Bad :'(

[icygirl]

This post is about a baby Columbian boa in the Petco I work at that is having a terrible time. At some point the vet determined that it was infested with parasites. It is terribly weak; last week I handled it gently just to observe the poor thing, and I placed it back on his log afterwards, and a minute later the snake actually fell off the log... It regurgitated a meal and I'm not sure if it's eaten since. Yesterday, one of the associates doing the back room noticed he had a mouthful of substrate. Dry eco-earth! I ended up having to pull out the majority of the substrate with tweezers (he had not fully swallowed it, I think it was stuck anyways). He is so weak it's sad. Don't ask me why the eco-earth was dry in the first place!!! (Grr)

So here's the deal... before I tweezered the dirt out, his lower jaw looked swollen on one side. After I got most of the dirt away, it looked even more swollen on both sides. He's going to the vet tomorrow, but I was wondering if anyone had experience with eating substrate and impaction in snakes. I have dealt with it with bearded dragons but I have never seen a snake eat its substrate before. Why do you think he did that...?

[tobiasking]

I have no idea honestly, please someone help this poor RTB out!!

[Sausage]

Well, it probably didn't just flat out eat the substrate, it probably got on the mouse, which it then ate, getting it in its mouth. If the snake has parasites, it needs to be treated for those before being fed... was it like mites on it or something internal?

Anyway, hopefully a boa expert will get in here, as I sure as heck ain't one.

[frankykeno]

It needs to see a good herp vet and it needs to be fully quarantined from other store stock as well as employees that handle it using quarantine procedures so that if it has anything infectious it does not move to other snakes, especially those up for sale. I assume this snake is not in the display area of the store?

[icygirl]

The snake is by itself and quarantined in the back of the store. Supposed to be going to the herp vet today. But it wasn't being fed at the time of the incident