First off, sorry if this gets a bit long, but I'm just gonna type the whole story
So, on April 4th, I went to pick up some frozen rats I ordered from a "reputable" rat breeder (first time purchasing from this person). When I picked them up, she informed that she had a boa for sale for about $100. I asked if I could see her.... When she brought out the female bci, I had to fight back tears, she was so cold and stiff it felt like she came out of a fridge, her eyes where sunken, she had multiple stuck sheds on her along with eye caps, her mouth was gaped open with bubbles and drool and her nostrils where so plugged it looked as if she didn't even have nostrils... Not to mention she's almost 6ft long and has no more then a 3" diameter at her widest point. The first thing I asked was why is she being neglected and kept like this... Well all I got was an earful of BS excuses. For over 5 months, she was not fed, had no heat (all winter), no humidity, no water.... Zilch, just an empty tank. I left the place without her, with a broken heart and I balled my eyes out when I got into my car. I called my hubby and told him the scenario while sobbing (he told me days prior that I wasn't allowed to get anymore snakes till after our vacation), he told me to get her. I only had $40 so that's what I offered and she took it (I know she should have surrendered her to me but I didn't feel like arguing, something needed to be done NOW).
I got her home and put her in an empty tank I had with a heat mat and thermostat, when I stuck a water dish in there, she went straight for it and GULPED water back for atleast 10 mins. That whole first night I spent a lot of time with her in the bath getting the shed and eye caps off with complete success. The next morning I called the very awesome rep vet across town and made an appointment for the very next day (soonest I could get her in). We weighed her (2lbs 4oz) at the vet, the Doc was shocked at how malnurished, under-weight and dehydrated she was, and how horrible her RI really was. He gave me cefazolin and instructed me to give her .2cc to her daily threw injections subcutaneously for 6 days. If she didn't start improving and got worse within the week, I was to bring her back asap.
Well on day 2 of injections... She ate!!! I only offered her a 40g hopper (f/t) because the vet said she probably won't eat cause of how sick she is... Imagine my suprise when she scarfed it down like a kid with cake.
16 days later, she has eaten a total of 3 meals, I have bumped up to offering her small rats which she has taken twice faster then any other boa I have seen lol. About 4-5 days ago she went into the blue, and last night I came home to completely full shed in her tank, eyecaps and all
She has done a complete turn around since the first day I got her... She is very active and loves to climb, and one of the most sweetest docile boa's I have ever dealt with. She no longer gapes for air, no more bubbles, her nostrils have stopped getting plugged up, and I don't hear weezing anymore. I couldn't be happier with her turn around. Still working on getting her weight up, but that will take a bit.
At the moment she is in a glass tank (4.5ftL x 2ftW x 2.5ftH) 3 sides covered with styrofoam, and a homemade top that the hubby made so it holds humidity GREAT. This tank is temporary until her new enclosure is built. I have her on papertowel. She has a heat mat on a thermostat set at 92f which keeps it at 90-92ish (Docs orders). And a half log turtle hide on both ends. I keep the humidity at about 50-55ish (Docs orders)... I did bump it to 60-65 when she went into the blue, I didn't want to go too high though cuz of her RI.
Sorry for the novel! I just wanted to share my success story!
Here are some pics of Hope, sorry for the quality, I can't find the charger for my camera so phone camera it was.
Meet Hope.
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