HELP! Howling Boa! ????

[HaloedSatan]

Originally Posted by JuliusSqueezer

Captive breeding means nada. Even in the most sterile and well kept breeding stock, worms that burrow into the blood intending to get to the lungs to grow and pupate don't always make it there. Some will end up lodged in muscle tissue or other organs where they are usually benign though some might get to the brain or heart and cause some problems there but usually they just go undetected. No wormer designed to kill intestinal worms will ever harm them nor will they ever show up on a fecal exam. Sometimes they do show in blood smears. Usually though, they just go undetected.

Ever see a kitten or puppy that doesn't at some point have to be treated for worms even though it's never been outside or exposed to anything that should have "given" it worms? They get them from their mom to the point that it's almost a given. These worms that live benign lodged elsewhere in the body instead of the intestines for some reason seem to often be drawn to amniotic fluid and/or that new flow of rerouted blood to the birth canal through umbilical cords...where they infect developing offspring. So even a well kept mom with clean fecal exams can and do still infect their babies. That's the theory I heard from one of my vets. I don't buy it 100%. I don't think the trapped worms ever move. I think they just drop eggs in the blood and so shared blood is tainted with worm eggs and they get to the offspring that way.

Well written Brett. I like you. You're smart. Thank you.

[jadeboa]

I have a big hypo male that does that..........he doesn't do it all of the time but when he does it always makes me jump out of my chair.........then I just have to laugh...........I think he thinks he is a lion........looking for hotties.
He has never been sick or had an RI..........he is a rescue that had an exposed hemipene.........that was removed.
He does not have parasites either...........all of his blood work and swabs came back clean.
There is a lot that is still unknown about boas............perhaps this is some kind of communication or a challenge to the other male boas in the room.........even though they do not have ears........they do feel vibrations from sound.........and can smell each other.
To me it almost reminded me of a mating call or a challenge............when he does it and I walk up to his cage.........he stops immediately..........so it is not like he is in distress.
He has done this a total of three times to my knowlege.