Special needs boa

Hi, Almost 2 years ago I took in a special needs snake that need a home. He was young and described to me that he had some nuerological issues. No one seemed to know what the issues stemmed from though.

He has continued to thrive with me. He eats great, sheds regularly and gets around good considering his handicap.

The best way for me to describe him is he is like a tightly wound spring and when you pick him up he just quickly unravels. He really has very little control of his motor skills but yet he can strike and eat just fine and travel around his cage good.

I am contemplating take him an excellent reptile vet I know to have him evaluated. I really would like to know what they think caused this. Was it something in the incubation process or something he was exposed to after birth like possibly PAM.

He wasn't with me at that time so I simply don't know. I knew he was "special" when I took him in and I love him to pieces. But am curious what a vet would make of how he moves. Very unique to say the least.

All sorts of things can cause neuro issues such as exposure to a toxin like you mentioned, also over heating can cause it, parasites that reach the brain, etc. At this point, the vet probably won't be able to tell you what actually caused it but of course, never anything wrong with having the snake checked out, just costs money :)
Thank you for taking in the special little boa.

Sounds similar to my jag carpet python. They can have neuro issues similar to spider BPs (wobbles). He is also fine when moving around his cage, but if you stress him by attempting handling, he can't grip well, wants to "run" away quickly and does not judge distances well, resulting in almost falling a lot.

High temps during incubation or after can cause neuro issues. I've never heard of chemical exposure causing them, but I'm sure it is possible.

I have no idea what could cause this, but I’m interested in finding out if you decide to take him to the vet.


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Do you all think this will worsen as he gets older?? So far he is pretty much the same as when I got him almost 2 years ago.

I also describe him as very rigid bodied. He isn't plyable like most snakes - very rigid when you hold him. I feel sorry for the little guy.

It's really a tough call bc we don't have the pertinent hatchling/ juvenile medical history b4 you took over care. One thing that can be crossed off the list of possibilities is incubation as boas are viviparous. Unless the mother was allowed to "maternally" incubate then that would be a long shot. Kudos to you for taking him in and raising him for the past 2 years and now even considering doing the leg work to get answers. I think the exotic vet is a great idea but maybe you should consider getting one of the pet insurances to help out with the costs of wellness care. There are several of them out there.

Is he only rigid when held but not when he's in his enclosure or even on the floor?

Have you tried just sitting on your bed, putting him in your lap, and letting him move around you unrestrained?

He is less rigid when put on the floor after he unravels for lack of a better term. He gets around in his cage just fine.

He was only a seven months old when I got him and his condition hasn't improved nor has it worsened.

Rango is my little special needs boa. I too am not sure what happened to him as a baby as i got him at almost a year old from another keep but i do know the breeder she got him from etc. Anyways, he eats, poops, is very alert and does boa stuff. Just when you pick him up or stress him out, he kind of flails like he thinks he's going to fall. If you hold him tighter and let him wrap his tail around your hand, he is fine. I really am not sure if it a neuro issue or just he is insecure. Regardless, he's been like this for the year i've had him and he is doing fine. Shedding and growing so i just chalk it up as my little 'special' man :D

Yeah, my boas issues go beyond him being scared or stressed. His weird muscle motor control is very obvious.


My best description is always like a spring wound in the wrong direction and then it unravels very jerky as if he has no muscular motor skills.

My only concern is as he gets bigger he will be hard to hold because he is a challenge even at this size which is currently about 1,000 grams.

Ah, so even when he is in is cage, he has trouble moving around?

Rango is fine when he is in his cage. He cruises around, digs under the aspen and shoves his hide some lol. Like i said, for me, it's only when i pick him up or put him down in an unfamiliar place od anywhere outside his cage really. He is happy to sit perched around the back of my neck though lol.

Well, if your special needs boa gets big and is a hadnful to deal with, you can just pet him inside his enclosure and stuff every few days. I cant always get my snakes out for adventure time so i at least try and pet them and stuff every couple days when i change their water. They seem pretty content and sometimes, one of them will be social and actually climb up on my arm and try and come out. I'll try and let them sit on me while i do stuff for a little while in that case.

You should have lots of time as boas grow slow. Also if he is rigid, it should make it easier to get him out if anything. Rosey and Gina are so lazy most of the time i drag them out. They just let their tail drag behind them unless you mess with it, then they snap it to their body lol. I'm sure your guy will be fine :)

You may want to start conditioning him now to move from his enclosure to a temporary holding tub under his own power when you have to clean him out, since being held seems to cause him stress and exacerbate the problem. That way when he's larger you won't have to pick him up, you'll just guide him in the direction you want him to go.