My new girl just died. Posting for info.

[JimJam]

I bought a young hypo boa who had the coolest personality. She was so gentle, never stuck, and was curious and would even boop my nose as she was exploring her world. She was about 2 ft long and seemed a little thin, but not disturbingly so. Brought her home and gave her a fantastic terrarium and always kept an eye on her daily. She ate often, but not always when offered. Then she ate less often. Then she started using hides, when she never did the first 6 weeks I had her.

One morning i noticed she had she had folds on the sides of her running the length of her body. She kept refusing food. A trip to the vet was made. The vet said she had no parasites, no blockages, and was just under weight, but otherwise fine. Took her home and she ate the following day! Success! ...then two days later I woke up to a dead snake. 😢

I looked all over searching for info about folds on the side of the snakes skin. I found one thing, and it was a post about a corn snake who died three days after the owner recognized it. I saw her drinking, so she wasn't dehydrated. I'm just bummed and was so happy with this beautiful animal (my first boa). So if anybody notices folds on their new snake, don't take it lightly. Don't let the vet send you home thinking things are ok. Ask for every check they have available. I wish I did. They did no imaging. Just a PSA I guess since I couldn't find anything on it when I looked.

[JimJam]

[Meerna]

Oh no, I'm sorry for your loss.

[Albert Clark]

Very sad. Was the vet an accredited one? Accredited by the American Animal Hospital Association? Also was the vet truly A exotic vet with a Diplomat and Board certification? Sudden death in reptiles happens and needs much more research however you have to begin with a qualified exotic vet. If your vet was accredited then a necropsy is another consideration at this point. My condolences go out to you.

[Sauzo]

Sorry for the death. Problem with reptiles is they are very good at hiding an illness. They do this since in the wild, a sick animal is food. So usually by the time you see signs its already too late. That's why you want to keep your husbandry spot on and keep up with it.

And not to pry into it but did the folds disappear when you got to the vet or something? And my advice is find a vet before you need one. They are worth their weight in gold. My vet has saved Allison when she somehow ingested some Provent-A-Mite and has treated my beardie and Colombian BCi over the years.

Seems weird your boa ate with no regurgitation and then just died. Usually a sick snake wont eat. Maybe some chemical poisoning? I mean its all guessing unless you have a necropsy done.

[JimJam]

I live in west Texas and there are apparently no vets who specialize in snakes. Because a lot of people own them here, they certainly treat them. My python was taken to a different vet. We rescued him as a baby with mites, ticks, and parasites. It Took a while but we got him healthy and happy. However I didn't revisit that vet because of how rough she handled him. While being handled he released all fluids (A shocking amount) and I think it was because of how rough the vet was. Oh well, he has at least tripled in size since then and is a happy guy. As far as my boa goes, the vet seemed knowledgeable but idk about any accreditation she did or didn't have. Now I have an empty terrarium...so next time I will be prepared and will find a good vet. Hopefully one with an accreditation that's trustworthy.

And no the folds did not disappear when at the vet. She said it was a sign of dehydration/malnutrition from her not eating.

[JimJam]

Thanks for your condolences everybody. I have to say it really surprised me how emotionally I reacted to a snake dying. I never thought I would be so attached.

I too was surprised that she ate. I offered everyday for a while. She didn't eat until I offered a mouse fuzzy which is obviously way too small. But she struck at it defensively and I left it near her. Came back in an hour and it was gone. Husbandry was spot on. When I bought her she was in a tank with a tree boa, both lying on top of each other. Should've been my first clue. But she seemed well and happy the first few weeks.