dehydration

[sandman]

What are sign of BCI dehydration. And way to correct this.

	Boa Constrictor Imperator Boa Constrictor (Boa constrictor imperator). Most common is the Colombian Boa.

[John_White]

The symptoms and sign of reptile dehydration are given on this page:
Dehydration in Reptiles - Guidelines for Offering Fluids FAQ ( Reptile, Amphibian, Herp, snake, lizard, turtle, frog )
The only way to correct dehydration is to rehydrate the animal. This can be a simple or complex task depend on the severity of dehydration.

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[sandman]

Ok i think my BCI is dehydrated becuase when i pinch the skin it will stay like that untill pressure is applied to straighten it. Is soaking also a good method to rehydrate that article did not mention this

	Boa Constrictor Imperator Boa Constrictor (Boa constrictor imperator). Most common is the Colombian Boa.

[LdyDrgn]

Soaking in water is good. A tub with a bit of water in the bottom that comes up about halfway on the boa, holes for ventilation and a locking or well weighed down lid. Placed somewhere warm (or partially over a heat pad on low) so the boa doesn't get too cold and let soak overnight. Monitor temps! You don't want it too hot, either.

You can also soak them in clear pedialyte to help rehydrate.

Or you can spray the enclosure down real well. A day or two of high humidity won't hurt.

	Geek Auto Linker or Gallon Geek Auto Linker Gallon - United States liquid unit equal to 4 quarts or 3.785 liters

[sandman]

Ok thanks ill try the soaking, should the skin go back to normal after a night of soaking. What would be a good water temperature

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[LdyDrgn]

You want it tepid, room temp, like around 80 degrees. If it doesn't go back to normal after a night's soaking, try again in a couple of days. The boa should eventually rehydrate.

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[sandman]

is it normal for him to poop when putting him in the tub

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[Predaking]

Yea My girl dose every thursday I put her in the tub and right on cure she dose her thing.

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[sandman]

Ok so i tried soaking in water and it helped a little, but his skin is still a little loose and creasy, im going to try the pedialyte do i need to dilute it at all or just put him strait in it.

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[LdyDrgn]

you can just put him right in it.

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[Stargazer]

Can you post a picture? Do you have reason to believe your snake might be dehydrated?

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[razeraze]

Yes post a picture and a close up of the eyes and tail.
Also my favorite way to rehydrate an animal is to inject a few cc's of water into the food offered.

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[sandman]

I will post some pics tomorow i do not have any that show his condition well. My reasons for thinking he is dehydrated is that his skin is somewhat loose and when i pinch it it takes a second to return to normal.

Now here is his history. I made the first mistake by purchasing him at a pet store i got too excited when i saw him and bought him.
The day i brought him home he regurged, at that point i was not informed on the regurge procedure, so i fed him again. He seemed fine after that but i did notice that he looked a little lean compared to other boas of his age (6-8 months) i had handled so i decided to power feed him like have done to my rat snakes in the past, i waited three days and fed him again after which i found out this was a huge no no with boas. Three days later he regurged one mouse. It has been a week since then and i have not fed him and do not plan to feed him for another week, at that point i will give him a pinky mouse.

So i have made alot of mistakes with this guy that i am in the process of fixing, so i no his dehydrated do to the regurges, but i do not know if he was dehydrated when i got him or if he was underfed. The store said they fed him once a week but they could be lying.

I soaked him in water last night and it seemed to tighten his skin up a bit more. I plan on soaking him in pedialyte tomorow night. He seems to also have become slightly weeker since i got him i would imagine this would be from the regurges.

Any input would would be appreciated.

Here is a pic of him that is in another thread, the only one on my computer right now i will try to take some that show his skin better.

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	regurgitate Throw up. Reptiles will regurge when they feel they are in danger or if they have some sort of health issue. If your reptile has regurgitated his/her food please seek help!

[sandman]

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[sandman]

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[sandman]

[URL=http://img78.imageshack.us/my.php?image=p1010027ze4.jpg][IMG]http://img78.imageshack.us

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[sandman]

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[Stargazer]

Regurgitation can become serious if it starts happening multiple times, so whatever you do, do not feed him too soon! He may have regurgitated the first time due to stress. They may have fed him right before you took him home. I think it's best not to handle him too much if at all, but keep the tank well humidified. If he poops, take a sample to the vet right away for a fecal to rule out parasites. This is a possible reason why he is so thin (but not necessarily). It will take several months for him to build his body mass back up after the 2 regurges, so don't be alarmed by this and try to overfeed. If they are undernourished, it is not good to try and overfeed. Just get him on a normal feeding schedule, and he'll come back. Snakes can go for months in the wild without a meal. If you thnk the soaks are helping him, keep doing it, but if he seems stressed, I would leave him alone. Give him plenty of fresh water and misting if needed. Just my opinion, though.

[sandman]

I hope these pictures help let me know if you need different angles and such

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[Stargazer]

I am not enough of an expert to tell if he is dehydrated by looking at his pics. He looks thin but not dangerously so. Make sure he has a really good hiding spot and lots of privacy, even if you have to cover half the tank with a blanket or pile lots of greenery into his cage. I would say try and minimize the stress for him right now.

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