Bolivian/Brazilian (Boa C. Amarali) Care, Page 2

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HANDLING

Newborn Amarali can be very hissy and even nippy, but most calm down completely with frequent, gentle handling. Avoid handling your boa right before a meal, and for at least 2-3 days after a meal. This is absolutely necessary, and you MUST avoid the urge to over-handle your pet. Exposure to stress, room temperatures, and moving around more than necessary can all easily cause a boa to regurgitate!

I use snake hooks to remove my boas from their cages. This prevents a bite due to any feeding response (boas that are fed in their cages may expect food whenever the cage is opened, and could mistake a fast moving human hand for a meal. Many choose to feed their smaller boas in separate containers or cardboard boxes to help eliminate in-cage feeding responses.) These are also handy tools when "taming" an aggressive snake, as hooks don't flinch or pull away when struck at!

Babies can be handled on days when their stomachs are empty, for 15-30 minutes at a time.

As your pet grows and becomes more comfortable with being handled and with it's surroundings, you can have it out for longer periods of time. Never leave a boa unattended, in a car, or outside. Never expose a boa to cold temperatures below 70°, and never take a boa out in direct sunlight for extended periods of time.

SHEDDING

As your boa grows, it will shed it's skin. The first signs of a shed-cycle are usually darkening of color, and "cloudy" bluish eyes. Your boa's eyes will remain cloudy for 3 - 10 days, give or take. The eyes will then clear, and your boa will shed within another 1 - 7 days, again.. give or take a day or two. Humidity is essential to proper shedding, and should be raised to 70 - 80% as soon as the boas eyes begin to cloud. There should be a "rough" object (it's hide, a fake plant, or rock) in your boa's cage to help it break the skin and begin the shedding process. Baby and juvenile boas will shed every 3-8 weeks on average, and sub-adults and adults will shed less frequently.

HEALTH ISSUES

Take your boa to a vet with reptile experience (again, check out Herp Vet Connection for vet listings in your area) if you notice any of the following symptoms:

Respiratory Infection: (if noticed, increase cage temperatures by 3 - 5° and lower the humidity)
-Mucus or bubbles in the nose or mouth.
-Popping and wheezing noises when the boa breathes.
-Open-mouth gaping/breathing.

Mouth Rot:
-Open mouth breathing.
-A white or yellowish "cheese" like substance in the mouth.
-Sores in and around the mouth.

Internal Parasites / Digestive System Problems:
-Runny or discolored stools (white "poop" is actually a urate, which is solid urine and completely normal).
-Complete loss of appetite for more than 4 - 6 weeks.
-Chronic regurgiation.

Neurological Diseases / Poisoning: (if noticed, get your boa to a vet immediately)
-Twitching and convulsing.
-Loss of body control, laying on it's back or side.
-Apparent "confusion".
-Inability to coil around or strike accurately at prey.
-Inability to right it's body if placed on it's back.

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