Solomon Island Tree Boa

[weirdbuglady]

Well she ate AGAIN! Another f/t pinky.

She struck and missed, as usual, then nailed it (I went and bought some tongs today, haha)... it took her over an hour to swallow the darn thing. But she got it

[johnst_nhb]

Well she ate AGAIN! Another f/t pinky.

She struck and missed, as usual, then nailed it (I went and bought some tongs today, haha)... it took her over an hour to swallow the darn thing. But she got it

LOL oh I know! My large SITB can take up to an hour to eat, even if the mouse is very manageable in size. They take their time for sure!

Congrats on getting that girl to eat! post up more pics when she fattens up!

[weirdbuglady]

A few updates.

She has eaten three weeks in a row now, frozen pinkies. Last week she got it almost all the way in her mouth, then spit it out. She was in blue preshed so she was probably a little stressed, and needs a break anyway. I've just been getting anxious about getting some weight back onto her.

Now she's looking really wrinkly and lethargic and her skin is starting to peel in some places, but I don't see her actually trying to shed her skin. She's been dry and peely for a few days now. I've been misting her several times per day, trying to keep her humidity up. Do you think I should soak her and try to peel her skin myself? I'm not sure if she's going to attempt to do it herself. I'll give her another day or so, but I thought at the point in time where the skin is starting to come off, it should come off soon?

[weirdbuglady]

Well since she was peeling all over I decided to help her. Thankfully all the skin came off really easily with some warm water and gentle rubbing.

Here are some pics of her, post shed. Looking a little better but still a bit skinny. Of course, she's been that way since I got her. But if she keeps downing pinkies like she has, I'm sure she'll start finally getting some girth to her.






I love the little red spots by her nose... and the colors along her back. She definitely gets lighter/darker at certain times, sometimes her markings really stand out and sometimes she just seems muddled.

Tonight is snake feeding night, after the stress of me helping her shed I don't think she'll eat, but I'll offer, just in case.

[weirdbuglady]

Hehehe and waddaya know... she ate another f/t pinky today. At first she didnt seem interested, then I tapped her on the nose with it, and she grabbed it and put it in a mid-air death roll. She likes to eat up in her branches, dangling.

[johnst_nhb]

Hehehe and waddaya know... she ate another f/t pinky today. At first she didnt seem interested, then I tapped her on the nose with it, and she grabbed it and put it in a mid-air death roll. She likes to eat up in her branches, dangling.

All things sound good with her eating. However, with the new pics, I can see that she is not really a huge carinata, just a full-grown one. She is very thin and malnourished, but that should clear up with consistent feeding. Remember that carinata are arguably the most difficult of the Candoia to keep. I have found that they need near perfect conditions to thrive (thrive, not survive). Just make sure your temps and humidity are correct. What kind of substrate are you using? I highly recommend something like Reptibark to keep humidity up. Also, I have seen my carinata thrive with branches that have foliage on them for hiding spots (a hide box on the ground is recommended too). With bare branches my carinata were not that interested, but when foliage is put on them they are all over it. They are shy and like to be hidden.

I am not a fan of glass tanks for carinata (or any arboreal) due to the inefficient heat containment. But if you have a glass tank, check temps all around and make sure there is no cool draft coming in throught the top. I suspect if your conditions are good, you will see her gain weight (assuming no parasites) and that skin will get a nice look to it!

Good luck!

j

[weirdbuglady]

For substrate I have cocofiber, and I mist the tank every day. The temps stay around the mid 80s, mid 70s at night, some days it gets a bit higher because the house gets hot (no AC). Humidity is around 50-60%, I had it up higher for a while when she was about to shed. She has a fake plant and some skinny tree branches, I think I'll get her some new fake vines with leaves so she can feel more secure. I don't have a hide for her anymore but the plants at the bottom act as a cover, I'll see what I can find for her.

Her tank is a tall hex (not sure how many gallons, I think its 20), and we custom made the top for it since it had a fishtank lid. It's made of wood and has a circle cut out for the heat lamp, and a small "door" made of wire mesh (about 9" by 5"). I think it holds the heat and humidity in quite well, as opposed to a long tank with a large screen lid. Aside from the heat lamp up top, I also have a heat rock on the outside of the tank on one side. My dad had it from years ago when he had lizards (and didnt know any better ), it's a fairly big rock, and it works like a heating pad on the side really... she likes to curl up near it at night.

I just got new digital thermometer/hygrometers for my snakes, and I'm planning on buying a temp gun soon, so I'll hopefully be able to get everything right for everyone.

I have to leave her at home when I go to college, so hopefully she'll behave for my parents (my dad is really into my snakes, this one was his idea to get).

[johnst_nhb]

For substrate I have cocofiber, and I mist the tank every day. The temps stay around the mid 80s, mid 70s at night, some days it gets a bit higher because the house gets hot (no AC). Humidity is around 50-60%, I had it up higher for a while when she was about to shed. She has a fake plant and some skinny tree branches, I think I'll get her some new fake vines with leaves so she can feel more secure. I don't have a hide for her anymore but the plants at the bottom act as a cover, I'll see what I can find for her.

Her tank is a tall hex (not sure how many gallons, I think its 20), and we custom made the top for it since it had a fishtank lid. It's made of wood and has a circle cut out for the heat lamp, and a small "door" made of wire mesh (about 9" by 5"). I think it holds the heat and humidity in quite well, as opposed to a long tank with a large screen lid. Aside from the heat lamp up top, I also have a heat rock on the outside of the tank on one side. My dad had it from years ago when he had lizards (and didnt know any better ), it's a fairly big rock, and it works like a heating pad on the side really... she likes to curl up near it at night.

I just got new digital thermometer/hygrometers for my snakes, and I'm planning on buying a temp gun soon, so I'll hopefully be able to get everything right for everyone.

I have to leave her at home when I go to college, so hopefully she'll behave for my parents (my dad is really into my snakes, this one was his idea to get).

Sounds good! Do you have a water dish big enough for her to soak in?

[weirdbuglady]

Oh yes, I have to clean it out just about every day because she drags the cocofiber into it, I see her soaking a lot. Sometimes I worry because she holds her head underwater for so long

[weirdbuglady]

Yay, another pinky eaten

And I added some fake leafy vines, and a hide down at the bottom. I'll take pics of her tank later.

My parents are going to be feeding her while I'm at college... coming back for breaks is going to be so exciting, to see how she's fattening up!