Sick Rosy Boa

alessia55 · 10-31-11, 03:16 PM

I went to an expo a few weeks ago and got a 1yr old female rosy boa for my cousin. Ever since, the boa started exhibiting strange signs, such as striking & missing, refusing meals, turning her head upside down, coiling backwards upside down, no "righting" herself if she was turned over, and stargazing. I'd been e-mailing back and forth with the breeder, who didn't seem to be too concerned about it. I decided to google the breeder and look on Fauna Classifieds, and I find out that I'm far from being the only one with bad experiences with this breeder. Turns out he has sold a whole bunch of people sick snakes with similar problems or diseases. It hadn't occurred to me that a breeder with such a bad rep would be at a big expo like the one I was at. His snakes looked fine when I was there. So out of concern for the snake, I decided I'd take her to the vet this afternoon to have her checked out. When I told the breeder that I was going to take her to the vet, he told me it probably wasn't necessary. When I told the breeder the symptoms the snake was experiencing, he said that I was stressing her out and that she just needed more time to settle. I haven't handled her since I got her, she's in a quiet room, her set up is perfect (right temps, low humidity, etc), and the only time I opened the cage was to attempt to feed. By the way she was acting, it seemed like something more than just "stress" was going on.

So I took her to the vet, because I care about the animal and it seemed like she was in need of medical attention. I made the long drive out and took her to the see a reptile vet. The vet determined that she had about 8 layers of eye caps retained. EIGHT! He managed to get some off, but not all of them. Her nostrils were equally as covered and stuck. He thinks this might have been the reason she was striking and missing her prey (because she couldn't see or smell it right). He also determined that she has a lot of parasites in her system (he did a fecal test etc). He performed a series of tests to see how she would respond if flipped upside down, on the side, and in other positions, to check for neurological symptoms. She passed some of those "tests", but failed some as well. He concluded that she does have some sort of neurological problem, but that he's not able to say what is causing them as of right now. He gave her a dose of antibiotics, and gave me a few instructions of what to do this week to make sure she's well. I'm taking her back on Friday to do a check up and try feeding her. She's also lost weight (15g) since I got her 2 weeks ago.

For obvious reasons, I will not be giving this snake to my cousin. She is not equipped to handle a snake that is not 100% healthy (and she's quite disheartened as you can imagine). I'm going to give the snake the care I can while she is with me, but I'm hoping the breeder will take her back and give me a refund. I'm certainly hoping I don't get "stuck" with this sick rosy boa and her vet bills. As of right now I have her quarantined in order to protect my other snakes. It goes without saying that I'm quite disappointed. Such bad luck

youngster · 10-31-11, 03:33 PM

Sucks, some people just want money and don't care about the animal

**millertime89** · 10-31-11, 07:31 PM

wow, that's just pathetic.

ZARADOZIA · 10-31-11, 07:34 PM

Oh I am so sorry to hear this!

Kcsearle · 10-31-11, 09:56 PM

I am sorry! Hope she gets better

alessia55 · 10-31-11, 10:04 PM

Yeah- the whole situation completely SUCKS, to say the least

I've e-mailed the breeder to see if he'll take her back, but since he's not consistent with returning e-mails or calls, who knows

shaunyboy · 10-31-11, 10:31 PM

your snake is showing a lot of neurological issues

there are a few reasons i can think of at the minute

1.it was born with neurological damage

2.a tank that is too hot can cause neurological issues and if the temperatures are not corrected in time,it can lead to premature death

3.i don't want to alarm you,but it could also be inclusion body disease,its also reffered to as I.B.D. unfortunatly there is no cure or treatment for this condition and the snake has to be euthinised.

is your snake having runny poo's ?

or vommiting ?

a breeder should NEVER have sold snakes in such poor condition.the eye caps alone,should have been enough to hold the snake back,back until it was in 100% perfect health and condition.if you can track down a few of his customers and you come to the conclusion and its backed up by your vet findings,that this guy knowingly sold snakes showing bad health symptoms,then imo he should be reported to the shows organisers.i do not think the show would want such people on their premises.far less the risk of spreading disease,because he does not think the symptoms your describing are anything to worry about.imo your snakes symptoms require quarantine and vetenary treatments for the snake.

the breeder is a disgrace to the hobbie...!!

you do have the snake in quaratine and wash your hands thouroughly after going into its tank or touching the snake itself ( im not trying to be cheeky )

i wish you all the best with the treatment,please keep us updated on how things are going

all the best shaun

**millertime89** · 10-31-11, 10:41 PM

to further Shaun's comment about talking to the show's organizer, if you can find others that have had sick snakes from this breeder you can possibly file class action suit against him, or go to small claims court (easiest if you can find someone in the same state as him if you're not)
you can also report him to the BBB, they can't really do anything, but it'll go on record.

shaunyboy · 10-31-11, 10:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by millertime89

to further Shaun's comment about talking to the show's organizer, if you can find others that have had sick snakes from this breeder you can possibly file class action suit against him, or go to small claims court (easiest if you can find someone in the same state as him if you're not)
you can also report him to the BBB, they can't really do anything, but it'll go on record.

shows would be my greatest fear when it comes guys like this breeder.he seems to have no regards for his snakes,customers and all the other reptiles at the show.how can he say " theres nothing to worry about " when the customer is telling him of serious neurological symptoms...!!

people like him should have a life time ban from shows and i know it would be impossible to enforce,but a lifetime ban from keeping reptiles of any kind

cheers shaun

Shmoges · 10-31-11, 11:15 PM

May I ask who the breeder is? if you don't want to post it would you mind telling me privately? I often look on fauna classifieds and kingsnake.com classifieds and would hate to give this person my money.

alessia55 · 11-01-11, 07:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shmoges

May I ask who the breeder is? if you don't want to post it would you mind telling me privately? I often look on fauna classifieds and kingsnake.com classifieds and would hate to give this person my money.

He already has a several bad reviews on Fauna Classifields. After I settle whether or not he'll take the snake back and give me a refund I'll post about him there too.

I'm not sure if I'm "allowed" to give out the name on here.... maybe Wayne can tell me if I can?

youngster · 11-01-11, 07:56 AM

You probably shouldn't post it here for the world to see but I would assume PMing Shmoges is okay since he's worried he'll get "scammed" like you.

mykee · 11-01-11, 08:09 AM

This is the exact reason I don't buy from breeders I am not completely familiar with.
Sorry to hear about your situation.

Will0W783 · 11-01-11, 08:29 AM

Wow, that is one sick boa. I think the heavy parasite load, along with the inability to see or smell properly, could be causing a lot of the symptoms, and it's most likely that rather than IBD. However, parasites are usually hard to eradicate once they've gotten into the neurological system- it's usually permanent damage to some extent. Alessia, I'm so sorry you got into this mess. I wish you'd told me who you were buying from before making the purchase- I could have steered you away from them. That boa is definitely NOT captive bred with a parasite load, and who knows how old it actually is. It's disgusting and despicable that the seller sold an animal in that shape, but they aren't exactly known for their care of the animals. :-/

alessia55 · 11-01-11, 08:52 AM

In the past, this seller has had thousands of reptiles confiscated by the SPCA for animal cruelty. Still haven't heard back from him... Sigh.... Not gonna get my hopes up anout that either