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Thread: Soaking boa?

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    Soaking boa?

    Maybe I’m a bit neurotic however just want to make sure all is ok and it’s my first boa sooo...
    last night she crawled into her water bowl after sitting in the same spot for about 3 days or so. And haven’t left her water bowl since. I read online it can be because too high heat, mites or not enough humidity or they’re going into shed. Well good news is that I don’t see any mites in the water. Temperature seems fine in there with a degree of 78 at the floor (it’s a taller tank 18x18x24, and she initially seemed to like hanging out higher up in the tank). Humidity seem ok, I do have to spray constantly as I’ve been running my CHE as a hot spot since she doesn’t seem interested I going into her hide where the UTH is. Still looking for a better option than CHE as they just frickin zap the humidity. Most of the time I’m able to keep humidity at 50-70% through spraying. Could always toss in some moss too.

    mayyybe she is going into shed, hard to tell really. She could have been dehydrated from her trip here and I also didn’t notice her moving from her spot for the first days although she could have done it when I didn’t see as I left her alone for most of the time with small little checking to see she was ok Any thoughts?

    Last edited by EmiLee; 11-16-2019 at 03:24 PM.

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    Re: Soaking boa?

    Great looking leopard.
    Did you get any paperwork with feeding record, last shed cycle etc
    Mine always have, if it's been about 5/6 weeks it's hopefully just a shed cycle due
    As you already said your temps are fine and hopefully it isn't mites
    Mine often like a soak especially when younger

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    Last edited by richardhind1972; 11-16-2019 at 03:34 PM.

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    EmiLee (11-16-2019)

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    Re: Soaking boa?

    I don’t know when her last she cycle was just emailed the seller to ask. She came from a online/storefront type reptile seller/pet shop I believe which got originally got her from Vin Russo. Yes hope it’s just a shed cycle. She does fluctuate a LOT in color I noticed but someone said that’s normal for boas.

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    Re: Soaking boa?

    What are you using to measure temperature and humidity (a digital thermometer/hygrometer, stick-on dial, etc.)? What are the temps on the warm side like? While neither of the gauges I mentioned are 100% accurate, the dials can be pretty off sometimes. It's also hard to build a proper thermal gradient in an enclosure of the size you mentioned (18" L x 18" W x 24" H). Taken together, there's a chance the addition of the CHE may be overheating/drying out the enclosure more than you think.

    When you finally decide to have her out and hold her, doing a quick look-over for mites wouldn't be a bad idea. Not seeing any in the bowls and paper towels is a good sign, but you never know! Pay close attention to the areas around her eyes and vent -- mites like to hang out there.

    The addition of a humid hide with moss is a good idea. I'll second Richard's suggestion of getting records of previous feedings and sheds from her breeder if you can -- those are a good thing to have on hand regardless of problems.

    The soaking could also be a personality thing. Some snakes just like soaking in their water bowls. My Sonoran girl couldn't care less about hers, regardless of humidity. On a related note, she may just be taking her time utilizing her hides. My girl took two weeks to go into the first of the three hides and only truly started utilizing all three of them about two weeks ago. Just give your girl some more time to settle in and get used to her new enclosure. She's looking good otherwise!

    EDIT: Could you remind me how old your girl is? If the person you got her from got her from one of Vin's 2019 litters, then she's been through a lot. Vin told me all his Sonoran leopard litters were born in early August this year when I got my girl. Two big shipping trips -- especially one as rough as the one she took to get to you -- is a lot for a three-month old boa.
    Last edited by WrongPython; 11-16-2019 at 04:12 PM.
    0.1 Sonoran Boa sigma​: "Adelita" ('19 Hypo het. leopard)
    1.0 Boa imperator longicauda: "Kuzco" ('19 het. anery)
    0.1 West Papuan Morelia spilota​: "Pandora" ('20)

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    Re: Soaking boa?

    Double and triple check for mites.


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    Re: Soaking boa?

    Hi! Thank you so much for your response! Kind of considering shutting the CHE off for now and just leaving the UTH on and then when she needs the extra heat beyond the ambient temp she can find it.

    I just got a response from the seller, and I am so glad I got this extra info. Because I thought she was a 2018 baby from a miss communication before. Now they told me she was born in April-May of this year. So hope this is the correct info this time otherwise I might have to reach out to Vin to get the correct info on her. She was on their page this las July thats when I saw her for the first time and wrote them, so she is definitely not born in August. She weighs around 200 gram. Her last shed cycle was 2 weeks ago so wouldn't think she's due to shed again.

    As for what I measure temps with: I have a digital thermometer/hygrometer. As well as a temp gun.

    I did turn down the CHE considerably so hopefully that might make a difference for her in heat/humidity.

    Or like you said, maybe its just her personality and she likes taking a soak.

    Will definitely check for mites when I take her out, just letting her settle in for a few more days though and then feed her as she is originally due to feed this weekend.

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    There are many ways to raise a boa and a person willing to micro-manage an enclosure may get by with less than 'great' but the problem is a new keeper's interpretation of 'great' and unfortunately most care sheets have flaws which facilitate starting off on the wrong foot.

    Things that don't make the list of working well: A che, heat lamp, converted fish tanks, screen tops, slick flooring, direct lighting, swimming pools, too large of an enclosure for a young boa.

    Sure, folks have done all those things, me included (this is how I know) ...and had a boa eat, poop, shed, grow, even reproduce. -Those measures tell you only that you have provided just enough to keep something alive and none of those things require 'great' care.

    While a boa may enjoy a soak from time to time, one that continuously chooses to be in the pool is doing so for a reason and continuous use opens the door for sickness and death. A boa is dragging bacteria into the pool. The pool is warm and the bacteria grows. Then the boa drinks from the pool...

    In my experience pool use is correctable by providing the proper environment which includes more than just proper temps. What a boa chooses, where a boa chooses to be in its environment, its body position while resting and other things are more telling then eating, pooping and growing.

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    I just had a go around with mites on my Suriname bcc. Noticed the problem when she started soaking. I didn’t see them in her water at first either. I knew my temps were fine and humidity was good. Yet she persistently soaked. Checked her about half a dozen times before I finally found the mites. Had her out one day and seen one crawling on my arm. Then noticed one on her head. Keep checking. Their evasive at times.

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    So update on this: yesterday I took her out of the water bowl as I wanted to change he water out. Fed her and she ate. She hung out on her perch all day yesterday. Late night went back into watebowl and then this morning came out and went back to perch. So at least it’s not a non stop soaking and she does come out on her own. Will keep checking for mites. There was some tiny black specks on paper towels, think they’re just some dirt though as I looked at them through a magnifying glass and didn’t look like a bug.

    Thanks for all the responses and help. I am eternally grateful for all the amazing people on this forum that has helped me with my first BP and my first boa

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    Re: Soaking boa?

    If you see black flecks on paper towel you can crush them to see if they spread out red like a parasite or stay solid like dirt/ substrate from any old enclosures. Look around the areas like the eye socket and vent and see if they look unusual.
    Derek

    7 adult Royals (2.5), 1.0 COS Pastel, 1.0 Enchi, 1.1 Lesser platty Royal python, 1.1 Black pastel Royal python, 0.1 Blue eyed leucistic ( Super lesser), 0.1 Piebald Royal python, 1.0 Sinaloan milk snake 1.0 crested gecko and 1 bad case of ETS. no wife, no surprise.

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