I have a red tail(common I believe) he is 11yrs old have had him since he was a couple months old. Again he is 11 about 7ft in length and about 55lbs. Yes I know he is a little heavy in weight, I haven’t had him in last 3yrs due to an old living situation, but I have him back now. Question is, now that I have him at this size he trends to breathe really heavy, while handling him and having just roam. Is that normal? Kind of sounds like wheezing but not totally sure. He still has energy, has only gone 2 weeks without eating(his choice not mine), no mouth breathing or any signs of something really wrong. Is this normal??
This can be normal for an heavy adult red tail especially if he mainly does this when your handling him I’d just keep a good eye on him just in case its a respiratory infection and does he have any shed in his nostrils that can be it, but mainly I’d just keep a good eye on him here’s some red flags: starts open mouth breathing, drooling more/extra saliva or lethargy if any of this happens a vet visit would be nice. but this could me normal! in fact my local animal shelter had a case like this and their red tail was just fine. so just keep an eye out! (he does seem large so less food might help too) Good luck!
What I’m going to say is not intended to be judgemental or accusational. If the Boa is in that weight range he is surely obese. They’re quite easy to unintentionally overfeed, as Boas love eating and are extremely metabolically efficient. His heavy breathing could be partially due to his weight.
I would definitely consider taking him to a vet if an infection is something you’re concerned with, as they can help remedy that. I would also put him on a less frequent feeding regimen. My adult Boas tend to feed less than once a month.
With all that said, again, welcome to the forum, and hope we get to see photos of your boy.
I agree with info given above. If he is 7 foot and 55 lbs that is obese and just like in humans when your over weight it’s hard to move around / exercises. I can relate it’s hard for me to run and it’s hard to breathe.
If you can post a picture of him. And keep an eye out for RI respiratory problem. It will look like spit coming out of his mouth or nose. If you do see any RI he will need meds from a reptile veterinarian. My link below has info that can help until you can see a veterinarian
It’s possible he’s breathing that heavy just due to his weight. If he’s indeed 7’ exactly and his weight of 55 is correct and not a guess, he likely needs to lose about 40-45 lbs. If he’s that obese, going off of food can be a major red flag for liver failure. I would have a vet on speed dial while you work him just to be safe, if he really is that badly overweight. It’s possible it just a normal fast, and he’s otherwise sound, and idk if vets can treat for that, but any changes with a boa of that body tone definitely needs care. Even if he’s healthy, and you diet him, it needs to be done carefully.
Doesn’t hurt to have them check for signs of infection, either, just to be safe!
