First Shed? And other things ;)

[Melesse]

Hey guys, as you all know, well, some of you, I have a lovely little BCI. One of my friends was over, and I was letting her play with Huck (the BCI [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_wink.gif[/img]) and I looked over and noticed the anal vent (cloaca? I dunno terminology...beginning of the tail) was getting pink. I thought it looked a little swollen, and since I hadn't seen any stool since early last week (about 10 days) I guessed he was impacted perhaps. So we soaked her for twenty minutes in a warm bath, and when we took her out, my friend noticed he was turning pink all over, in splotches. Is this normal before a shed, since I've had her (three weeks) he hasn't shed at all, and I've been expecting it. Or is it something a little more sinister?

As a side note, I though most BCI's loved water. This one seems to hate it. He wriths and runs and trys to get out of his bath, although he's normally calm when attached to me. He runs when he's not attached to a human, is this normal as well?

thanks,
Matt
[addsig]

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

[Constrictor_BO]

Most snakes bellies will turn a reddish before a shed. Is this red coloration located just at the vent or is it along the total length of the belly? If it is the length of his belly it's more than likely a sign of oncoming shed. Have you noticed the eyes turn cloudy bluish color yet? This is another sign that oyur boa is getting ready to shed. After the eyes clear up from being cloudy blue.. It will usually be about a week before it sheds.

About the soak.. Some snakes kinda freak somewhat when dumped in a tub. You can try puting a branch in the tub with him so he can hang on to it and feel more secure. Also, I sometimes put my snakes in a tote and soak them there. This way you dont have to stand over him and can get other things done. I have a couple snakes that kinda freak and try to gte out. After awhile they calm down and I can leave the room for an hour and they are still in the same position.
It also depends on how much water is in the tub. Dont fill the water up over half way up on his side. This way he still lays on the botton of the tub and will fell a little more secure.

_________________
If rabbits feet are so lucky.....
What happened to the rabbit?

	Cloaca is the posterior opening that serves as the only such opening for the intestinal, urinary, and (usually) genital tracts of certain animal species.All birds, reptiles, and amphibians possess this orifice, from which they excrete both urine and feces