Must Read!!!!!!!!!!!

[SaKSTa]

A month and a half ago i purchesed my baby red tail boa. It started to shed a week after I bought it. It shed the skin on her face fine, but at the neck it stopped. it has been 5 weeks now and she hasnet finished shedding. I went to my local rep store, ( LLL Reptile ) they said for me to soak her three times a day, so I did that for two weeks, than i bought shed aid and applied that directly on her, and in water for her to soak. nither worked. I have done everything to help her shed, humidity is high and everything. The skin is stuck and it wont come off!

Also she never eats her fuzzy's right. the first time she ate it sideways, second and third time backwards. What she does is put the whole fuzzy in her mouth, but it gets stuck or something. she will leave the fuzzy in her mouth for 2 hours and eventually swallow it. But today I got a pinki thinking maybe they were to big, but she did the same thing and had the pinki in her mouth for 5 hours, than she threw it back up. I feal bad for this snake cause something is really wrong. I feel that i am not the one to help her so i am returning her for another one. but I feel bad!! The rep store will deal with her better than I could.

What do you all think??

[king_ding_a_ling]

Re: Must Read!!!!!!!!!!!

When I purchased my first red tail boa,she was a young one.I think 2 months old or so.When I went to feed her,she killed the mouse and started to eat it side ways.Then she tried from the tail to eat it.and then from the other side.I swear,I tha7ught I had a retarted snake.3 or 4 times of feeding her,she would continue to do the same thing.Then she just stopped trying to eat the pinky from the side.Itwas wierd.My opinion for you is to take the boa back for an exchange.Iv had to do that before because I got a violent redtail that would bite me every chance it had.So I exchaned it for another red tail...goodluck.

[SaKSTa]

Re: Must Read!!!!!!!!!!!

Hey thanks alot, I am going there right now.

Peace M.O.B

[Guest]

I Re: Must Read!!!!!!!!!!!

I had a problem with my Boa regurgitating its food for the first month but it eventualy stopped. It was just stressed out from the move and all that typical stuff. My Boa has only regurgitated because was stressed from the move and getting used to the new home, and it regurtitated once from eating more than one food item at one time. It now gets fed one food item a week. It hasn't regurtated since the month I got it. which was February.

I had a similar shedding problem with my Ball Python. She went into a shed about a week after I had got her and she just didn't even attempt to she the skin past the head. I guess she got a case of the lazies. So I eventually just had to pull the old skin off myself. She isn't that lazy any more but she sheds in pieces so I still have to remove some of her old skin when she goes into a shed but I don't mind. She also had a problem of not getting the eye cap off of her right eye, but she eventualy figured out how to rub her head right so it would come off.

She is now 30 inches in length and is eating small rats. It's funny to watch thought because she will try to eat it sideways but she obviously fails to eat it, so then she will set there and just stare at it for a few seconds looking puzzled and then she starts checking the dead rat out and eventually either find the head or tail and gets it down.

I don't know if your problem could be the boa is stressed or if its a more serious problem, but I would say if you are sure it isn't stress related then just trade it in.

[SaKSTa]

Re: Must Read!!!!!!!!!!!

Its more than stress, cause the old skin is still stuck after 5 weeks of shedding. I cant peel it off, its really stuck. Right now she is at the Rep. Store and they said to come back and if they cant get it off one of the wrokers said she would trade hers for mine.

Peace M.O.B

[Larry]

Re: Must Read!!!!!!!!!!!

Maybe I can "shed" some light on these topics (sorry...couldn't resist the pun).

First, for the eating.....the 3 snakes I have owned had never gotten it right the first time. My corn snake is 7 months old and still fumbles around a bit until she finally finds the head. My ball was the same way.

Shedding.....Both my Ball and corn had bad sheds when I first got them. I think this was related to two issues..stress and humidity. The stress issue usually works itself out quickly...humidiity is another story. Both of these snakes (and boas, too) require better then 50% RH.....I'm able to keep humidity in both of thier tanks at a good level by using tupperware containers filled with sphagnum moss in each tank. I have a hole cut into the lids to allow the mositure into the tank and for the snakes to go into the box when they feel the need. I used this method when I had my boa too. None of my snakes have ever soaked in the water bowls. My boa did until I started using this box. It works great and I always have great sheds.

If your snake still has old shed on it...don't panic yet. It may all come off with the next shed.

Hope some of this gibberish helps!

Larry

[king_ding_a_ling]

Re: Must Read!!!!!!!!!!!

Sooooo,you have the sphagnum moss in a box so the snakes can go in it when they're about to shed???Have all the sheds been perfect?

[kahaj]

Re: Must Read!!!!!!!!!!!

As for the eating, rember young snakes are like human babies. They have to learn to eat properly, just like our kids do. I had an Everglades Ratsnake that ate her first few backwards.

And on the shed: be sure to check your humidty levels on a regular basis. If they're alright, then more than likely your snake's shed should be alright. If not, here's what's always worked very well for me: Get a pillowcase & a warm washcloth. Put the snake & washcloth in the pillowcase & place it in the enclsore overnight near the heat source. By morning, they've always shed for me.

[SaKSTa]

Re: Must Read!!!!!!!!!!!

i WENT TO PICK HER UP AND THEY GOT BARELY ANY SKIN OFF, THERE IS LIKE 2 SHEDS STUCK ON THERE, SO SHE HAS LIKE THREE SKINS ON HER. oops sorry for caps. They soaked her for 4 hours and tried to peel it off, and only got a little past the neck. and for the eating, she gets it fine, its just like she is choking on it, but she isnt cause she will eventually swallows it. But that shedding is really weird, and it wont come off on the next shed cause its been on there for two sheds already. She has got to have some type on skin problem. But I am going back tomarrow mourning and talking to the worker that wants to trade me. So I will see what happenes.

Peace M.O.B

[SaKSTa]

Re: Must Read!!!!!!!!!!!

Dammmnnnnnnn.........

Got my new Red Tail this mourning and it is the most colorfull one I have ever seen! Its is really light in color and has pink on its sides and tail. ( Very visible pink ) And very mellow. I will try and get pics so I can post them in the future.

Peace M.O.B
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[Larry]

Re: Must Read!!!!!!!!!!!

Sooooo,you have the sphagnum moss in a box so the snakes can go in it when they're about to shed???Have all the sheds been perfect?

Both of my snakes have had perfect sheds since I starting using these boxes. They have been working great!