• Posted 12/19/2024.
    =====================

    I am still waiting on my developer to finish up on the Classifieds Control Panel so I can use it to encourage members into becoming paying members. Google Adsense has become a real burden on the viewing of this site, but honestly it is the ONLY source of income now that keeps it afloat. I tried offering disabling the ads being viewed by paying members, but apparently that is not enough incentive. Quite frankly, Google Adsense has dropped down to where it barely brings in enough daily to match even a single paid member per day. But it still gets the bills paid. But at what cost?

    So even without the classifieds control panel being complete, I believe I am going to have to disable those Google ads completely and likely disable some options here that have been free since going to the new platform. Like classified ad bumping, member name changes, and anything else I can use to encourage this site to be supported by the members instead of the Google Adsense ads.

    But there is risk involved. I will not pay out of pocket for very long during this last ditch experimental effort. If I find that the membership does not want to support this site with memberships, then I cannot support your being able to post your classified ads here for free. No, I am not intending to start charging for your posting ads here. I will just shut the site down and that will be it. I will be done with FaunaClassifieds. I certainly don't need this, and can live the rest of my life just fine without it. If I see that no one else really wants it to survive neither, then so be it. It goes away and you all can just go elsewhere to advertise your animals and merchandise.

    Not sure when this will take place, and I don't intend to give any further warning concerning the disabling of the Google Adsense. Just as there probably won't be any warning if I decide to close down this site. You will just come here and there will be some sort of message that the site is gone, and you have a nice day.

    I have been trying to make a go of this site for a very long time. And quite frankly, I am just tired of trying. I had hoped that enough people would be willing to help me help you all have a free outlet to offer your stuff for sale. But every year I see less and less people coming to this site, much less supporting it financially. That is fine. I tried. I retired the SerpenCo business about 14 years ago, so retiring out of this business completely is not that big if a step for me, nor will it be especially painful to do. When I was in Thailand, I did not check in here for three weeks. I didn't miss it even a little bit. So if you all want it to remain, it will be in your hands. I really don't care either way.

    =====================
    Some people have indicated that finding the method to contribute is rather difficult. And I have to admit, that it is not all that obvious. So to help, here is a thread to help as a quide. How to become a contributing member of FaunaClassifieds.

    And for the record, I will be shutting down the Google Adsense ads on January 1, 2025.
  • Responding to email notices you receive.
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    In short, DON'T! Email notices are to ONLY alert you of a reply to your private message or your ad on this site. Replying to the email just wastes your time as it goes NOWHERE, and probably pisses off the person you thought you replied to when they think you just ignored them. So instead of complaining to me about your messages not being replied to from this site via email, please READ that email notice that plainly states what you need to do in order to reply to who you are trying to converse with.

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scotty77327

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Anybody know what would cause an otherwise healthy male boa to constantly
keep his head arched back and sway to either side . Refuses to eat for 3 weeks now and the female he is with is acting normal . I have had this boa for about 6 months .
Thanks for any help Scott
 
Those are neurological signs. Taking into consideration that the female is acting the first thing to do would be to isolate that male from all other animals in your collection. Second thing is taking him to the vet; don't rule out the possibility of IBD!

Good luck!
 
While I agree that isolation is warranted, I think throwing out the IBD bomb is a little premature based on a brief three sentence description of what may or may not be classified as symptoms.

Males will often go off feed this time of year as they are more interested in breeding then anything else.

Head swaying is not necessarily a sign of a neurological problem.
Males will often "dance" as they try and attract the attention of breedable females.

Have you checked out the male closely for any signs of injury?
What is the size difference between the male and the female he has been housed with? Large females have been known to injure males during courtship.

Have you tried placing him on his back and see if he is able to right himself?

As Dan said, isolate him and watch him closely for any unusual behavioral signs.
 
Sledgehammer said:
While I agree that isolation is warranted, I think throwing out the IBD bomb is a little premature based on a brief three sentence description of what may or may not be classified as symptoms.

Males will often go off feed this time of year as they are more interested in breeding then anything else.

Head swaying is not necessarily a sign of a neurological problem.
Males will often "dance" as they try and attract the attention of breedable females.

Have you checked out the male closely for any signs of injury?
What is the size difference between the male and the female he has been housed with? Large females have been known to injure males during courtship.

Have you tried placing him on his back and see if he is able to right himself?

As Dan said, isolate him and watch him closely for any unusual behavioral signs.
Ok going to try that now . The female is close to the same size , looked the male over really close and i don't see any signs of injury or trauma . he only does it when out of the cage if left alone he looks fine and he just finished a complete shed monday.
 
While I agree that isolation is warranted, I think throwing out the IBD bomb is a little premature based on a brief three sentence description of what may or may not be classified as symptoms.

Ben,

We are in agreement and thus my statement: "Second thing is taking him to the vet; don't rule out the possibility of IBD!". In medical terms this is called a "differential diagnosis" or in other words, rule out any other possible ailments that show similar signs. Fumes are one other possibility, but taking into consideration that the female is not showing similar signs, it's not very likely that they are the cause. As we speaks we have a couple of pairs of mating boas. The males are lying almost motionless on top of the females, rubbing their chin on her backs, trying to place their tails under her's, and scratching them with their spurs. That's the courtship behavior we see consistently.

Regards.
 
Ok i just put him on his back and yes he rights himself quite quickly i might add .
anymore thoughts because my vet won't be back untill the 4th
thanks scott
 
Ok i just put him on his back and yes he rights himself quite quickly i might add .
anymore thoughts because my vet won't be back untill the 4th
thanks scott

Quarantine until your vet is back!

Regards.
 
scotty77327 said:
Just incase it's an ri i'm starting him on a regime of tylen any thoughts on this
Scott,
That's a bad idea.
Shotgun treatments without a verified illness are not in the best interest of your animal. Why go poking holes in him without cause.

The best course of action has already been provided here,
Isolate him from your other animals and watch him closely.

You mentioned in your original post that the head swaying is only exhibited when he is outside of the enclosure. Could it be that he is simply tracking, or is it a pronounced "back and forth" movement?
 
Isolate, and wait for a proper diagnosis before you start giving any form of antibiotics. Though they may help us at times, they also have their downfalls. If you use them every time you suspect something is wrong, then harmful entities will build a tolerance to such treatments, and the treatments cease to work. A well known fact.

Antibiotics are to help, not to cure. You really want the snake to use it's own imunosystem to combat the ailment, if in fact there is one. I only use them on the worst cases that come my way, and usually cease using them even before the alotted doses are all used up.

Another thing, I know Tylan has been used on snakes with success, but IMO you take a risk due to the ease of a miscalculated dosage. There is a such thing as harmful doses of antibiotics. Tylan is designed for Beef and Swine, much larger animals than Boas. Be careful when using this stuff.

The fact that he is OK mostly, and acts like this when you bring him out, leads me to believe you may be chasing shadows. Worrying too much. We are all guilty of it at times. I say just take it to the vet when you get the chance, and let the vet prescribe any treatment that may be needed.

Either way, I hope it all works out for you and the snake. Keep us posted as to the progress.


Rick
 
Very good points made by all . Hopefully i am just overreacting . Although i have 7 kids
my boas are just as much my kids also . I have a call into the vet they said they are going to have her call me . I'll keep you posted .
Thanks for all the help Scott
 
Well, I didn't have enough time to go into details when I made my initial post...good to see that some of the blanks were filled in, lol.
Rick: you said that you usually stop antibiotic treatment early (before the scheduled doses are used up). That is actually a bad idea as well - the duration of therapy is designed to ensure that the pathogens are killed. Not completing the course increases the risks of requiring further treatment, and of resistance.
Scott: aside from what was mentioned above, most of the injectable ABX (well, all of the ones I have dealt with) are nephrotoxic in reptiles. The decision to treat in such a manner is not without risk to your animals, and should not be taken lightly. If you don't know what you are treating, or even if there is anything to treat - you shouldn't be doing it.
I hate to say it, but this thread is actually a good example of the what I consider a big problem. The initial post was incomplete - it lacked important information. People responded based on what they read; then more additional information was added...significantly changing the picture. Those who frequent this site, have probably run across one of my little outbursts regarding the overuse, and misuse, of the term respiratory infection. It seems to be a growing issue, and, unfortunately, online forums are a big part of the reason. Well meaning people throw around words and suggestions that they do not fully comprehend...largely because somebody told them, or they read it someplace; usually without even bothering to ask basic history and husbandry questions. Then, as soon as people see a similar description, they are jumping on the bandwagon...telling others how to deal with their problem. The piece that the question askers overlook is that they have no idea who is giving them advice. In many cases, I see people authoritatively responding to threads when they have kept snakes for a mere 6 months...and their first posts were with common problems (and frequently, the snake died and has been replaced).
OOPS - guess I got off on a bit of a tangent...sorry all. Back to the issue at hand - empiric antibiotic therapy is not indicated based on what has been stated in this thread. If there is more information, feel free to provide it

**please note - the "well meaning people" referred to above is not describing anybody in particular, nor aimed at anybody that has already posted on this thread**
 
Good points Harald!
I didn't mean to sound like this is what I do always. It depends on the animal, and how well they are recovering also. Should have said that. Also should have said, I ALWAYS ask the vets oppinion first. I don't just make the call myself. I aint that knowledgeable on the subject. LOL
 
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