And my girlfriend purchased a red tail boa

Her name is Lucy. She is a rescue with deep scars from live feedings in the past. She is 5 feet long. Great personality. Scars healing nicely. She had been underfed most of her life. Fed her pre killed large rat last night. No signs of mites and vet visit planned for later this week. She was soaking in her water bowl this morning. I don't think she's ever had one large enough to fit in till now.https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...2342b5ee6e.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...226bc66ee4.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...2a536cdc06.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...06aa6a9dcb.jpg

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Did you prep her enclosure with Prevent a Mite... Always prep as part of new animal introduction. Remember to remove the water bowl when you treat and let dry...

I don't own boas, but I would like to point out that's pretty dang difficult to underfeed a boa. Just looking at body condition, the snake has a nice square shape, which is what you want in boas. With them, less is typically more.

She could be skinnier than she appears in the photos, though.

She doesn't look at all underfed. Boas should be square, not round like a ball python or blood python.

If she's soaking check for mites.

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Originally Posted by bcr229

She doesn't look at all underfed. Boas should be square, not round like a ball python or blood python.

If she's soaking check for mites.

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I checked yesterday for mites using a paper towel. Did not see any evidence of mites. Also she is in quarantine from other snakes

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I would be cautious though, not to worry you.

In the past, out of all the boas I have owned I have never had one that liked to soak unless there was a problem:

A) Mites

B Too hot of temperatures

Some people have reported perfectly healthy mite-free boas that enjoyed a soak temporarily but I just never had it happen to me. Mites are incredibly difficult to find on boas though, they can be anchored in the cloaca, around the eye sockets, anywhere really.

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Originally Posted by KevinK

I would be cautious though, not to worry you.

In the past, out of all the boas I have owned I have never had one that liked to soak unless there was a problem:

A) Mites

B Too hot of temperatures

Some people have reported perfectly healthy mite-free boas that enjoyed a soak temporarily but I just never had it happen to me. Mites are incredibly difficult to find on boas though, they can be anchored in the cloaca, around the eye sockets, anywhere really.

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So what is the best way to spot them?

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You can find them drowned in the water bowl.

Spray a white paper towel with Reptile Relief and wipe the snake with it every 3 days. The Reptile Relief is a solution of salts that kills mites by dehydrating them.

Otherwise minimal handling, you definitely want to keep your snake away from your clothes, the cloth couch, etc. while in QT as those will provide hiding places for mites and let them spread to your other snakes.

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Originally Posted by Skyrivers

So what is the best way to spot them?

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Even though you wiped her down with the paper towel, in the past when I suspected mites I would change the actual substrate to white paper towel (do not feed on paper towels however - I have actually viewed pictures of a snake that ingested it because it stuck to the rat) and keep cage accessories to a minimum. Mites like to cling and not move but the longer the snake spends on a white surface, the more easily spotted they are.

Try keeping her on paper towel for a week or so and see if you spot any. If not, maybe she just likes to soak but this has never been a common occurrence with my boas.

You can also check around the eyes, nostrils, the fold of skin under their chin and cloaca.

Some boas do like to soak here and there. My sunglow will sometimes try and fit into her bowl lol. But for the most part, none of my boas soak.

But, best to quarantine and just set up a temporary cage with paper towels sprayed with a little PAM. If there is mites, you see them by the next day easily.

And i agree, that boa doesnt look underfed. Boas love to eat and boas have a slow metabolism. So boas get fat quick and lose weight slow. It's like a recipe for disaster by Mother Nature lol.

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Originally Posted by Sauzo

Boas love to eat and boas have a slow metabolism. So boas get fat quick and lose weight slow. It's like a recipe for disaster by Mother Nature lol.

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Actually it's a recipe for survival in the wild - they only need to eat a few times a year to survive once they reach adulthood. The recipe for disaster comes when they are overfed by well-meaning but uneducated keepers who get them so fat that the boa becomes obese and dies.

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Originally Posted by bcr229

Actually it's a recipe for survival in the wild - they only need to eat a few times a year to survive once they reach adulthood. The recipe for disaster comes when they are overfed by well-meaning but uneducated keepers who get them so fat that the boa becomes obese and dies.

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Well i kind of meant it for captivity.

So when I got home and the dogs were barking as I entered the house, I looked over and Lucy (what she named her RTB) was in her hide. When I walked by her enclosure I noticed she was peeking out her hide and was watching us. I went through all my enclosures changing everyone's water and spot cleaning. When I got to Lucy she was almost completely out of her hide and watching me and the dogs moving around the house. I opened her enclosure and she climbed out and rested on my shoulders as I finished my work. I almost forgot she was there. She was the last snake to be cared for so I felt was ok. When I sat down with her I examined her again. She showed now signs of mites. I even checked her water dish. I gave her a bath which she seamed to enjoy. She did not want out of the tub. When I placed her back in her enclosure she proceeded to rearrange everything then settled into her hide again. The reason I gave her a bath is that every time I would turn on the water in the kitchen she would go right for it. She seams to love water. Is this unusual? I did put paper towels in her cage as suggested. I think she is just active and enjoys a good swim. Before now she was in a tub and had no room to explore. I think she feels some level of freedom she had never had before? She also did not know what to do with a hide when I put her into her enclosure. She would lay around it and on top of it. I introduced her to the entrance and she explored it a few min. Yesterday when I came home was the first time I have seen her to actually use it as a hide. I think everything is new to her and she is curious about how it all works. I could be wrong but I hope not. She also appears to watch TV from time to time.

This is what she was doing when I got home. Still no signs of mites. Could she be pregnant? https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...0e53e4a50b.jpg

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Do you have nice tight hides for her on the cool and warm sides? A lot of time a snake will use the water bowl if there is no other place to feel secure. And this can create issues as they will take security over thermoregulating if it comes down to it.

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Originally Posted by Sauzo

Do you have nice tight hides for her on the cool and warm sides? A lot of time a snake will use the water bowl if there is no other place to feel secure. And this can create issues as they will take security over thermoregulating if it comes down to it.

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He hides both are the square ones and she uses them both. They are just a little larger than she is.

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Did you take the snake to petco?

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Originally Posted by Ernie Mccracken

Did you take the snake to petco?

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Walked through Petco today with my reticulated. She needed a thermostat.

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Originally Posted by Skyrivers

He hides both are the square ones and she uses them both. They are just a little larger than she is.

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Maybe you just got a soaker LOL. Also might be soaking if its too hot. But if everything is ok tempwise and humidity wise, and you dont see mites or find dead ones in the water bowl, i wouldnt worry.

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Originally Posted by Sauzo

Maybe you just got a soaker LOL. Also might be soaking if its too hot. But if everything is ok tempwise and humidity wise, and you dont see mites or find dead ones in the water bowl, i wouldnt worry.

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Humidity is 70% temps are spot on. Double checked with temp gun.

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Originally Posted by Skyrivers

Humidity is 70% temps are spot on. Double checked with temp gun.

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Probably just got a soaker then lol. Maybe you will get lucky and have one that poops in the water too making clean up easy :D

My boa soaked a lot when I brought him home but it only lasted for 2 weeks and he hasn't done it since. Now he spends most of his time with his butt in his hide and the other 4 feet burrowed with just his face peeking out

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Originally Posted by c0r3yr0s3

My boa soaked a lot when I brought him home but it only lasted for 2 weeks and he hasn't done it since. Now he spends most of his time with his butt in his hide and the other 4 feet burrowed with just his face peeking out

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Cool. Wonder if she is hydrating

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Originally Posted by Skyrivers

Cool. Wonder if she is hydrating

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I just assumed mine felt more secure in the water until he adjusted to his new home

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Originally Posted by c0r3yr0s3

I just assumed mine felt more secure in the water until he adjusted to his new home

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That is possible. Tip of her nose and the tip of her tail was the only thing not in the water.

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Originally Posted by Skyrivers

That is possible. Tip of her nose and the tip of her tail was the only thing not in the water.

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Yup probably just hiding.

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Originally Posted by Sauzo

Yup probably just hiding.

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Is this bad for her health wise? Should I move the water to the warm side so the water will warm up a little?

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Originally Posted by Sauzo

Yup probably just hiding.

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She does have mites!!!!!! Treatment will begin tonight right after work. My Girlfriend saw some in her water this morning. Good thing she is quarantined. Might treat everyone though. Even my dogs! Don't like infestations.

Yeah I was going to say, it was either security, temp issue or (and most likely) mites. I've never had a boa that is a soaker and female boas do not soak when gravid (just fyi)

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Originally Posted by AbsoluteApril

Yeah I was going to say, it was either security, temp issue or (and most likely) mites. I've never had a boa that is a soaker and female boas do not soak when gravid (just fyi)

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I have not researched breeding them because I have no intentions of doing so. Thanks for the info. I am going on a mite killing spree tonight. :taz::taz::taz::taz:

I was gonna post the family guy flea exterminator clip but I realized the description had some bad language in it

Update. My girlfriend insisted on doing what she saw a breeder do on a YouTube video to get rid of the mites. She used hand sanitizer directly on Lucy's skin and Rid lice product on her cage. She fallowed the instructions to a T but is this bad advice? Not sure if is good or bad myself.

If it was Rich from Reptile Rapture I’d say it’s good advice - I haven’t watched that video, but he knows what he’s doing. I’m going the Provent-A-Mite route myself, IIRC it’s the same active ingredient as Rid, but Rid is more concentrated.


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Originally Posted by Prognathodon

If it was Rich from Reptile Rapture I’d say it’s good advice - I haven’t watched that video, but he knows what he’s doing. I’m going the Provent-A-Mite route myself, IIRC it’s the same active ingredient as Rid, but Rid is more concentrated.


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That is the guy.

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My advice is use PAM. Wipe down the outside of the boas cage as well as the upper and lower rims of the tank and the table. That will hopefully keep as many mites contained in there as you can.

Then throw all the cage stuff into zip lock bags and hit it with a shot of PAM and seal em up and put them in the garage for 3 months while you are treating the snake.

For the cage, just leave a hide and a water bowl. Use paper towels or newspaper and spray them with PAM. Spray the inside of the cage and cover it and let it simmer for 15-30 mins. Then replace the snake. I leave the water bowl out overnight on the night of fresh application. Do this every week for 3 months.

And for the other snakes, i would apply a one time treatment to the bedding. Take the snakes out, water bowl and then give the inside of the cage a light shot and let it dry. make sure it is dry and then replace the snake. Leave the water bowl out overnight. Then wipe down the outside of the those cages too as well as the table or stand they are on.

Thats what i did the one time i had to deal with mites when i brought home a hitchhiker and Luna got got mites. Luckily they didnt spread and i moved Luna upstairs into a spare bedroom for quarantine.

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Originally Posted by Sauzo

My advice is use PAM. Wipe down the outside of the boas cage as well as the upper and lower rims of the tank and the table. That will hopefully keep as many mites contained in there as you can.

Then throw all the cage stuff into zip lock bags and hit it with a shot of PAM and seal em up and put them in the garage for 3 months while you are treating the snake.

For the cage, just leave a hide and a water bowl. Use paper towels or newspaper and spray them with PAM. Spray the inside of the cage and cover it and let it simmer for 15-30 mins. Then replace the snake. I leave the water bowl out overnight on the night of fresh application. Do this every week for 3 months.

And for the other snakes, i would apply a one time treatment to the bedding. Take the snakes out, water bowl and then give the inside of the cage a light shot and let it dry. make sure it is dry and then replace the snake. Leave the water bowl out overnight. Then wipe down the outside of the those cages too as well as the table or stand they are on.

Thats what i did the one time i had to deal with mites when i brought home a hitchhiker and Luna got got mites. Luckily they didnt spread and i moved Luna upstairs into a spare bedroom for quarantine.

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I convinced her that we needed to use PAM. We did as you suggested. I also noticed she was about to shed. Will the mites burrow under the loose shed to keep safe or will they be killed either way?

Lucy is now in full shed mode. I hope that after the shed we can treat her again to be safe. Will the mites burrow under the old shed to get to her?

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Originally Posted by Skyrivers

Lucy is now in full shed mode. I hope that after the shed we can treat her again to be safe. Will the mites burrow under the old shed to get to her?

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Once her colour returns and eyes clear make sure you spray the viv a few times each day until she sheds her skin !


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Originally Posted by Skyrivers

Lucy is now in full shed mode. I hope that after the shed we can treat her again to be safe. Will the mites burrow under the old shed to get to her?

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I doubt it. You can treat in shed. You never directly apply PAM to the snake. Permythrin is a poison. I dont care if its NIX or PAM, I personally would not apply it directly to the snake.

I have never used NIX but like i said, i had success with PAM. Just give a light spraying inside the cage on everything except the water bowl and snake, cover the cage and let the stuff soak in for 15-30 mins and then put the snake in and replace the water bowl the next day. Spray some on a rag and wipe down the outside of the cage and the table it sits on. Did it every week for 3 months and the mites were gone.

And the feeding on the snake is only part of the mites life cycle. They leave the snake to lay eggs preferably in a warm, dark, humid place like the upper cage corners. Eggs are not killed by Permythrin and can survive for months. This is why you have to keep treating for 3 months. You need to break the cycle and kill off any hatchlings.

I will post new photos this evening after work of her new paint job now that she is not in shed any longer. Was suppressed she shed backwards (tail first). I also took her and Rainbow to the vet this past Saturday for a health checkup. She still has scars from past feedings of life prey. We got some ointment from the vet she said to put on her worst spots because they are still healing. Poor girl is a sweet heart. She did not eat Sunday but did eat 2 weeks ago a pre killed large rat. I think being in shed effected her appetite. Will offer again next Sunday. She is healthy other than that.

Adult boas only need to eat once every 3-4 weeks anyway because they have slow metabolisms.

Like BCR said, adult boas dont need to eat that often. I feed my big girls every 3-4 weeks or 5 weeks if its a rabbit. I do sometimes feed them sooner in the summer months and a little longer in the winter months but i dont do the whole winter cooldown fast thing.

And 3 of my guys are in shed now. Pat, Vicky and Gina are all going into blue. Kind of quiet only see 6/9 snakes wrecking havoc at night lol. I'm so used to seeing Pat out front trying to caudal lure me in so he can eat me. He's been camping under the heater. And same with Vicky, she has been living on her heater and Gina too.

Thanks everyone on the feeding advice.

I came home yesterday and my girlfriend had Lucy around her neck. They had been sitting on the couch and cleaning house for about 5 hours she said. I am surprised Lucy was not stressed out but she seamed ok even after 5 hours of handling. My GF said that she was still for about 30 min before I came home and then saw me and wanted me. I produce more heat than my GF. I put her away shortly after my Great Dane walked up and licked her. So surprised by it happening and Lucy just froze a moment. I felt she needed some alone time and I was right. She went right into her hide and just laid there with her head sticking out. Such a good girl. Then was time to clean up after my Ball pythons. Pooping and shedding, got to love those guys.

My girlfriend sharing Lucy with her grandkids. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...731dee9626.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...90a76615a1.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...a3c21d2703.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...b9eb42b7a9.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...a0d1b2031f.jpg

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Some outside photos https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...6d54a21ed4.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...1e6f751de1.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...221596d101.jpg

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Great pics and a lovely boa,I love to see kids enjoying the fun reptiles can give looks they was enjoying the interaction

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Glad you got her and as others have said. She doesn't look under fee at all. Always do a proper quarantine for new snakes, and I myself always treat for mites regardless of them being present or not. I've also never had a mite issues because of this.

Any clue on her genetics or age? She is 5 feet+ but no clue outside of that?