Brazilian Rainbow Boa concern - help

[smg1169]

Hello everyone. New here.

I have a Brazilian Rainbow Boa who is almost 20 years old. I've never had problems with her shedding before. She has been in her water dish for over two weeks - rarely coming out, maybe at night when I can't see.

I had the vet check her two weeks ago and she said she looked good and healthy. But she has been in her water for too long. She is white and ready to shed but hasn't come out. She looks dead and I keep checking on her.

We have recently moved from AR to OK and she has fed and shed just fine over the last 4 months since the move.

I currently have a new hood with fluorescent and incandescent lighting.

Help - too long in the water and hasn't shed yet!

[nicolerae]

What is the overall humidity in her cage? I'm assuming you have had her for the 20 years...and the problem just occurred.

Maybe try to get her a humidity hut, that way she wont be soaking directly in the water dish.

Hope everything works out!!!

[jarich]

First of all, nice job keeping her healthy for 20 years.

As for your concerns, it seems like the first thing to check is the humidity of the enclosure. What are you measuring this with? You mentioned that you recently moved and that you changed lighting. Did this effect your humidity/temperature in the enclosure at all? What are the present temperatures of the hot/cold/basking areas? Do you have a different type of light now that you have never had before? Do you have other hides that the snake can get away from the light in? Also, when you look in the water bowl, do you see any little specs floating in there? Check around the eyes and nostrils of the snake. Any little mites that you can see? Soaking is often something that happens when a snake has mites.

If you post a few more times (I think you need at least five posts) then you can post a picture. (The five post thing is a rule to keep spam posting down to a minimum) That might be the easiest way to see any problems and help you out.

[bcr226]

Wow, a 20 year old BRB. Awesome!

As Jarich said, check humidity and check temp. Remember, BRB's can't take a lot of heat. It sounds like she either wants to cool off, is fighting mites, or needs more humidity.

Has she eaten since being in the water for the last couple of weeks?

[stephanbakir]

Great job in a 20 year old brb, looks like he/she has been taken care of so far :)
What are you using to measure temps and humidity? are you using a thermostat?
Epicrates - sSNAKESs : Reptile Forum (http://www.ssnakess.com/forums/epicrates/) is the brb section of the forum btw, this one is for BCC and BCIs mostly

[smg1169]

Thanks everyone for the interest. This is gonna sound like a bad mom, but I've never had a humidity gauge before. I am looking to get one.

No sign of mites. The water is clear. Her skin should just fall off at this point. I haven't fed her since signs of shedding.

2 weeks since the vet visit. I took her out of the water dish tonight and took away the water (just until bed time). I'll put it back with a little fresh water (for drinking at least).

The temp in the upper part of her cage is always about 80-82. It's a 3 ft high enclosure with a hide out for her. She doesn't seem to like heat much so I don't push higher than the 80-82.

How do I post a pic in the forums?

[medicinhed]

You need like 5 post to be able to post pics.

Maybe moderator can move this thread to the BRB forum? She'll be able to get some great help.

[Chu'Wuti]

smg1169, if you moved to OK, are you in/near OKC? Dr. Brad Minson is really good with herps; I can't recommend anyone else in OKC as highly.

We'd welcome you in the Oklahoma City Herpetological and Invertebrate Society, too, and the members are really helpful. If you'd like to look us up on FB, I'm the admin & can help you join. We have monthly meetings, too. If you're interested, PM me for more info.

[smg1169]

smg1169, if you moved to OK, are you in/near OKC? Dr. Brad Minson is really good with herps; I can't recommend anyone else in OKC as highly.

We'd welcome you in the Oklahoma City Herpetological and Invertebrate Society, too, and the members are really helpful. If you'd like to look us up on FB, I'm the admin & can help you join. We have monthly meetings, too. If you're interested, PM me for more info.

Thank you. I'll look into that.