Update on my regurging Boa...

Dark_Angel_25 · 01-22-04, 08:22 PM

Well we took Cleo to the vet, with the stool sample and the regurged food.
She said that most likely the food was too much for her. we aren't to feed her for at least 2 weeks.
I took the temps and the hot spot unfer the hot hide (UTH) was 93.7 (with a 100 watt bulb over the hot side too) and the cool side went down to 71.6 when i had the lamp turned off (after an hour on the indoor outdoor thermometer) I am now taking the hot temp (under the hot hide with a red light) to see what it will give me. I'll post that new temp and the cool side with th red light as soon as I get a steady reading.

The vet did the fecal (and it cost $12 CDN, hardly a waste of money in my eyes) and it came back negative. and she definately had enough poop to test it thoroughly. so that is a relief.

So I will try feeding her again in probably closer to 3 weeks to 4 (she isn't very big, and don't want her to loose weight) and I will feed her a 7-10 day old rat pup instead of a 14-16 days one and see how that goes.

I just want to take this opportunit to thank you all for your thoughts and help. you made it easier for me to get through my work day reassuring me it wasn't parasite.

Thanks again, I really appreciate it, and hopefully everything will work out to be ok.

asphyxia · 01-22-04, 08:44 PM

Cool.

However IMO feed in 10 days

Good Luck
Brian

Dark_Angel_25 · 01-22-04, 08:47 PM

well Kenn told me the vet said to feed no more than 14 days.. so I guess we will be trying in 2 weeks, I don't want to try earlier... JDouglas posted a very good post on my original thread, and I think I will be safer than sorry.. but thanks for your opinion Asphyxia!

JDouglas · 01-23-04, 01:02 AM

Its good to hear that the fecal was negative. Its also good to hear that you are re-evaluating your temps, waiting to feed, and will be giving a small food item. Sounds like you have covered all the bases. I'm sure she will bounce back!

Good luck!

Dark_Angel_25 · 01-23-04, 09:38 AM

Thanks JDouglas. I was greatful for the article you posted, and vet said she was hefty (192.4 grams) but I don't want to wait longer than 14 days, and the vet suggested against it also, saying it should be enough time. This morning, the cool side temp was a steady 72.1 degrees with the red light on overnight. is this too low? I put a 40 watt this morning and will take the cool side temp again when I get home. Unfortunatley my probe isn't working, so to get the exact hot side temp, I have to buy a new one. I'll keep you posted!! what are the ideal temps I should be aiming for?

Derrick · 01-23-04, 09:58 AM

hmmm Whats the daytime hot/cool temps and night hot/cool temps. I think I've only seen you post a daytime hot and a night time cool. They need a hot and cool spot 24/7 and yes 72 is too cold. You also need a hot and a cold hide. Personally I dont think you need a night time drop except for breeding. My hot sides temps are 90-91 and cool side is 79-80 24/7 for my boa and pythons.

Dark_Angel_25 · 01-23-04, 10:04 AM

I had the nightime ones last night, can't remember them I wrote them down, but I am tweaking them still.

so last night, it was 72.1 all the way over on the cool side. i can't take the warm side because the probe isn't working, but I know with the red light, it was at (air temp again no probe) 82. This morning before leaving, I put in a 40 watt 'day' bulb, so when I get home I will have the daytime 'coolside' temp. Actually once my BF calls me, I'll ask him what it is, and ask him to put the temp under the warm hide.

Derrick, she has 2 hides. one on the hot over the UTH and one on the cold side. her water dish is in the middle. She is getting a bigger tank today, and we will fiddle with the temps over the weekend.

As for the 72.1 well, in between the hot and cool, it would be around probably 75 (again need to measure that but it wouldn't be less than that from radiant heat of the lamps)
When I move her into the 6 ft tank, I am going to have more than 2 hides. right now her tank is too small for 3.

So I will keep you posted.

tHeGiNo · 01-23-04, 10:17 AM

82 is much too cold! Add ten degrees and you'll be fine. Also, aim for an ambient of around 85.

As for the vet's response, I would look farther then 'it was too much for her.' Unless you were feeding a prey item SIGNIFICANTLY larger then the snakes girth, I think it was more of a husbandry problem. Just something to consider. How big WAS the prey item?

Derrick · 01-23-04, 10:22 AM

also you can easily wait more than 2 weeks before starting back on a regular feeding scheduele if your snake has bee eating fine up until this point. 1one of my JCPs for the first 2 months I had her ate only one hopper mouse. She lost a little weight but otherwise was healthy.

The more time I spend with snakes the more I'm learning you need to be patient. 4 weeks with out a meal is NOT going to do your snake any harm. But feeding it to soon MIGHT. I would pay more attention to Dave Barker's opinion posted by JDouglas in your last post.

JDouglas · 01-23-04, 02:53 PM

I keep my boas with a cool side ambient of 82F and give a nice sized basking spot of 95F. I don't do a night time drop but a night time drop will be fine as long as it doesn't drop too much. It sounds like your cage is too cold. If you are using a light to heat your cage yo may want to switch to a ceramic heat emitter that doesn't give off light and gets very hot so you can leave it on 24/7. Then you can use a thermostat to set the temps. What you can use for a heat source will depend on what you are using for a cage and what the temp is in the room that you keep it in. If your room is below 70F you will need a heat source at night. Melanine cages hold temps better than aquariums also. So what are you using for a cage and what is the temp in your room?