I just wonder if anyone knows if this is normal... I have a viper boa and she seems healthy, all the signs are there, tongue flicking, aggressiveness, she even eats quite well for a viper boa. but she looks like she has been covered with dust, literally, and it's getting more noticeable with time. I can't even see the pattern on her any longer. i'll get more pictures of her later, as the one I posted is three month old, but you can see what i'm talking about....

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I don't know she looks normal to me. Some just have more vibrant colors and others not.

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Linky.

her's the ones I just took five minutes ago... you can see what I was talking about on her back closer to the tail quite well... just like she's covered in dried up mud.

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How old is she and describe your setup.

__________________
Quality of life is just as important as good health.
Linky.

30 gallon tank with big enough water dish (she loves that thing, soaks for days sometimes), two hides, heat lamp... that's about it... substrate is Repti Bark. as for her age - no **** clue, she's wild caught, as most of them.

Also when last did she shed and was it one piece or broken pieces? What is the exact temperature under the heat lamp?

They don't tend to equate heat with light since they spend most of their time under a couple inches of rotting leaves. Under tank heating pads or heat tape works best with them and the ambient temps should be 80, a few degrees cooler away from the heat pad and I wouldn't go much higher than 83-85 on your warm end. It is very important to know how hot it is under the substrate because they lay under it and not above it.

This species require very high humidity and they can develop skin problems if the humidity is not kept, excessive soaking can mean that there is problems. The substrate can be made damp but not wet, nicely soaked sphagnum works well. The humidity should be 70 to 90.


They do however, change color with seasons, temperature and moods.

__________________
Quality of life is just as important as good health.
Linky.

temps are 85-90 during day and drop 5-10 degrees at night... she hasn't shed for me yet, even though I've had her for five month.... humidity is about 85-90%...

Sorry I added a lot after I already posted.

You should get an undertank heating pad because the light does not mean much for her, also make 100% sure that the glass or whatever that is at the bottom does not exceed 85.

They don't shed too often, with the viper boas being the slowest shedders with the thickest scales in the genus. Adults may only shed once every eighteen months and younger adults may shed twice a year.

The keeled scales are built to get dirty... they trap and collect substrate and get stained by soil so that the animal is a close mimic for the area it's in.

__________________
Quality of life is just as important as good health.
Linky.

well, here's what baffles me... if it's only a dirt or dust, then how come it does not wash off? if she's in water, then it's gone, she shoes off color quite nicely as well as pattern, but as soon as she dries up - she gets the way she is in pictures...

You say that her color is fine when she is in water and she is dull when she is out?
That is really normal.

It does however concerns me that she stays in the water so much although the enclosure is humid. Correct her temps by putting a normal low wattage globe in that are only there to give light. All the heat should come from the bottom. The night temps should be 80-85ºF .That should solve the soaking problem.

They spend almost all their time buried so the two hides that you provided should not be used at all.

Mix extremely fine coconut fiber with larger bark chunks that will be suitable for digging around in. This will retain moisture well and won't clump up or pack down too much as the snake moves around over and through it. To this you can add large clumps of sphagnum and occasionally cork bark- just to provide additional "hides" a little closer to the surface. This will minimize stress and provide an environment that fulfill their natural behaviors.

__________________
Quality of life is just as important as good health.
Linky.