# Eye issue Brazilian Rainbow Boa



## Matherial (Nov 25, 2020)

Hi,

My brazilian rainbow boa just had a good shed, apart from her right eye cap which didn’t come off. I tried to get it off but it seems pretty stuck so i don’t want to try any harder incase it isn’t actually a retained cap

Any ideas what this is? It’s cloudy with a white bit in it. I don’t think it’s an infection due to the timing of it, as It happened as soon as she shed, and also the fact that there’s no swelling, discharge, loss of appetite or anything else wrong besides it being hazy

i’ve attached some pictures. Sorry, they’re the best i could get with my crappy camera


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## Swindinian (May 4, 2020)

Its a cliché, but any concerns, go to a decent vet.

Always good practise to inspect the sloughed skin, focussing on the head and tail. That would allow you to tell if there was any retained eye cap.

If they go into a rapid shed cycle again, then perhaps they are trying to heal some damage.

From the photos, the white dot looks like light reflecting on the eye?
But if one cloudy and the other not, then perhaps the boa abraded the eye against something rough or hard?

Check your viv parameters against those recommended for trop rainforest spp. High humidity, not too hot.
Guarding against hot or sharp objects?

Warm wet environment can be a breeding ground for micro-organisms.

Changing the water bowl water regularly? 
Checking and cleaning the bowl for bioslime? Ceramic hides tend to get slimy pretty quickly also.
Bioslime is assumed to be Pseudomonas spp bacteria (you get these proliferating on dirty dish clothes - almost sweet smelling odour?).
Pseudomonas quite common and not automatically harmful, but they can cause open wounds to fester and not heal, and can on occasion cause GI issues. More a problem if animal is immune-suppressed.

Final thought is UV damage. Have you got UV bulb/tube? What % and what distance. BRBs tend to bask cryptically, so this might be the least likely scenario for the cause. But some rainforest spp exposed to high UV levels may sustain cataracts.

Let us know how it goes.

Andy


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## CrazyFrog (Dec 19, 2021)

Swindinian said:


> Its a cliché, but any concerns, go to a decent vet.
> 
> Always good practise to inspect the sloughed skin, focussing on the head and tail. That would allow you to tell if there was any retained eye cap.
> 
> ...


Just wanted to say what a detailed answer that is, good to see people on here like that, thumbs up.


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## Swindinian (May 4, 2020)

Thank you CrazyFrog.
Am just a little infatuated with rainbows 😊 so when I read of an owner with concerns, I thought I’d quickly throw out some ideas to ponder over. Might be something or might be nothing, but if anything helps them to trouble shoot the issue, then all the better.


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## Patmufc26 (Sep 24, 2017)

Can't really add to anything Swindinian very aptly added above, other than it does look similar to a retained eye cap I had with a Borneo Short Tail Python.

A damp cotton pad, in my experience and opinion, works an absolute treat for retained eye caps. Give the snake a nice long soak and gently glide the damp cotton pad over the eye, no pressure is needed. 100% success rate with this method. 

Beautiful snake btw, my BRB's head markings are no way near that bold.

Best of luck!


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## Matherial (Nov 25, 2020)

No bioslime, clean pretty regularly. I thought once a month or 2 was way too long but other people I've read on here go much much longer than that!

Parameters are fine. I regularly have to mist though due to the CHE sucking the humidity out of the viv.

I found a hidden bit of shed left in her enclosure the other day which had both eye caps, so it wasn't retained.

Had the vet visit this morning. The vet reckons it's a superficial corneal injury caused when she was trying to get her shed off. He gave me some isathal eye drops to apply twice daily for a week. He also thought it might be an inclusion, but when he looked again he went with superficial injury. I have to agree with him given the timing of the issue, as i can't imagine how she would have got inclusion conjunctivitis all of a sudden out of nowhere, in only one eye, no crust or discharge.

I'll go back next week and see what he says. Hopefully it turns out fine!

Thanks Patmufc, she is a very pretty snake indeed haha


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## Zincubus (Sep 6, 2010)

I’d just try the damp towel trick first .. 

It works great on retained eye-caps or stubborn shed skin .

I soak a rough textured bath towel in snake temp water 88-90F then leaning into the bath wrap the snake up in it and let it slither around inside .. applying very , very gentle pressure to the head / eye region ... any retained eyelid will generally come off easily and painlessly after five minutes or so .
For stubborn skin just do the same thing but apply pressure to the body .


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## Matherial (Nov 25, 2020)

She's been given the all clear. Her eye is still darkened but the abrasion has gone. Hopefully her eye will go back to normal after her next shed, but she's perfectly healthy


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