Can someone help me please with a ibd question.

I have a 10 month old Colombian red tail and I just don’t want to be too careful. She is eating, drinking, moving. She just worked her way up a 27” bamboo branch by inching up there every few inches. When I turn her on her back she sometimes gets stubborn and doesn’t fix herself like when I take her from her hut she doesn’t automatically fix it. She can and does sometimes and when I hold her by her tail she usually can get back up on my hand. She has some trouble on my tile but never ties herself into knots like that. I have never seen her corkscrew. She hasn’t pooped since October but she did miss 2 weeks of food. She does have some wrinkles and soaks in her water dish but that might be because she is low on humidity right now. I have been spraying her soil with a water bottle. Her ceramic heat emitters eaither get too hot or not get hot enough so I am using her red lamp from when she was a baby. The last ceramic heat emitter blew a fuse and flew sparks into her room. I just want to make sure that these aren’t ibd symptoms because that one is the one that really scares me. Will someone help me please?

IBD is not common, though it's normal for any caring snake owner to be a little paranoid about it. It's not clear to me why you'd even be worried about it? How long have you had her? Any other snakes? Did you quarantine her? The "missing feces" wouldn't concern me- snakes don't "go" once per meal anyway, only when they need to, & young snakes eating younger (more digestible) prey often have very little waste leftover, so they hold it until it's worth the effort, ok? (Snakes also conserve water this way.) A snake with IBD is often blatantly uncoordinated- you can google some YouTubes to see what I mean. Not being a perfect gymnast isn't the same thing, LOL. Does sound like you need to fix her humidity though- what substrate are you using? The right one can help a lot, or adding a good-sized "humid hide" with damp moss in it. You also didn't give the cage temps. (highest, lowest, & ambient) & if you're heating this boa like a ball python, it's no wonder she's dehydrated! Boas need a bit cooler temps than BPs. And all your heating devices (including lights if any) NEED to be on a thermostat (preferably) or a dimmer control at the very least. You are HARMING this snake if the cage is routinely too hot...FIX your husbandry. I don't think your snake has IBD, but snakes CAN get neurological damage from being overheated!!! And don't hold a snake by their tail, especially not a heavy-bodied type like a boa. You wouldn't like it either, I promise.

She will always fix herself in less than 2 minutes but sometimes she doesn’t always fix herself. The light I am using right now stays at 80 perfectly and she will actually stay under it because with the heat emitters I would always find her under the cool side freezing. The red light makes her happy and she is use to it because I used it when she was a itty bitty baby. I also don’t know her exact birthday because she was from a pet store but I got her in late January. No my last snake died in may and when she was a baby I put her on newspapers. She is also on eco earth and has a moss rope and moss in there. I ordered her a new fogger that looks like a tree stump and had a light flow because my other one makes everything soaking wet. The room temp is about 70 because the heat always stays at 65 at night. I am also worried because a article and video said that they can still get up but it just takes a little longer and sometimes she doesn’t automatically right herself. She is a little wobble sometimes getting up on my hand by climbing herself but she doesn’t flip her head upside down usually unless she has a fall which has happened like once.

It’s around 80 in the hot side, the air is 72. As long as she doesn’t start laying upside down, flinging her head upside down, or regurgitating she should be fine? She doesn’t always get up super fast and I read that even with ibd they can get up just a little slower and sometimes I have to rub her to get her to right herself. She just ate on Saturday and I haven’t noticed any regurgitating pieces in her room. Sometimes she is a bit wobbly getting up my hand and falls off sometimes, is that alright? What are the symptoms for ibd? And is it normal for them to lay on their heads or sideways in their hut, she puts her head sideways because she always goes to the smaller one, but I bought her a new one for Christmas.

Will pepper be alright? I am super nervous about ibd .

If you are really worried about IDB then you can get the animal tested. It beats second guessing and speculating

http://www.vetdna.com/test-type/reptiles

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Originally Posted by 4Dobermans

It’s around 80 in the hot side, the air is 72. As long as she doesn’t start laying upside down, flinging her head upside down, or regurgitating she should be fine? She doesn’t always get up super fast and I read that even with ibd they can get up just a little slower and sometimes I have to rub her to get her to right herself. She just ate on Saturday and I haven’t noticed any regurgitating pieces in her room. Sometimes she is a bit wobbly getting up my hand and falls off sometimes, is that alright? What are the symptoms for ibd? And is it normal for them to lay on their heads or sideways in their hut, she puts her head sideways because she always goes to the smaller one, but I bought her a new one for Christmas.

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It doesn't sound like your snake has IBD.

You need to fix your enclosure temps, they should be about 78*F low, 88*F high.

I tried once before to do it and they couldn’t because of something I can’t remember. Plus why would I try to take her to the vet if that could expose her to sick animals? As long as she doesn’t do any of those symptoms shouldn’t she be fine. I am always super scared about it because thats what my first bp died of and the first one infected the second bp so they both died. I guess it’s just going to be one of those things that I am super cautious over.

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Originally Posted by 4Dobermans

... I am always super scared about it because thats what my first bp died of and the first one infected the second bp so they both died...

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Sorry about your losses- now your question is making more sense. How long did you wait after the last one died before getting another snake? Did you thoroughly disinfect everything? Personally, if I had a snake that died of IBD (& it was confirmed), I would NOT get another snake for at least a year, to prevent contagion. I hope you waited at least 6 months?

As long as she still can climb up things, eat and slither. Also what would be the reason for some of her scales to be bent or sticking out without any mites.

Oh I didn’t get her until at least a 6 months later I believe and I had the cage out side for months in the cold, rain, and snow.I also washed the cage out with bleach or something. If it was outside in that weather, shouldn’t that have disinfected it in itself? I got them in 2018, it was a year or so because they died only a few months after.
Could the bent or raised scales be because of humidity, I have been keeping it pretty dry in there because I don’t want her to get colder with cold water.

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Originally Posted by 4Dobermans

As long as she still can climb up things, eat and slither. Also what would be the reason for some of her scales to be bent or sticking out without any mites.

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Love your lack of answers...:rolleyes:

Bent scales happen, but could indicate dehydration.

If you look up, you would see I gave the answers. 👍

I am still trying to figure out how to work this but if you look at the answer above you.

The IBD virus is relatively delicate and wouldn't persist for months outside in cold weather. It's not crypto.

You do need to fix your temps though.

I have been trying but the blue light isn’t keeping it hot enough and the other bulb is 150 watt and my do
e only takes 100watt. It also gets too hot, and the ceramic heat emitter gets too hot. The red light gives her a persistent soft breeze of heat. I have 6 different bulbs. One blew up and the other blew out, one gets way too hot, one gets too hot and is too many watts. That leaves me with the blue light and red light, plus a repti sun uvb bulb.

if I did use the ceramic and it got a little hot under there, would she move on her own?

Again, you need a dimmer or thermostat on any heating element to ensure it stays at a safe and stable temp. Do you have a picture of the setup? We can likely help you troubleshoot and figure out a better way to keep temps.

I don’t even know how to put pictures on here. And what’s a good brand?

The easiest way to post photos here is to download the Tapatalk app on your smartphone. The base version of the app is free and allows you to upload photos from your phone to your posts.

Now on to your boa, OP: the other keepers on this thread have given some solid advice. First things first, I would make sure that you have a proper temperature gradient established and that your boa is properly hydrated. Overheating in boas (and a lot of other snakes, for that matter) can lead to neurological behaviors that resemble a symptomatic case of IBD. You mention the various heaters you've tried have gotten "too hot," so it sounds like overheating may be at play here. It also sounds like you aren't using a thermostat to regulate your heat sources. If that's the case, you should get one ASAP! Herpstat thermostats are the best out there, and while they're a bit expensive, they are totally worth the money.

In your case (what sounds like a cold house), you'll need to raise your boa's ambient temperatures and establish a proper basking spot. To do that, you'll need a Herpstat 2 (to control two heat sources), a ceramic heat emitter (CHE) to raise the ambient temps, and either a heat mat (UTH) or heat projector (DHP) to provide a focused basking spot. You can leave the UV-B light if you wish, but do not bother with any of the colored heat lights -- they aren't what you need here, and the even the red "night lights" give off enough light to disturb snakes' nature day/night cycles. Put both of the heaters on the warm side of the enclosure and hook them up to the Herpstat. Set the CHE to around 80F (a good warm side ambient) and the UTH/DHP to around 86-88F (boas' normally preferred basking spot range). This should keep you boas' setup properly warm -- just be sure to check your temps regularly and keep an eye on humidity.

Now, a bit about IBD: as Bogertophis said, a boa with symptomatic IBD is blatantly uncoordinated -- think active, constant, and pronounced corkscrewing versus a bit of incoordination. They may also be laying on their sides for no apparently reason, generally incapable of controlling their movements, flicking their tongue excessively, and mentally dull. There are videos on YouTube (some of which feature interviews with the researchers who first described IBD) that provide good examples of this. That being said, IBD may sometimes be "silent," in that some boas act as silent carriers of the disease for many years before succumbing to it. There's still debate over how prevalent IBD really is -- some say it's rare, others put the prevalence as high as 30% in common/morph boas -- but it's something that boa owners should be aware and cautious of. You can read about IBD (and other boa ailments that mimic it) in more detail in The Boa Constrictor Manual by Philippe de Vosjoli, Roger Klingenberg (DVM), and Jeff Ronne.

If you'd like to get your snake tested, the University of Florida's diagnostic lab is the place to go. Keep in mind that they only work directly with vets, so you will have to bring your boa in to one if you'd like to get them screened:

https://labs.vetmed.ufl.edu/availabl...ed-infections/

In general, if you snake is showing any sort of neurological symptoms that don't have an immediate answer (ie. overheating, genetic wobble), you'll want to enact quarantine procedures immediately. Don't bring any new snakes in, isolate the symptomatic snake from any other reptiles you have, and reach out to your vet if you can't find the cause. Again: it sounds like overheating is your issue here, but it wouldn't hurt to enact quarantine protocols and locate a good reptile vet in the event your boa doesn't improve (or gets worse).

Good luck!

And for help finding a qualified herp vet near you:
https://arav.site-ym.com/search/custom.asp?id=3661

She has never corkscrewed that I know of and she is eating, never had any mites with me, she can right herself she just gets stubborn sometimes. She doesn’t just like lay upside down for no apparent reason. When I put her on her tree she can hold herself up fine and climb up the bamboo branch.
I did get a new Che bulb and turned it on once but it got too hot so I immediately turned it off.

She not like showing neurological signs, she doesn’t always turn immediately on her stomach when on her back that’s about all she shows. She can still climb up a bamboo branch that is standing straight up. I just get worried about it. It’s not like she is regurgitating or flipping over randomly, she doesn’t usually do it unless I do it.

If you can't get a thermostat quickly then you can pick up a lamp dimmer at a hardware store like Lowes.
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Lutron-Cred...Dimmer/3189447

Note this isn't a permanent solution but it will you dial back the heat until you can get a thermostat.

Also what size tank is your boa in and how old is your boa? You may want to go ahead and order something like a T8 now because boas get big enough to outgrow most tanks, and enclosure makers are backlogged for a few months.

She is about 2 1/2- 3’ and is 10 months old. I can’t tell you the exact feet because she won’t stay still, which is a good thing.
does it seem like I am just making more out of proportion?

2.5 - 3' at 10 months old is unusually large for a boa, even a fast-growing common boa. How often and what are you feeding her? If she's already on prey items such as adult mice, she should only be eating every 3-4 weeks.

If you'd like to get an accurate measurement of your snake, look up the "measure my snake" website. Follow the directions there and you should be able to get an accurate reading.

Like bcr229 said, most boas outgrow glass tanks. I'll even go out there and say that your common morph-type boas always do (especially females!). If you have a female common boa, your best option may be to order a 6' enclosure now with a center divider -- that way, you'll already have her lifetime enclosure, with the option to divide it into a 3' grow-out enclosure! Animal Plastics (the enclosure maker bcr229 was alluding to) has been the go-to for many years, but the extremely long wait times they've had recently have turned some people off. Alternate enclosure makers I know of include Kages (from whom I have a 4' enclosure), TerraOrb, Custom Reptile Habitats, Scale-Box, MP Cages & Exotics, Zen Habitats (4' models only), and Focus Cubed Habitats (for an extra fancy, pricy option). In general, look for someone who's using at least 1/2" PVC for their enclosure construction -- anything less isn't all that sturdy.

She is just 2” bigger than 2 feet. She is pretty long, I am 4’1 and she is my entire leg length.
mid it abnormal for them to sleep during the night? She slithers around for a few minutes after I turn the night on but then goes back to bed?

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Originally Posted by 4Dobermans

As long as she still can climb up things, eat and slither. Also what would be the reason for some of her scales to be bent or sticking out without any mites.

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Originally Posted by 4Dobermans

She is just 2” bigger than 2 feet. She is pretty long, I am 4’1 and she is my entire leg length.
mid it abnormal for them to sleep during the night? She slithers around for a few minutes after I turn the night on but then goes back to bed?

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So you guys don’t think it’s ibd?

We can’t diagnose a snake we can’t see, not to mention that we are not a substitute for a veterinary specialist. Make an appointment with a qualified reptile veterinarian and then you can tell us what the case is with your animal.


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I really don’t want to take her to a vet if I don’t have to because that could make her more sick, stressed, and what if she isn’t sick and then she could catch something there. My dog went in and came back with a tick on it.

I was reading a post on Reddit that said if they have wrinkles then she has it!!
she has wrinkles.

Why are you so hung up on your boa having IBD? Absent a blood test or necropsy there's no way to know if your animal has it or not. If you've had it living in isolation with you for months then I would suspect not.

OTOH if you do not fix your husbandry and temperatures your boa will end up getting sick. Your snake is at the size/age where you need to order a proper reptile enclosure, heated by an RHP, regulated by a thermostat, etc.

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Originally Posted by 4Dobermans

I was reading a post on Reddit that said if they have wrinkles then she has it!!
she has wrinkles.

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Veterinary advice from Reddit is worth exactly what you paid for it...NOTHING.

FIX your husbandry...your humidity & temps!!! Telling you the same things over & over is getting old. :rolleyes: See a REAL vet! And fix the enclosure, or re-home your snake to someone who will, and don't get another one, please!

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Originally Posted by 4Dobermans

As long as she still can climb up things, eat and slither. Also what would be the reason for some of her scales to be bent or sticking out without any mites.

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Thank you very much but I have gotten numerous different bulbs and they all end up breaking so thank you but why would I try to buy bulbs that always end up breaking in less than 3 months. I have been trying to fix her room but some of that stuff is super expensive so you can’t buy it all at once, especially considering I still have to take care of my dogs,cats,chickens,ferret, ducks so I am trying my best.
I’m and by the way the vets here could make her more sick than better considering they have misdiagnosed my guinea pig with a tooth infection when it was a RI and because of that she died. The other one diagnosed my chicken with cancer when it was bumblefoot and they were two different doctors from different vet clinic.
My first guinea pig had a sneeze so I took him to the vet and somehow he died of mites. So why would I take her to a vet when she could get mites, make her stressed or something worse? I swear that all of those have really happened and I would rather not take another of those chances.
I working on ordering a thermometer and looking at the best bulbs for day for her, so it’s not like I am not trying or don’t care. Plus everyone says something different so I am do the research.

Yes, bulbs break and they are expensive. This is why we are telling you to get a proper reptile enclosure with radiant heat panel and thermostat. You pay more up front but after that the equipment works for years.

Cost of husbandry equipment and ~possible~ risk associated with seeking veterinary care are not valid reasons to forego them. By the same logic, it is unwise for you to ever leave your home because of the risk of a sunburn, catching a cold, being hit by a bus, etc. Provide the necessary care for your animal(s) or surrender them to someone that can. Period.


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