Boa started shaking his head rapidly

[JessterK]

So I have Mittens, a Pastel BCI, my first and only snake, he is 3 months old. He has done fine for the most part, he is very social, seems to enjoy handling, and has never tried to bite. He had one issue of regurgitation 2 weeks after I brought him home 2 months ago, but it has not happened since. He eats fine, and I had a mite issue 2 weeks ago so I sprayed him with Natural Chemistry and introduced Hypoapsis Miles to his vicarium as I’ve heard great things about them as mite control. It seems to be working as I haven’t seen any more mites in him nor does he soak a lot in his water bowl. So just as I was breathing a sigh of relief that all issues were resolved, today he just started shaking his head rapidly from side to side. Then, he was fine again. I’ve never seen this before. Is IBD likely? I’m freaking out, thanks in advance. Also nice to meet you all, I tried to introduce myself last week but my post never escaped the moderation phase, it seems.

[Scubadiver59]

Check with a vet to see about the toxicity of any of the chemicals in the spray. I know that permethrin can cause neurological issues if sprayed directly on, or if the vapors don't dissipate sufficiently, so be safe and make a call.

[JessterK]

Will do, thanks. Good news is I only used the spray once (as I decided hypoaspis miles mites would be a better solution and I didn’t want to impede them), and it hasn’t happened again. I also gave him a bath a few minutes after spraying him just in case. Also I should have clarified, I didn’t spray it directly on him but sprayed it on a paper towel and rubbed him down, avoiding eyes, mouth, and nostrils.

[Scubadiver59]

You should never put that stuff directly on...incidental contact, i.e. the snake just slithering around the viv and the scales coming in contact with the paper towels, will be enough as I have found. I actually just think it's the residual vapors that kill the mites, but I could be wrong.

You need to wash that viv very well with soapy water to ensure you get all the permethrin out of the tank...it will kill the predatory mites just like the snake mites.

I would also give your snake another bath since if your snake has any permethrin residue on it, it will kill the predatory mites.

Originally Posted by JessterK

Will do, thanks. Good news is I only used the spray once (as I decided hypoaspis miles mites would be a better solution and I didn’t want to impede them), and it hasn’t happened again. I also gave him a bath a few minutes after spraying him just in case. Also I should have clarified, I didn’t spray it directly on him but sprayed it on a paper towel and rubbed him down, avoiding eyes, mouth, and nostrils.

[TeamSlitherin]

I don't think it's from the product. Natural Chemistry uses no pyrethrin and is made to be used directly on the animal. I used it on my scrub when I first got him and it was perfectly fine. It doesn't really create any fumes or anything either...have you only seen your boa do this once? Sometimes snakes just do weird things!

[Andy_G]

Originally Posted by Scubadiver59

You should never put that stuff directly on...incidental contact, i.e. the snake just slithering around the viv and the scales coming in contact with the paper towels, will be enough as I have found. I actually just think it's the residual vapors that kill the mites, but I could be wrong.

You need to wash that viv very well with soapy water to ensure you get all the permethrin out of the tank...it will kill the predatory mites just like the snake mites.

I would also give your snake another bath since if your snake has any permethrin residue on it, it will kill the predatory mites.

None of this applies to the product used except that it will definitely kill off at least some if not all of the predatory mites.

Also, when using permethrin products properly, the residue shouldn't be rinsed off as it is effective to further erradicate mites and would rarely pose harm to the snake unless the product was used improperly or the species has permethrin sensitivity.

[JessterK]

Originally Posted by TeamSlitherin

I don't think it's from the product. Natural Chemistry uses no pyrethrin and is made to be used directly on the animal. I used it on my scrub when I first got him and it was perfectly fine. It doesn't really create any fumes or anything either...have you only seen your boa do this once? Sometimes snakes just do weird things!

Originally Posted by Andy_G

None of this applies to the product used except that it will definitely kill off at least some if not all of the predatory mites.

Just checked the ingredients and confirmed this, no pyrethrin (whew!). And yes, I have only seen him do this once. It was about a week ago and he hasn't done it again since. I have neighbors who are experienced boa keepers, I had a chance to ask them about it and they said sometimes stuff just irritates them and they may do it. They suggested that maybe one of the predator mites crawled into his nostril or something to kill a snake mite. Possible I guess. They also said that if it were IBD I would have noticed the "star gazing" behavior. Haven't seen that either. So you are probably right and he's just being weird. Thanks!

[TeamSlitherin]

Good to hear. Sounds like maybe he just had an itch