star gazing

[viper32x]

for a few days now my snake has been looking at the stars all the time and i remember hearing about it but i can't remember what people said about it. is it a bad thing for him/her to be doing that? it's a columbian red-tailed boa 26 inches long.

[UpscaleBoas]

yes very bad.....if you have other snakes quarenteen him..until a vet tells you other wise...star gazing is one of those things that makes boid keepers freak out......first thing that comes to mind is Inclusion body disease (IBD).....yes its a giant jump to go from just star gazing to ibd but hey can't be too careful.....

first thing first.....remove this snake away from your other repts..observe him here...is he looking upwards...waiting for food? sometimes snake are condition by us to know that food dangles from above..not running by on the floor.......is the snake looking for a way out? ...... does he react to you..or does here stare out in the void and nothing else? if place on his side can he right himself like he used to?...........
pls keep us posted........and pls pm to let me know where you acquired him...i'm always interested..this can actually speak volumes.........

[Neo]

whoa why is star gazing bad?

[viper32x]

i have no other repts... yes he looks up, he eats live mice, i never really dried to see if he reacts to me, and if u place him on his back he flips back over ( i tried it a week ago), and i bought it at rock and roll repts...

[UpscaleBoas]

to say your snake is star gazzing to me is like saying your friend is Catatonic. they would both need help

[Soul_Reaper]

Man, i learn something new here everyday....i would have NOT guessed something like that in a million years, my snake could get sick and i wouldn't even know...

Is there a particular reason why a snake would start doing something like that?

[UpscaleBoas]

Star-Gazing
A sign, not a disease.

©1995 Melissa Kaplan



Stargazing is a term used to describe a deceptively innocuous behavior: the head and neck are raised almost straight up, as if the affected animal is gazing at the stars. This condition is common to several diseases that affect the central nervous system. Symptoms that often occur with stargazing are disorientation and the inability to right itself.

There are several conditions that may cause the symptom of stargazing, including viral infections such as paramyxovirus, found in viperids and some colubrids and boids which attacks the respiratory and neurological systems; and inclusion body disease, found in boids, which involves the respiratory, gastrointestinal and neurological systems. Bacterial infections such as meningitis, and septic infections that breach the blood-brain barrier may also cause stargazing. Major organ dysfunction may also cause dysregulation of normal metabolism which in turn may cause neurological disease. Extreme temperatures, head injuries, and toxins (as from flea sprays, pest strips, cleaning products and environmental toxins) may also cause neurological disorders.

A thorough examination, including fecal and pathology work-up, must be done to determine the underlying cause. As stargazing is merely a symptom of a deeper, potentially quite serious disease or disorder, the underlying condition itself must be treated.

Note that some snakes will sit for some time with their heads raised, often with their face pointed to screen or ventilation panels in their enclosure. So long as there are no other signs associated with this behavior, and the behavior is not prolonged or frequent, there may be nothing with which to be concerned. For information on stargazing in boas and pythons, please see my article on Inclusion Body Disease.

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upscale --'personally i would seperate and deciede on the right course of action"

[ohh_kristina]

you tried it a week ago? Try it again. Things can go from not so bad to very bad in a week. I would take him to a vet if he's constantly star gazing.
Also, feeding live mice? Why? Boas are, in general, very easy to switch over to f/t.

[Soul_Reaper]

I'm printing that out as i type, gonna put it in my "Snake care binder"...

Thanks a lot for the info!

[viper32x]

i would try to put him on his back again but i feed him 2 mice yesterday. today he was not doing it he was in his house.