Possible health issue, possibly nothing? Please help.

[Huge Noob]

Hi there. I have a Brazilian Rainbow Boa, juvenile, male. He's about 2 ft long and as big around as my thumb.

Suddenly his behavior has changed. He seeks out one of the coldest spots in his enclosure, he curls up underneath the water bowl on the cold side of the tank.

When I pick him up, he feels cold. Also, his breathing seems labored / heavy. Like his body is very noticeably expanding / contracting with each breath. When I pick him up he seems fine otherwise, he displays a fairly normal amount of energy, and he doesn't have any weird behaviors going on.

Is this normal behavior for a BRB, or is something wrong?

Thanks!

[Albert Clark]

What type of enclosure are you keeping him in? How long have you had him? What are your husbandry numbers like(ie: temps on cool side, hot, and humidity)? Substrate? Sounds like he may be stressed about something but what? That is why we need to start with your husbandry. :blink: :blink:

[prairiepanda]

How long have you had him? And has anything about your routine or the room he's in changed shortly before he started acting strange?

Is it possible that your heat source has malfunctioned? Do you have a temperature gun or some other alternative device to double check the temperatures around the enclosure?

[Huge Noob]

What type of enclosure are you keeping him in? How long have you had him? What are your husbandry numbers like(ie: temps on cool side, hot, and humidity)? Substrate? Sounds like he may be stressed about something but what? That is why we need to start with your husbandry. :blink: :blink:

He's in a 10 gallon glass aquarium. There's an under tank heater that is the sole heat source. There's mulch for the substrate. Also, I built him a damp hide out of a piece of tupperware, it's about half mulch and half spaghum moss. The hide rests right on top of the UTH. I have been able to maintain a humidity in the general tank of about 80%-90%. The tank has a screen top, but I used a piece of parchment paper top mostly seal it, with some small holes in the paper for airflow. All temps throughout the enclosure seem to always be in the mid 70s, I have a laser thermometer I have taken multiple readings with.

How long have you had him? And has anything about your routine or the room he's in changed shortly before he started acting strange?

Is it possible that your heat source has malfunctioned? Do you have a temperature gun or some other alternative device to double check the temperatures around the enclosure?

I've had him about a month or so. Nothing strange in the routine. He actually belongs to my son, he handles the snake 2-3 days a week, and never after feeding.

Pretty sure the UTH is functioning properly, when I get home tonight I can take some readings.

Thanks in advance for the help!

[Snakesitter]

Welcome to the forum, Huge Noob!

Brazilians should have a temp range of 82F warm end to 72F low end. Glass tanks hold temps poorly, so it may be that your nighttime ambient temps are falling too low. If so, add insulation to three of the four sides.

Your humidity is spot on, but I would replace the paper cover with a plexiglass one -- they are quick and cheap at any hardware store. Just tell them the size you need, which should cover the entire top (just add a very few holes).

Check the snake for any signs of a respiratory infection -- bubbles, froth, wheezing or popping noises as he breathes.

Good luck, and please keep us posted!

[Albert Clark]

Make sure the uth is regulated , and that you can set the temperature on the thermostat. This is very important! Brazilian boas are mainly arboreal species so try to get vines for him to climb on. Look into a "versa top" for your enclosure it will solve the lower temps along with the thermostat. "Versa tops" are dual glass folding panes that come with a plastic attachment that slides onto the glass edge and covers the enclosure. You can put holes in the plastic to facilitate air flow. I think you just need to tweak the husbandry and you should be good. :blink:

[Huge Noob]

Welcome to the forum, Huge Noob!

Brazilians should have a temp range of 82F warm end to 72F low end. Glass tanks hold temps poorly, so it may be that your nighttime ambient temps are falling too low. If so, add insulation to three of the four sides.

Your humidity is spot on, but I would replace the paper cover with a plexiglass one -- they are quick and cheap at any hardware store. Just tell them the size you need, which should cover the entire top (just add a very few holes).

Check the snake for any signs of a respiratory infection -- bubbles, froth, wheezing or popping noises as he breathes.

Good luck, and please keep us posted!

Hmm, ok, but I guess my question is, if the temps were too low, wouldn't he seek warmth? What's got me worried is he is seeking out the coldest area of the entire tank, and staying there the whole day?

[reptiledude987]

they know what temps they need. As long as its providided with the proper temp range it knows what it needs. Ususally you they will find them on the warm after they eat. after a few days of digestion they typically go to the cool side to lower metabolism rates.

[Albert Clark]

Well, that makes me think the warm side may be too warm???? You don't know how warm it is if that uth isn't hooked up to a thermostat. Its probably too hot! He would seek warmth if temps are too low but if the warm side is too hot he may not. Move the substrate and check the temperature of the glass over the area where the uth is and see what reading you get.

[Huge Noob]

Make sure the uth is regulated , and that you can set the temperature on the thermostat. This is very important! Brazilian boas are mainly arboreal species so try to get vines for him to climb on. Look into a "versa top" for your enclosure it will solve the lower temps along with the thermostat. "Versa tops" are dual glass folding panes that come with a plastic attachment that slides onto the glass edge and covers the enclosure. You can put holes in the plastic to facilitate air flow. I think you just need to tweak the husbandry and you should be good. :blink:

I have some logs that run across the tank, the snake has never been on them, at least that I've ever seen. I know they are a bit nocturnal, so for all I know he's all over the place at night. I'll look into the versa top for my next enclosure. I figure he'll outgrown this one in a couple more months so I'm trying to not put any more money into it.

they know what temps they need. As long as its providided with the proper temp range it knows what it needs. Ususally you they will find them on the warm after they eat. after a few days of digestion they typically go to the cool side to lower metabolism rates.

OK, this is exactly what happened. He stayed in his hide on the warm side after eating for about a day, then hid in the cold part for about 2 days after.

[reptiledude987]

Good thats normal. Just double check your temp gradient and all should be fine if its in proper range.

[Albert Clark]

Is the uth on a thermostat?

[Huge Noob]

Is the uth on a thermostat?

The UTH is not on a thermostat. The damp hide rests right on top of it, so he cannot dig down and touch it directly.

[Albert Clark]

OK, that is part of your issue and his behavior. The warm side is more than likely too hot for him. Just get a thermostat or at least a dimmer to control the amount of heat coming off the uth. Good luck.

[Snakesitter]

Respectfully, for the record, Brazilian Rainbows are not generally arboreal. They will climb, especially as babies (to escape predation I guess?), but as adults are primarily terrestrial.

I agree that the issue may be the warm end is too hot for him. These snakes like it cooler, and his avoidance of the warm end may be his way of telling you he does not like it. A temp gun should confirm. Even if it is not overly warm, however, I would add a thermostat to guard against tragedy. A customer of mine recently lost several of her baby rainbows due to overheating. :-(

Good luck!

[Huge Noob]

Hey thanks to all of you. Mostly it's reassuring that nothing too serious is going on.

This snake isn't mine, it's my 10 yr old son's. He really wanted it, he saved up his Christmas and Birthday money and bought it! So, I'm trying to be super vigilant and make sure it stays healthy. If this snake got sick and died, my kiddo would be crushed.

The snake ate on Monday night, as I'm writing this, he's still in his damp hide that rests on the UTH.. and he's been there since shortly after feeding. So I'm keeping an eye out, but I'm optimistic that everything is OK.

Thanks to everyone for the help and I'll keep you updated!

[Snakesitter]

Good news, and please do!

[Huge Noob]

Hey all. Seems to have been nothing at all. Dave the snake is fine.

Hopefully all goes well and I can start scanning the cage building forum soon!!

One thing - I have some tank decorations, a couple of logs. They keep getting moldy and I pull them out. Is this an unavoidable issue because of the humidity and temp, or is there some way to have that stuff in there?

[reptiledude987]

I had that issue in my viv for my etb and what i did was raised the sticks with mega blocks lol to keep them off the substrate and it solved the mold issue.

[Snakesitter]

Depends on the wood. Some types will mold in any humid environment. Try dabbing the area with bleach and then rinsing/drying.

[reptiledude987]

Depends on the wood. Some types will mold in any humid environment. Try dabbing the area with bleach and then rinsing/drying.
Thats true. In my case it was just developing where the wood sat on the substrate. Once elevated the mold stopped completly.

[Snakesitter]

Lucky guy! (And creative solution!)

[Albert Clark]

Respectfully, for the record, Brazilian Rainbows are not generally arboreal. They will climb, especially as babies (to escape predation I guess?), but as adults are primarily terrestrial.

I agree that the issue may be the warm end is too hot for him. These snakes like it cooler, and his avoidance of the warm end may be his way of telling you he does not like it. A temp gun should confirm. Even if it is not overly warm, however, I would add a thermostat to guard against tragedy. A customer of mine recently lost several of her baby rainbows due to overheating. :-(

Good luck!

Thanks for the correction on arboreal vs. terrestrial.

[Huge Noob]

In this case, the wood was developing mold and nowhere near the ground. It was probably 4 inches or so above the cage floor. I think it's because I live in Oregon and it's moldy here. If you leave anything out in your garage and wet, it will mold. Same goes in the back of your car.

I am seeing a pretty normal pattern from the snake. He eats, sits on a warm spot for a couple days, then off to a cold spot after.

*Disclaimer* I tend to overdo things. No, really.

Has anyone even tried to build a cage for this kind of snake that is a living vivarium? I want to do a real showpiece. I was wondering if the floor was a bed of moss how that would work out. Plus I'm thinking it needs a waterfall into a pool big enough for soaking.

[Huge Noob]

Also forgot to mention he is getting much more aggressive about feeding. The first few weeks I would introduce prey and it could take hours for the snake to strike. Now I can't even get the lid back on the enclosure before he strikes. It's nice to see the little guy growing and getting more comfortable.

[Snakesitter]

No worries, lots of older rainbow care sheets get both this and temp ranges wrong.