My rose boa looks like he's shedding. How long does it take till I should try to feed him again?
He has not eaten for two months already. Last mouse I gave him run around in there for days until the snake killed it but would not eat it. He is not even shedding that much, just in few blotches. How long does this take and what should I do? I have no experience on snakes, I took him in as his previous owner had to move and could not keep him. He's about 2 years old & 2 1/5 feet long. Any snake owners out there, please help me out!I I tried Wikipedia already so please don't quote that, I need actual personal experience info. Thank you so much!
2010-01-05T09:19:20Z
Any Rose Boa owners out there, pls help?
Ddub2010-01-05T11:51:46Z
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If your snake is not eating and having problems shedding, there may be more wrong with it than just humidity. I'm not sure about the specifics concerning rose boa husbandry as I raise surinames and rainbows. I highly recomend a visit to the vet once a year with your reptiles for check ups, and this certainly seems like a good time to start those visits. Do a web search on rose boa care sheets. That should give you a little direction as to specifics like humidity level and proper substrate. Also, NEVER leave live prey in the enclosure with them for more than an hour or so. If your snake isn't interested in it and they're left together, the tables can quickly turn and the snake can go into a defensive mode, leaving him vulnerable to bites. I had a 7ft rock python when I was a kid and didn't know any better. I left a rat in the cage overnight and woke up to several large bite wounds (almost to the bone) on the pythons back. It took serious work to reabilitate this animal. I wouldn't wish that on anyone or animal.
Just added: I just did a search for rose boa care sheets. The best one I could find was from vmsherp.com. It seems they require very low humidity as the opposite can cause respiratory problems, so I'd hold off on soaking the snake or spraying the enclosure. I'd call or email these folks and talk to them about your setup and problems your facing. They've been breeding rose boas for 15 years and could probably point you in a better direction.
Ok, I currently own three snakes all constrictors, now for the safety of the snake never EVER leave a mouse or live food in the cage... EVER... there have been multiple occasions where the snake has been bit, scratched or even killed. if you're going to feed live you have to supervise the whole process. Now don't be too concerned about the snake as many times snakes go monhs without eating however if most of the skin has already come off then they will eat. One time while feeding Bella (my baby ball) only had about 25% of the dead skin of and she ate fine. I too beleive your problem could be in humidity but also temperature. I'm not sure the recomended temp for a Rose boa but its probobly like most snakes right around 80- 86 degrees Fahrenhiet. Well thats my two cents and good luck to you and the snake and if it wont eat alot of people try feeding gerbils. Its like a super yummy meal to snakes.
In addition to the two answers above, maybe he's also in brumation, which would automatically disrupt his "normal" appetite.
How long have you had him ? He could be stressed if he's not comfortable, also leaving live prey in too long will stress him alot, he'll feel threatened. Stress is a very strong thing, it can cause allot of different problems.
I use compressed coconut bedding, it keeps a nice level of humidity (very easy to control with a water spray bottle), when my snakes start to loosen their skin (white eyes) I raise the humidity by spraying water on the bedding.
But honestly, you might want to bring him to a Vet, we can only speculate from a distance.
Try getting a deep basin of water and filling it about 2 inches with warm water. Put the snake in the water for ten min. Take him out and see if the blotches of skin come off decently. He's not eating because he prob feels like chit. Imagine putting on 5 layers of spandex and going about your normal routine for a month or two...constricting??
For future reference, all reptiles need some sort of humidity to shed properly. You should put a shed box in the enclosure with moist sphagnum moss.
Easiest way to do this is take a plastic shoe box, cut a smooth hole big enough for him to fit through. fill it with "Moist" sphagnum moss 3 or 4 inches deep.