site in both directions?

I had a small BP hatchling develop something like that over a short period - but I could physically feel that the rids were spread out and damaged in him.

I still have no definitive answer as to what caused it but I think it was trauma.

An x-ray could certainly tell you a couple of useful things like bone density and any signs of injury.

But, unless it turned out to be a bone density problem, I can't think of any actual treatment the vet could give.

Sorry I can't be of any real help.


dr del

I called every vet in my city & none of them take exotic pets. So I'm gonna try neighboring cities. I fed him mice & I watched him eat them, he was knicked every noe & then but nothing serious so I doubt it was that but I could be wrong.

I did catch that you recently acquired a new boa and their set ups are right next to each other. Would it be possible the new boa had a disease which has spread to your other boa? After all you did say your boa may have contracted mites from the new boa, which I would interpret this as the new boa was living in a potential less than sanitary set up.

Just a thought.

Good luck!

I would say this looks like MBD in lizards, but I don't know how a snake would get it because they get the proper ratio of calcium to phosphorous in their feeders unless your feeders were seriously un-healthy...but really, that is what it looks like, or a kink of some type.

But snakes can and do develop diseases and genetic things that make them get like this as they age. One thing called Osteitis Deformans causes things that look like this, like bone swellings or an area where the spine is deviated.

I checked my other snake when I discovered the spot on this one & he has nothing like that it looks completely healthy. I did manage to find a vet that treats reptiles but I've got to wait until Thursday because that's when I get paid. I also was feeling around the area ( very lightly) it felt like his ribs vere very compressed to the point where they might snap.

Well I just got home from work & checked on him & he isn't very responsive. He normally jerks his head away like a ball python if you touch it, and now he just lays there. I don't think he's gonna make it until Thursday.