Digesting Food

[unknownclown]

I was just wondering how long it takes for a boa to digest a rat. I fed my BCI a rat sunday that was a little too big for him cause it was all they had available and he was going on 2 weeks without eating since he has decided that baby bunnies arent as good as he thought they were last month. He hasnt regurged which I was expecting (heck after the first time he did that Im scared he will do it with every feeding). He hasnt hardly moved since I fed him which is normal but theres still a noticable lump in hid belly. This is only day 3, is there still the chance of him regurging or would that have happened by now if it were going to?

[Colonel SB]

I think he should be fine just don't handle him until he starts moving around again justto be safe.

[Linds]

Why would you feed your snake something you expected him to regurge? If there is any doubt, better to let him wait a little bit longer than risk a regurgitation. Often snakes in the wild will feed on prey much larger than the largest part of their girths... it can cause them to regurge in some cases, but most of the time it is fine, it's just a caution we follow to reduce the risk and keep our animals as healthy as we can. There isn't really much of a timeframe where a snake won't regurge, I've even spoken to people that have had their snakes regurge after nearly a week, however its generally thought to be around 4 days as the safe zone (for appropriately sized meals, large meals are excluded). If there is still a noticeable lump, then you are definitely in the warm zone still. Larger meals take longer to digest, so just give him extra time before his next meal. Let him chill out and finish digesting the bulk of it, like Colonel SB said, refrain from handling until he becomes active again. Take care, and in the future, if ever in doubt, simply don't - it's better safe than sorry ;)

[yankeefoxtrot]

I agree with linds. I had the same problem, now i dont ever mess around with food that i think might be to big for my BCI. And yes 4 days in the safe zone, if they make it past that they will usually keep it down.

Lucas

[unknownclown]

Why would I feed my snake something I expected her to regurge?

(I just took her in and had resexed since I had my doubts about her being a him and sure enough he's a she)

Well as I have said before Im fairly new at this stuff and heck the first time I fed her a couple of mice she regurged so now I worry about it every time I feed her. Also since Im new Im still getting the idea of what size is apropriate. I know, I know the width of the snake but Ive also heard a little larger is also ok and this rat was a bit larger.

Oh by the way I guess it wasnt too big I was just nervous about the bulge in her belly and once again amazed how much she can down. Im guessing that it wasnt too big since she didnt regurge and I dont plan on testing the limits anymore.
Thanks :)