Colombian Rainbow Boa Won’t Eat. Tried Everything. Need Help.

[Umbrax]

My Colombian rainbow Boa won’t eat no matter what I do. I got him one month ago from bhb reptiles as a baby and I did everything everyone says to do when you first get a snake. I had the enclosure setup prior with proper temps and a numerous amount of hides, and when I got him I put him in and left him alone for a week before even attempting to feed him. After a week I tried feeding a fuzzy to him and he showed absolutely no interest, I waited a few days and then tried again, still nothing. He doesn’t even acknowledge it. So after that I waited a week and tried again, this time braining the mouse, heating it up hot, and coating it in chicken broth. Still nothing. No interest. I’ve tried once every 3 days from then, trying new methods i find online to no avail. It’s been a little over a month now and the snake still shows absolutely no interest in food. The tempts are where they need to be, cool side 75 hot spot 85-87. Humidity is always over 70%. in addition, the snake shed fully and nicely with eye caps a week after I got him so I know he’s not in shed currently. I cant try rats because they are too big for him, even pinkies. Here’s a full list of the things I’ve already tried:

Braining the mouse, Blow drying the mouse, Scenting the mouse, Cutting open the belly of the mouse, moving the snake to a smaller enclosure with more hides to help with security, leaving the mouse overnight, placing the snake into a small tub with the mouse overnight, wetting the mouse in very hot water prior to offering, offering smaller and larger sized mice of different colors.

What the hell am I supposed to do now. I’m scared for my snake, and I just want him to eat so I know he’s ok. This whole thing is stressing me out. I’ve made absolute sure my husbandry is on point and I did a TON of research before getting the snake in the first place so what in the world could I be doing wrong.

[Albert Clark]

Well, don't stress out. Remember these snakes are built to go without food for some time. I would try and get the humidity up and over 80% first. Then i would refrain from so many feeding attempts and give the little guy a break from that. Consider contacting BHB and finding out exactly how the animal was housed and what they were feeding him. Make sure the animal has fresh water.

[TRD]

Well BHB keeps their animals in tiny boxes, so moving it suddenly to a larger size may require a bit more time for the animal to adjust. Just let it be, he'll get around and start feeding. They can go long without food, no need to worry.

[SnoopySnake]

Pics of the enclosure and size of the snake? Don't offer food so often, that will just stress it out. Is it losing weight? 87 is a bit warm for rainbow boas, even colombians. I'd lower your hot spot to 84 at the most. I also would try to keep the humidity around 80%+, just make sure it's humid without soaking the enclosure.

[Umbrax]

I'll post a picture when I get home from work today, but I can give you some info on how it's setup until then. Its a 10 gallon glass aquarium with a mixture of cyprus mulch and sphagnum moss as the substrate (about 1 inch so he can burrow). The humidity in my house is already 60-70% so by misting in the morning and night I can keep humidity constantly above 80%. Yes I am aware that glass tanks aren't recommended, and originally I had him in an 110 qt rubbermaid tub but I temporarily moved him to the smaller glass tank to help him feel more secure, and I'll move him back to the tub once he gets a little bit bigger and starts eating. As far as I can tell he isn't loosing any weight, I don't have a scale to measure though. One thing I have noticed is that he's not really using his mouth at all. He's almost too docile I guess? It's hard to explain. When I first got him he snapped at everything that moved, but now, he wont even attempt to bite me If my hand is right in front of his face. Usually you'd consider this a good thing, but its got me worried there might be something wrong with his mouth or jaw. I also almost never see him out of hiding, and I've never seen him drink or soak in his water bowl. For heating I've got 2 small zoomed heat pads covering about half the cage, but they don't heat the cage up enough so I've also got a purple/red heat lamp pointed towards the hot spot. All of the heating equipment is connected to a thermostat set to 85 F. Oh, and every time I try to offer him a mouse, he runs away from the mouse and tries to get out of the enclosure. I'd assume this is stress related? I've got 2 hides, one log hide on the warm side, and one DIY hide made out of tupperware with a fake plant inside of it on the cold side.

[DJC Reptiles]

Continue to offer food every five days, your boa should decide to eat at some point. It doesn't seem you have any problems with your husbandry just try not to worry. Also, make sure you're not handling your snake at all, until the boa is on a steady feeding schedule. Make sure to get a scale, they are pretty cheap on Amazon. If you are worried about your snake not drinking you can place him in a container with water (don't drown him, he should still be able to comftorably rest his body without his snout underwater. You can place a rock in the container to do this). This isn't necessary but it won't hurt your snake and is just a precautionary measure. Preferably don't move your snake until he is eating regularly. Just because the snake is not using its mouth does not mean there is something wrong with it. Snakes usually will not bite and instead will just try to "run" away. My advice is to not be to worried, when I was first starting as a snake keeper I would look at every little tiny thing with my snakes. I learned snakes are living animals, and not every snake will act or look the same as someone else's. Don't bother the snake until they eat, it is better to feed in the enclosure they are in, then a separate feeding enclosure.

[Albert Clark]

Well BHB keeps their animals in tiny boxes, so moving it suddenly to a larger size may require a bit more time for the animal to adjust. Just let it be, he'll get around and start feeding. They can go long without food, no need to worry.

Well, i disagree with your statement about BHB and their keeping of animals in "tiny boxes"... Just not true. Brian and Lori's reptile facility is mainly rack systems and large glass and wooden enclosures for the retics and larger constrictor species. He (Brian) keeps all his hatchlings in appropriate sized hatchling racks.

[TRD]

You're kidding right...? Tiny boxes, no light, no nothing. Some form of substrate and a water bowl.

http://thereptilereport.com/assets/eddesk-sbtv-04-planningtheshot.jpg

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/f2/7b/4a/f27b4a42787f3d739e5be75faa63809c.jpg

http://www.sareptiles.co.za/gallery/albums/userpics/16508/IMG_2381.JPG

...can post 100's more if you want. Internet is literally swarmed with his line breeding factory pictures.

I find that highly inadequate, and sends a very wrong image towards the hobby on how to keep your reptiles.

[Umbrax]

Here is a picture of my current setup: http://i.imgur.com/8nJLlT6.jpg

[TRD]

Ok, to help your guy settling in, for starters put some sheets of pref black paper on the sides and back. From the snake's perspective this "new world" may feel wide in the open. Baby snakes are prey animals to many predators. Once he gets feeding you can start removing the sheets again one by one.

It may help to put some branches diagonal into it, so there's something "overhead" and hang those fake leaves over that, or get another bunch to hang over them. He may also like to climb on them, he may feel more secure under it.

He should get plenty of "peace" for now.

[Andy_G]

Well, i disagree with your statement about BHB and their keeping of animals in "tiny boxes"... Just not true. Brian and Lori's reptile facility is mainly rack systems and large glass and wooden enclosures for the retics and larger constrictor species. He (Brian) keeps all his hatchlings in appropriate sized hatchling racks.

All I have to say about this Albert is I invite you to look into how he keeps his monitors, giants, and cribos for your own reference. The husbandry issues and lack of space for those specific species is really inexcusable and a prime example of what TRD is talking about. Grossly obese, nose rub and mouth rot all due to lack of space. I know Brian's got a target on his back because he is a bigger name in the hobby and perhaps not all of what people say is true about him, but this is. It may work for a lot of colubrids and some smaller boid species, but there are errors being made and it comes down to the dollars and cents.

[Umbrax]

Ok ill try the black sheets. As for the bhb thing, i know bhb has got some issues with their care, but i watched brians blog and saw that he was very passionate about his reptiles. Also, they were the only ones that had CRBs in stock, otherwise i wouldve chosen another breede just because i personally prefer buying from smaller breeders because the massive breeders tend to lose quality as the amount of animals increases. Not always, but i see it a lot. Anyways, ill post an update soon letting you all know if hes eaten or not. Thanks a bunch for the help.

[Albert Clark]

You're kidding right...? Tiny boxes, no light, no nothing. Some form of substrate and a water bowl.

http://thereptilereport.com/assets/eddesk-sbtv-04-planningtheshot.jpg

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/f2/7b/4a/f27b4a42787f3d739e5be75faa63809c.jpg

http://www.sareptiles.co.za/gallery/albums/userpics/16508/IMG_2381.JPG

...can post 100's more if you want. Internet is literally swarmed with his line breeding factory pictures.

I find that highly inadequate, and sends a very wrong image towards the hobby on how to keep your reptiles.
Well, no I am not kidding. I see no "tiny boxes" as you call them. What I do see is multiple ARS racks with a tub that has water dish and a Sani chips substrate. The retic is on a newspaper substrate. The python looks to be on a Repti bark / orchid bark combo. He has fluorescent lighting in the aisles. Also , I believe most of his animals are for sale and not his personal pets. I have been purchasing animals from Brian for years and never had one with any issues at all. They all have been healthy and are some of my most productive breeders.

[Albert Clark]

All I have to say about this Albert is I invite you to look into how he keeps his monitors, giants, and cribos for your own reference. The husbandry issues and lack of space for those specific species is really inexcusable and a prime example of what TRD is talking about. Grossly obese, nose rub and mouth rot all due to lack of space. I know Brian's got a target on his back because he is a bigger name in the hobby and perhaps not all of what people say is true about him, but this is. It may work for a lot of colubrids and some smaller boid species, but there are errors being made and it comes down to the dollars and cents.

Andy, I have been dealing with Brian for years. He has quality animals and if there are isolated issues with some people I can stand up and say it's bound to be a few. Grossly obese, nose rub, mouth rot and lack of space? Really? I doubt that. He's very well accomplished and a national and internationally known and respected breeder who I know has a handle on his collection. If there were gross inadequacies in his husbandry I am sure he would be on top of it.

[Albert Clark]

Ok ill try the black sheets. As for the bhb thing, i know bhb has got some issues with their care, but i watched brians blog and saw that he was very passionate about his reptiles. Also, they were the only ones that had CRBs in stock, otherwise i wouldve chosen another breede just because i personally prefer buying from smaller breeders because the massive breeders tend to lose quality as the amount of animals increases. Not always, but i see it a lot. Anyways, ill post an update soon letting you all know if hes eaten or not. Thanks a bunch for the help.

Once your husbandry is tweaked to the correct humidity and hide size just give the animal time to adjust to the enviornment. Triple check the temps and humidity daily until the animal begins to take food. Since he is a new acquisition it's always a good thing to refer back to the breeder for specifics when things arise concerning health and welfare of a animal that was purchased. It's not like he came from a big box store, you got him from a respected and reputable breeder.

[Albert Clark]

And don't do repeated food offerings as all that will do is reinforce refusals. As long as the animal has the proper enviornment and temperature, humidity consider a 7 to 8 day offering. Keep fresh water available so the animal can drink and soak. The cloaca is like a sponge and as the animal soaks he will take in water.

[DJC Reptiles]

Umbrax,

I will try not to talk about Brian Barczyk because that's not what this question was about, we can have a separate topic about that later. I don't see any major husbandry issues with your snakes enclosure. I would however recommend that you lower the humidity in his cage to ~65%. Colombian rainbow boas are well known to thrive in humidities much lower then what you would supply for a Brazilian raibow boa. This probably wouldn't cause the snake not to eat, but high humidity could cause a respiratory infection later if not dealt with properly. It looks like you provide a light in your snakes cage, may I ask what kind and how often is it on?

[Albert Clark]

Umbrax,

I will try not to talk about Brian Barczyk because that's not what this question was about, we can have a separate topic about that later. I don't see any major husbandry issues with your snakes enclosure. I would however recommend that you lower the humidity in his cage to ~65%. Colombian rainbow boas are well known to thrive in humidities much lower then what you would supply for a Brazilian raibow boa. This probably wouldn't cause the snake not to eat, but high humidity could cause a respiratory infection later if not dealt with properly. It looks like you provide a light in your snakes cage, may I ask what kind and how often is it on?

Statements were made during the flow of the thread that I felt the need to address and they centered around BHB. There are issues the OP wanted answers to and several members addressed them. 65% humidity percentage for a hatcling / juvenile Columbian Rainbow boa is too low, period. They don't thrive in sub optimal humidity percentages. It actually can contribute to inappetance as well as other illnesses. I'm pretty sure that I am staying on topic.

[DJC Reptiles]

Statements were made during the flow of the thread that I felt the need to address and they centered around BHB. There are issues the OP wanted answers to and several members addressed them. 65% humidity percentage for a hatcling / juvenile Columbian Rainbow boa is too low, period. They don't thrive in sub optimal humidity percentages. It actually can contribute to inappetance as well as other illnesses. I'm pretty sure that I am staying on topic.

Colombian rainbow boas are well documented to be good in humidity levels of 50%. I would never advocate this, but they are well known to thrive in low humidity situations. 65% would be fine for a hatchling but if you are uncomfortable keeping them in this low humidity, 75% would be a good choice. Just make sure the humidity never gets below 65% and never gets above 85%. Colombians are a lot tougher then Brazilians and will not die in this low humidity.

[SnoopySnake]

I'll post a picture when I get home from work today, but I can give you some info on how it's setup until then. Its a 10 gallon glass aquarium with a mixture of cyprus mulch and sphagnum moss as the substrate (about 1 inch so he can burrow). The humidity in my house is already 60-70% so by misting in the morning and night I can keep humidity constantly above 80%. Yes I am aware that glass tanks aren't recommended, and originally I had him in an 110 qt rubbermaid tub but I temporarily moved him to the smaller glass tank to help him feel more secure, and I'll move him back to the tub once he gets a little bit bigger and starts eating. As far as I can tell he isn't loosing any weight, I don't have a scale to measure though. One thing I have noticed is that he's not really using his mouth at all. He's almost too docile I guess? It's hard to explain. When I first got him he snapped at everything that moved, but now, he wont even attempt to bite me If my hand is right in front of his face. Usually you'd consider this a good thing, but its got me worried there might be something wrong with his mouth or jaw. I also almost never see him out of hiding, and I've never seen him drink or soak in his water bowl. For heating I've got 2 small zoomed heat pads covering about half the cage, but they don't heat the cage up enough so I've also got a purple/red heat lamp pointed towards the hot spot. All of the heating equipment is connected to a thermostat set to 85 F. Oh, and every time I try to offer him a mouse, he runs away from the mouse and tries to get out of the enclosure. I'd assume this is stress related? I've got 2 hides, one log hide on the warm side, and one DIY hide made out of tupperware with a fake plant inside of it on the cold side.

Does he flick his tongue? As I mentioned below my pair are 5 years old, I've only seen them drink a handful of times and yawn a couple times after eating in that time. Mine also do not soak, so I wouldn't worry about not seeing that behavior. They are very secretive, they will hide most of the time and typically come out at night. As far as being bitey, mine are very docile as well. When they first arrive they tend to be more defensive since its a new environment, everything is different and it will take some time to adjust. What are the temperatures in your house? I keep mine at an ambient around 75-77 (room temp) with a hot spot at 84. They hardly use the heat. Personally I might ditch the lamp if I were you and only use the heat mats, as long as your house stays a decent temperature. Are you offering food during the day or at night? When you offer food, try just poking the mouse into the hide so he isnt disturbed too much, and make sure the mouse is warm enough. May be a silly question but can I see a photo of the size mice you're offering compared to the snake?


Umbrax,

I will try not to talk about Brian Barczyk because that's not what this question was about, we can have a separate topic about that later. I don't see any major husbandry issues with your snakes enclosure. I would however recommend that you lower the humidity in his cage to ~65%. Colombian rainbow boas are well known to thrive in humidities much lower then what you would supply for a Brazilian raibow boa. This probably wouldn't cause the snake not to eat, but high humidity could cause a respiratory infection later if not dealt with properly. It looks like you provide a light in your snakes cage, may I ask what kind and how often is it on?

I'm disagreeing with this. I have kept my colombian rainbows in 90%+ humidity their entire lives and never an issue. They are now going on 5 years old and currently breeding. RI and scale rot comes from soaking bedding and unsanitary conditions. If OP can maintain high humidity without soaking the substrate the snakes will be fine. 50-60% is too low for a juvenile rainbow boa no matter the species.

[Umbrax]

Ok sorry for the delay in answering. Had some stuff going on. The lamp is just a metal lamp I picked up from home depot with a 75W night time heat bulb in it. I'm using the lamp because the ambient temp in my home is usually only 69-70, and the heat pads alone can only heat the hot spot to around 75-76. The lamp allows me to hold the hot spot at around 85. It is controlled by the thermostat just like the mats, so it turns on and off periodically. I am trying to feed white fuzzy mice, I've tried ones that were about 2-3 inches, and ones that were a little smaller. Neither have shown any interest. I feel if I took a picture the camera would make the mice look bigger/smaller than they actually are. If my house was hotter, I wouldn't be using the heat lamp, but my family prefers the temp to be around 70. I try too feed only at night time and heat the mouse up prior. Yes, he does flick his tongue.

[SnoopySnake]

Ok sorry for the delay in answering. Had some stuff going on. The lamp is just a metal lamp I picked up from home depot with a 75W night time heat bulb in it. I'm using the lamp because the ambient temp in my home is usually only 69-70, and the heat pads alone can only heat the hot spot to around 75-76. The lamp allows me to hold the hot spot at around 85. It is controlled by the thermostat just like the mats, so it turns on and off periodically. I am trying to feed white fuzzy mice, I've tried ones that were about 2-3 inches, and ones that were a little smaller. Neither have shown any interest. I feel if I took a picture the camera would make the mice look bigger/smaller than they actually are. If my house was hotter, I wouldn't be using the heat lamp, but my family prefers the temp to be around 70. I try too feed only at night time and heat the mouse up prior. Yes, he does flick his tongue.

If you can I would advise leaving your heat mats on the thermostat and putting your lamp on a tabletop dimmer so that the temperature is steady and the lamp won't be turning on and off, the constant on and off can cause your bulbs to blow very quick. I guess my main advice would be to cut back to offering ever 7 days and if you are really worried you can try live. Try leaving the mouse in the enclosure overnight as well, he may be a little shy and not want to eat around you. I ask for a photo of the mice next to the snake to see if they are too big or too small for the snake is all.

[SnoopySnake]

Any update, tried feeding again?

[Umbrax]

So, I’ve got some good news, well I guess you could consider it good news. After offering a mouse today after waiting a week, he ran away from it as usual, but then an hour later I found him soaking in his water boal shedding his skin again. That explains a hell of a lot. He had already shed once 2 weeks ago, so I’m suprised he went into shed again so quickly. That might explain why he hasn’t had an interest in food for atleast the last week. I’m gonna try again in 2 days and see if he accepts the mouse now that he’s shed.

[SnoopySnake]

So, I’ve got some good news, well I guess you could consider it good news. After offering a mouse today after waiting a week, he ran away from it as usual, but then an hour later I found him soaking in his water boal shedding his skin again. That explains a hell of a lot. He had already shed once 2 weeks ago, so I’m suprised he went into shed again so quickly. That might explain why he hasn’t had an interest in food for atleast the last week. I’m gonna try again in 2 days and see if he accepts the mouse now that he’s shed.

Oh, can't believe I forgot to mention that. My male doesn't eat in shed anymore as well as one of my other snakes. I was surprised he wasn't eating cause everything seemed good except the repeated offerings. I hope he eats for you now!

[DJC Reptiles]

If he doesn't eat the mouse try a different prey, like rats or chicks, some snakes prefer them over mice.

[SnoopySnake]

Any update??? :)

[Umbrax]

Heres an update. Unfortunately he hasnt eaten yet. I tried leaving him alone for 2 weeks, and adding a few more hiding spots in his enclosure. I also tried tweaking the temperature a little as well because i discovered via infrared thermometer that the surface of the hotspot was only reaching 78 F despite what my thermostat said. He has become quite active at night and climbs throughout the enclosure, but still shows no interest in any food. If he doesnt eat by the end of the month im going to take him to the vet to see if theres anything internally wrong because i dont just want to wait around until he dies of hunger.

[DJC Reptiles]

Have you tried feeding different prey? Some snakes prefer the smell of different prey items. I would try feeding small rats and chicks. Live prey must also be attempted.

[Umbrax]

No not yet. The smallest rats i could find were bigger than mouse fuzzies. Im going to look for some rat pinkies and see if i can find some small enough.

[Umbrax]

I am super excited to say that he finally ate a pinkie tonight. After leaving him be for about 2 weeks since the last failure, I tried tonight to feed him a pinkie. Like he usually does, he ran away from it so I just set it on the ground thinking he would just avoid it again. Much to surprise, I came in my room 5 minutes later and he was in the process of swallowing it! I’m so happy, I was really thinking he was going to die. Even though pinkies are a bit small for him, I tried them because I thought maybe the bigger mice were intimidating him. In addition, over the past few weeks I’ve been increasing the temperature of my room. Maybe that triggered it. Who knows....but thank freaking god he actually decided to eat something. I will continue to update you guys on his progress and if he continues to feed like he should. Thanks for all your help guys, I really seriously appreciate it.

[IDvsEGO]

Ah, that's awesome! Glad to hear it.

[Scubadiver59]

That’s just the opposite of my Hogg Island...I was feeding rat pinkies to no avail, and when Imstepped up to fuzzy rats, it ate right away.

That being said, however, my intractable guest will sometimes strike, grab hold, and then just leave the prey if I don’t leave the room for a LONG time; so, this snake always gets fed last so I can disappear for a few hours.

I am super excited to say that he finally ate a pinkie tonight. After leaving him be for about 2 weeks since the last failure, I tried tonight to feed him a pinkie. Like he usually does, he ran away from it so I just set it on the ground thinking he would just avoid it again. Much to surprise, I came in my room 5 minutes later and he was in the process of swallowing it! I’m so happy, I was really thinking he was going to die. Even though pinkies are a bit small for him, I tried them because I thought maybe the bigger mice were intimidating him. In addition, over the past few weeks I’ve been increasing the temperature of my room. Maybe that triggered it. Who knows....but thank freaking god he actually decided to eat something. I will continue to update you guys on his progress and if he continues to feed like he should. Thanks for all your help guys, I really seriously appreciate it.

[phenyx]

Also, make sure you're not handling your snake at all, until the boa is on a steady feeding schedule. Make sure to get a scale, they are pretty cheap on Amazon.

How exactly are you supposed to weigh the snake without handling it?

[IDvsEGO]

How exactly are you supposed to weigh the snake without handling it?

Typically "handling" refers to an extended session of holding etc.

[Umbrax]

Just wanted to give a final update and say he's now eating regularly on large pinky rats. He hasn't missed a feed in over a month and I'm super happy. He is now back to the weight he is supposed to be and he's growing at an astonishing rate. I believe it was a temperature issue the whole time because the minute I raised the temp of my room by a few degrees with a space heater he began eating almost instantly. Thank you guys so much for your help!

[IDvsEGO]

Just wanted to give a final update and say he's now eating regularly on large pinky rats. He hasn't missed a feed in over a month and I'm super happy. He is now back to the weight he is supposed to be and he's growing at an astonishing rate. I believe it was a temperature issue the whole time because the minute I raised the temp of my room by a few degrees with a space heater he began eating almost instantly. Thank you guys so much for your help!

awesome! Good to hear

[EL Ziggy]

Congrats on getting him on track with his feedings U. They all eat eventually some just take a little longer than others.

[Albert Clark]

Always great to hear that tweaking the enclosure and patience won out. Grats.