Wild caugth Olives.

[Durban Keeper]

Firstly, I apologize for the length of this post. It's just that I really need your guys & girls help right now...

The two snakes pictured below are really big & have been handed over into my care earlier today. They were caught somewhere on a farm. Now, It's bitter sweet. Sweet because I've been wanting olives for years now, a pair like this at any of the reptile breeding/keeping facilities in Durbs will set you back about a grand and a half. I picked them up for a hundred bucks each. Bitter because they are pretty dinged up from what I can only presume to be hunting or battle scars from big rats.

From here on out, they will only be feeding on pre-killed, so hopefully these scars will be their last. Please can someone tell me of any tried and tested product that i can use on these wound & scars to help them heal and in time hopefully reduce their appearance?

I'm also concerned about disease. I'm fearful to put them in the same room as all my other snakes. For now I've separated them into two appropriate sized plastic containers each with a water dish & hide. How long should I 'quarantine' them?



Thanks in advance,
Regards

Dean

[Buck Rogers]

Pretty olives, bactroban should heal up the wounds and good to clear any infections.

(useless info but bactoban was manufactured in Zim)

[drummer]

you might want to treat them for parasites...and as buck said, bactroban/neosporin will help heal up the wounds. You will never get rid of the scars though.

[Pezulu]

The one on the left looks like it thinks it is a mamba...

[Bushviper]

Those wounds look pretty superficial so I would not stress about them too much. Treating them for parasites may be a good idea but is not critical. A study undertaken at Medunsa a number of years ago showed that surprisingly few adult snakes in South Africa have internal parasites.

Those do look like two females so now you need to find a large male.

In my experiences these snakes are very cannibalistic so keep them separate.

[Fooble]

Gee durban keeper those are awesome,
where exactly did you get them?

Like almost everyone has said bactroban works really well I used it on my Rhombic with awesome results.

Have you see those two huge ones at Northlands pets?
Dont look as nice as these guys

[Durban Keeper]

Hi all. Firstly, I would like to thank you all for your positive feedback You have substantially raised my spirits with regards to these two. Thanks for the heads up on bactroban, I'll stop by the chemist on my way to work later. How would I go about treating them for parasites?

I also believe your right Bush Viper, I have a sneaking suspicion the larger female might be gravid, but i'm not sure. I'll have them sexed next week, if they're both girls, I know where I can get a beautiful male from

Fooble, I don't actually know where these two were caught, all I heard is it was by some laaitie who brought a bunch back from a farm.

I'll treat them & clean them often. lets wait one or two sheds and see what happens... I'll keep you guys posted.

Here's a pic of me holding the female. she really is a nice size...


Cheers,
Dean

[jka]

I have no doubt that their wounds will heal. The female is also a very nice size.

That one female looks fat-ish but I'm not sure about the snakes natural reproduction so I cant be sure if shes gravid.

You should be able to see/feel the lumps if she is gravid and the area close to her vent should also look swollen.

[Durban Keeper]

Hi JKA, I think I can feel lumps in the lower half of her body. I have not bred anything in years, so I'm not sure! I'll get Richards from C&C's opinion next week....

[Dragon Breeder]

That thing looks huge! How tall are you?

Fingers crossed she is gravid for you bud!

[Durban Keeper]

I'm still wanting to know how to go about treating these guys for parasites. Please can someone advise me.

Thanks.

[jka]

I hope this helps.

One word:

Frontline

Go to the local vet and get some Frontline spray. Ensure the day before treatment that your boa has had suffucient water.

On the day of treatment, spray some frontline onto a cloth and wipe your boa down from head to tail. Ensure that extra care is taken around the cloaca and under the throat as this provides hiding places for ticks, and other pests.

Remove everything from your cage. Water bowls, hides, substrate.

Spray your cage lightly with frontline. Ensure you spray the corners and where the sides come together properly.

Leave the cage open to ventilate.

Once the smell is gone, place newspaper in the bottom and you can put your snake back. DO NOT put any water in the cage. You can put the water back after 24 hours, I prefer keeping it out for 48 just to make sure.

Repeat this process once or twice there after, maybe after 1 week, and a week after that.

Hope I didn't leave anything else out.

Good luck.

[Rob]

If any of those are male it would be the biggest male ive seen by some distance.
Nice females in my opinion.

[Durban Keeper]

Thanks JKA. I'll get some Frontline from my old man. Is there anything one can, I don't know, put in their water or something to de-worm them and ensure they are free of disease from the inside out? I just need to be 100% sure before I introduce them to the rest of my indigenous collection.

I'm curious, I've scoured the net but can't seem to find much, so I figured I'll ask you guys. Anyone ever bred Olives in captivity or personally know of someone who has. I've heard that they have a rep of being difficult to breed & was wanting to know how much of it is truth or fiction?

[Moreliahunter]

Try some Panacur. It a broadbase wormer so it covers most of your nasties. might be a good idea to take them to a reputable reptile vet to get wormed.