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Humidity and Corallus
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One of the most important factors involved in correctly keeping a treeboa is
replicating the warm, ambient humidity which is native to the treeboas as well
as keeping the animals properly hydrated. Often, the two are directly
proportional to each other in the sense that if humidity levels are not properly
maintained the moisture contained within the treeboas body will escape and not
be replenished at the proper rate, thus dehydration, which is an overly common
ailment will occur.
First a bit of physiology. Reptiles are a marvel of structural design and
function, few animals can live in such diverse and at times harsh environments
as they thrive in. The modern day reptile is designed to hold within its body
the proper environment necessary to allow for proper physiological function
regardless of what extremes may lie in the external environment. Through the
ability to thermoregulate, these ectothermic machines can properly regulate the
temperatures needed to function appropriately and along the same lines they
regulate moisture intake accordingly to offset the limits of their environment.
Perhaps the most important tool used to regulate as well as protect from the
extremes is the reptiles, in this case, snake's skin. Unlike amphibians with
hygroscopic skin that allows water uptake to occur directly through the strata
of the dermis, a snake's skin acts as a barrier to keep moisture in. For a
desert reptile this is perhaps the secret to its success. For animals such as
treeboas that live in a naturally humid environment the skin serves as a similar
function in that it aids to maintain the internal moisture necessary for life,
preventing desiccation while basking as well as serving as a lite suit of armor
against predators and to some degree aiding in locomotion. The latter two are
also the result of the scales which we will in this writeup collectively refer
to as the snake's "skin".
Unlike a desert rattlesnake living in dry, inhospitable conditions, in a humid
environment, the treeboa's internal seal is more permeable to the outside
environment since its moisture balance is easily maintained in the average
ambient humidity levels that are often well into the mid to upper 80th
percentile. Just through the process of respiration a significant amount of
moisture is lost or replenished according to the needs of the snake's internal
hydrometer which adjusts accordingly to the treeboa's needs in order to keep the
internal anatomy properly hydrated. When the snake is kept in a much drier
environment such as that which is common throughout most of the U.S. a lot of
that moisture is lost just during this process of respiration due to the osmotic
imbalances between the treeboas internal and external environment. Add in
urination and lack of proper water intake due to the stresses of importation or
inadequate housing (most dealers) and it's easy to see why perhaps 95% of most
imported emerald tree boas are in my opinion seriously dehydrated upon arrival
into the new keeper's home. In captive born animals we see a bit more tolerance
for inadequate humidity levels, perhaps a relic of being born into such an
environment but realize that in the grand scheme of things one cannot reverse
nature's blueprint which has been in place for thousands of years so care must
still be taken even for the more resilient captive born beauties.
A lot of the damages of importation can be reversed if an aggressive hydration
therapy is applied, at my facility this has been the case for many years now and
the difference before and after hydration in an animal is incredible. Upon
receipt of a freshly imported animal each individual is treated accordingly, in
the case of those animals displaying slight dehydration Pedialyte is
administered orally as needed. In more severe cases of dehydration lactated
Ringer's Solution is injected intraceolomically as needed until the animal's
skin immediately snaps back into place when pinched, a great indication of the
proper hydration levels.
Daily maintenance of tree boas should involve at least one misting on a daily
basis, preferably two. The misting will not only increase the ambient humidity
levels within the treeboa's enclosure but it will also afford the snake a chance
to drink the water droplets that collect on or near its body, the natural means
of water intake for this family of snakes save for the occasional pond or
bromeliad pool that is encountered. Elevated water dishes should be provided in
order to simulate the latter as well. You'll often find that when given the
opportunity seldom will a treeboa refuse to drink from an encountered water
source. It is vital that the water source be fresh and not stagnant which could
cause the snake to refuse such an opportunity.
While on the topic, I think that water quality needs to be addressed as it is an
important aspect of the long term health of your treeboa. Water sources should
always remain clean and fresh, severe bacterial infections could result on the
rare occasions that stagnant or dirty water has been taken in. Careful attention
should be paid to the source used for supplying water to the tree boa in
captivity. It is my opinion and that of many others that true distilled water
should never be used as a sole source of water intake for your treeboa, in the
long run this could prove to be a fatal mistake. Distilled water (not bottled
spring water, don't get them confused) is essentially free of minerals and is in
many cases considered very aggressive towards most substances, especially
organic matter (Howery, pers comm). A friend and fellow Corallus enthusiast Doug
Holl best sums it up in a post submitted to the Corallus mailing list on
4/26/00:
" ...Say distilled water (real distilled, not purified, Brita, etc. ) is
introduced as your snake's only water source and you feed it as most of (you) do
every 2 weeks or so. Yes, it gets nutrients, minerals, electrolytes and vitamins
from its food but the distilled will cause small systematic problems...usually
manifested in the G.I tract and the kidneys...Osmosis is the key factor.
Remember back to high school bio or chemistry...when a cell is exposed to a
hypotonic solution such as distilled water, it will swell and usually burst,
when it does all the nutrients and the water (contained within the cell) will be
lost to the surrounding and eliminated...the use of distilled water does not
"dehydrate" in the characteristic use of the word, but the effect is the
same..water and minerals are lost to the outside..."
This illustrates the dangers of using true distilled water in an enclosed
captive environment. Given a species such as the emerald tree boa's (C. caninus)
relatively slow metabolism, the detrimental effect of using distilled water
might not manifest itself for some time, at which point the damage may be done.
Some keepers that had been using distilled water for a while reported severe
constipation in their animals (Clark, pers. comm) Some may argue that rainwater
is distilled but the truth of the matter is that by the time a treeboa drinks is
in the wild it will have fallen through the atmosphere and come in contact with
various organic matter picking up minerals along the way.
In the long run, it is vital to keep your tree boas, especially the more
sensitive emeralds properly hydrated. Dehydrated animals will often not roost
correctly and may exhibit anorexia, refusing to eat despite repeated attempts.
Dehydration often manifests itself physically by giving the animal a thin
appearance, wrinkled scales or indentations on each individual scale over a
larger area. A well hydrated animal's skin is typically very elastic, snapping
quickly into place when gently pulled and pinched, the opposite is a definite
indication of dehydration, most likely severe and will require immediate help
before renal damage may occur.
Keeping a close eye for these signs and vigilant spraying and attention to the
ambient humidity in your treeboa's enclosure will assure that the animal will
thrive and reproduce in the long run. The proper hydration levels are not only
important for basic day to day functioning in the animal but for the proper
maintenance in the long run as well.
* I would like to thank Doug Holl, Ken Howery of Poly-Bio Marine, and Karen
Clark for their contributions to this article. I would also like to thank the
countless members of the Corallus mailing list for their contributions and
discussions on the subject at hand. To date the list remains an invaluable
source of information and I encourage all with the slightest interest in
Neotropical tree boas to join.
Copywritten 2000 Danny Mendez.
This article may not be reproduced wholly or in part without expressed written
consent.
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