Rosy Boa: Scheduled trip to the vet for possible RI

I just noticed last night that my San Felipe Rosy Boa is starting to show signs of what I think to be a respiratory infection (RI). His throat was bulging when breathing and I heard a popping noise coming from his mouth. He was fine a few days ago when I was cleaning the cage.

Last night I changed him over to a sterile tub with a clean/dry paper towel and a hide, and noticed his symptoms subsided somewhat by this morning. But I still scheduled an appointment tomorrow with a reptile vet specialist (first ever visit to the vet).

But I’m trying to figure out what I’m doing wrong so I can keep him healthy. The only thing I can think of is that when I changed his eco-earth (substrate consisting of coconut fiber) during a routine tank cleaning, I noticed a buildup of moisture the next morning that seems to have been trapped in the substrate. The hide and bottom layer (one inch of the three inch deep layer) of the substrate was damp. I only had him in there for approx. 18 hrs, at which time I pulled out all cage decorations, turned on heat lamps and dried it out.

I’ve been using the same substrate for a year now, but am now concerned that it was the cause of his RI. He is a year old and on the smaller side since he is a desert locality. He has never had a problem shedding, and always sheds in one piece. Also note I have him in a screen top 24” x 18” x 24” Exo Terra aquarium, a UTH, UV bulb and 35w heat bulb. The air temp during the day is about 82°F with a hot spot of about 90°F provided by the UTH. I have the lights on a timer, so the temps drop to ambient at night, which is about 78°F.

Update after vet visit:

I was fortunate to have a reptile expert available, Dr. Jarchow, who cares for the reptiles at the Tucson desert Museum. He checked Felipe (he is a San Felipe locality Rosy) and said his mouth tissue looked great, but that he does have a bacterial infection and requires antibiotics. He reassured me Felipe will be fine (what a relief). I asked him about the Eco-Earth, and he said the problem was more than likely from the moisture build-up. I asked for recommendations on substrate and he recommended paper towels. He said Rosy Boas do really well on them.

Here is a picture of Felipe at the vet's office with a slight mouth gape:

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j2.../Rosy_sick.jpg

The Dr. prescribed 3 injections, 72hrs apart, of Fortaz Ceftazidime. I will be giving the injections into the muscle, in the tan stripe below the dorsal stripe.


Anyways, just thought I would document my experience for others to learn from (George Santayana: "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it").

I am glad to hear that he is going to be ok. I am sure that you feel better knowing what the problem is...:gj:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by dragonboy4578

I am glad to hear that he is going to be ok. I am sure that you feel better knowing what the problem is...:gj:

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Yeah I feel much better. I'm just dissapointed in myself for two things. One, I didn't microwave the substrate (I've done it every time in the past) to kill off anything that might be in it. And two, I didn't put the substrate outside in the sun to dry out. I have to pay closer attention to what I'm doing, and not just take things for granted when it comes to house keeping of their habitats.