sick boa?

[LaFilleClochette]

I just got a boa about a week ago ( well got two, but worried about one..) She is a 7ft female... very sweet, has never bit anyone. The guy that we got her from said she was gravid- he had been putting her with the male that we got with her for a couple of weeks.

What is worrying me is that shes wheezing .. im thinking its URI - the wheezing is fairly constant and she sounds like shes having a hard time breathing. The previous owner said that she "breathes out loudly" which on one had i can understand because shes so big, but it doesn't really sound just like hard breathing... its more like shes got a stuffy nose and she cant clear it. Another reason i think its URI is because he had been housing her in a 40 gal breeder and i know that its hard to get temps and humidity just right in a tank. We are also keeping her in a 40 gal tank temporarily, but will be putting her in a cage soon.

Her ambiant heat is about 83ish with the hotter side being closer to 90˚ and the cooler one being closer to the low 80's mid 70's. We also have a huuge water tub for her in the cage which brings me to the second thing that's bothering me- she's been soaking.. completely emerged her body into the water... since about late last night and shes still in the water now. We have checked her over and she does not appear to have mites,but should i still treat the tank with p.a.m?


and finally.. are these things common in large gravid boas ?

here are a couple of pics i just took of her:






and a pic of the two:


if anyone has any info that would be awesome, thanks for looking.

[Vypyrz]

I don't have any experience with large, gravid females, so I don't know what is "normal". If you think she may have a RI, I would suggest having a vet check her out, and while you're there see if they can do an ultrasound to maybe see if she is gravid. You can also try posting this over on redtailboa.net. There are alot of breeders there who have way more experience than I do...

[Crazy4Herps]

A shed could explain both the wheezing and the soaking.

I would not use PAM in the cage unless you can find mites. Though PAM is relatively safe for snakes, it's still full of all sorts of chemicals, and *might* cause complications in a snake with a compromised immune system.

If you can, hold her head and peel her lip back just a bit so you can see her gums and look for bubbles. No bubbles doesn't necessarily mean it's not an RI, and it still might be a good idea to have a vet check her out, but if wheezing is the only symptom, it is probably not serious.

[RichsBallPythons]

Vet Visit is Mandatory at this point. No need asking for any more tips. If female is possibly gravid and sick you could end up losing them all.

Its your choice to not treat her and save the babies or treat her and possibly get babies with weaken immune system due to medications.

If she is gravid IMO i would not treat her till after she gives birth. Its a hard sacrifice to make but sometimes right thing to do.

[LaFilleClochette]

thanks guys. I boosted up her temps and increased the humidity as much as i could... and i think shes doing better. I don't hear her wheezing all that much... shes pretty much just hanging out, still as sweet as can be. I will still keep an eye on her of course.. don't want to lose any potential babies.

[robeyeshua]

medication for uri is about 3 dollars a day and can be given at home - not sure taking her out especially if its cold is a good idea - my herp vet orders the meds and i give the shots - really not that bad - many times they will raise their head up the side of the enclosure in an attempt to keep the fluid out of their lungs - their head may be puffy - you've got a good start - you should raise the warm side temps to between 90 and 95 and raise the humidity for sure - she should be quarantined - it is contagious and use hand washing between handling - you can see improvement in 24 hours many times just with temps/humidity - let us know how it goes

thanks guys. I boosted up her temps and increased the humidity as much as i could... and i think shes doing better. I don't hear her wheezing all that much... shes pretty much just hanging out, still as sweet as can be. I will still keep an eye on her of course.. don't want to lose any potential babies.

[Alexandra V]

IMO symptoms like that would warrant a vet visit in my house, but as you said she stopped recently, so it could be nothing at all. Keep an eye on her, and if you see them come back then bring her to the vet, no questions asked.

Sometimes it could be a bit of stuck shed near the nose/mouth (which could explain the soaking, come to think of it), or it could be a sign of stress. Again, if anything comes back, have her checked out.

[robeyeshua]

i agree that the vet is best, but if it is upper resp. infection she must be kept warm getting to the vet - my vet prefers to offer home treatment rather than risk getting the snake out in the cold

IMO symptoms like that would warrant a vet visit in my house, but as you said she stopped recently, so it could be nothing at all. Keep an eye on her, and if you see them come back then bring her to the vet, no questions asked.

Sometimes it could be a bit of stuck shed near the nose/mouth (which could explain the soaking, come to think of it), or it could be a sign of stress. Again, if anything comes back, have her checked out.