Regurging: What could be wrong?

[Dark_Angel_25]

Cleo my Red Tail this morning when I got up had regurged. She has also pooped and pee'd.

She had eaten on Jan. 10 1 f/t rat pup, and when the bulge was gone Jan. 17 (had been for a couple of days) we fed her again, this time she took 2 f/t rat pups.

This morning as I was getting ready for work, I noticed she had regurged the 2 f/t rat pups, and had also pooped (fromther feeding Jan. 10)

She never had any problems like this before. I kept the poop in one ziploc and the regurge in another (all mooshy and more than 1/2 digested) and Kenn is going to take her to the vet today.

Could something other than parasites be the cause? I don't know how she could have gotten parasites as if she had them before then we would have seen this behaviour before today. we have had her for almost 6 months....

Is there any other cause? and if it WAS parasites, then wouldn't the meal she had Jan. 10 have been regurged too?

Please help me, I am so afraid I am going to lose her.....

[wyz]

Anytime you try to "upgrade" prey size or quantity there's a chance the snake won't take it.

Just be sure your temperatures are ok and take a look at your heating pad it could of gotten unplugged by mistake.

I wouldn't worry if it's the 1st time. Wait 48 to 72 hours then feed it the same size it usualy gets and if this one doesn't stay, then start worrying and go to the Vet.

But for now I think it's ok.

WYZ

[asphyxia]

IMO- The 2 most common causes of regurging are:

- Temps to hot may want to double check
- Food Item to large

good luck
Brian

[Dark_Angel_25]

Hi Wyz... well she has taken 2 rat pups before... and had no problems.. could it be because her hide was too small? and maybe she either A) wasn't getting enough heat on her belly or B) being folded it couldn't move down? she is a little cramped in her hide now, I put a larger one I made this morning in... I don't know if I can wait 48 hours... I think I may just ask Kenn to take in the poop and have a fecal done... I am really worried....

Edit: I checked the heating pad when I cleaned out the cage, and it was on and working fine. as for the temp, it ALWAYS stays the same we don't use a dimmer on the heat pad, and she doesn't really ever use it anyway unless she is digesting a meal. the ambient air temp is always around 88-92, and the heat pad (with paper over it) is normally around 92-95. the humidity is good, and like I said haven';t had problems before.

She has taken 2 f/t in one feeding.. but these were a couple days older than the old ones we would feed her. can this really be it? and is it normal they regurge after 7 days?if it was the size, wouldn't it be right away?
Should I just take the poo and regurge in to be tested just to be safe?
Thanks guys for your replies.. I know I worry alot, but I love her and don't want her to die.... :(

[Linds]

My guess is she was way too hot :sun: If her ambient temps are 88+, that's good enough for a basking spot, she definitely needs a cooler area in the tank to go to, around 80 degrees. All she has in that tank is a hot spot, and an even hotter spot :/

As for length oif time, I would definitely give her more time than 72 hours to heal up the lining of her throat. They have VERY acidic digestive juices and can rip up a lot. I would wait at least one week. If you don't wait long enough, you are just asking for another regurgitation, even if the problem is fixed.

[Dark_Angel_25]

ok, well we are getting a 6 ft tank soon and will be moving her to it. this should help with that. So should I not worry about a vet just yet? should I keep the stool sample anyway just in case? the ambient is from one side temp, I will get Kenn to use the probe and see what it is on the cool side. hopefully that is what the problem was, and it isn't parasites... Thanks Linds... and everyone..

[Dark_Angel_25]

anyone? SHOULD I go to the vet anyway under the better safe than sorry act? I haven't ever experienced a snake Regurge ever, and I am really nervous about it,...

P.S. the thermometer is on the same side as the lamp.. so I know the other side is cooler. When she stays on the cool side, and I take her out she is always cool to the touch.... not warm... so she does have a gradient, this is why I worry still that maybe it isn't the temps.. if it was, why would she stay on the hot side under the rock?

[JonD]

It never hurts to get a fecal done just to make sure that there are no parsites..... Good luck!

[Dark_Angel_25]

WE have an appointment today at 3:40. I'll keep you posted.

[Derrick]

Well I think you should do what ever you are comfortable doing. If you have a good snake vet in the area it may be worth the cost to set your mind at easy. Me personally, I would wait to see how another meal goes.

Do you have a hide on the cool side? My snakes quite a bit between thier hides when they are digesting and actually spend more time one the cool side with the bigger meals. If you have ever left a rodent on the warm side over night you'll know how quick they get really fausty.

[JDouglas]

I agree with Linds, your cool side shoud be much cooler than 88-92 and most likely caused the regurge. I also think you should wait at least a week. After a boa regurges it digestive system need time to bounce back. If you feed it to soon it will puke again. This is one of the main causes of death in boas.
Please read this post from the VPI Mail Bag...

Dear VPI,
My snake regurgitated today, it’s the second time in a week. I waited five days after the first barf to feed it, but it didn’t keep it down. Should I treat it with metronidazole [Flagyl] or should I suspect something else?

thanks

Dear thanks,
When I have a snake regurgitate, I don’t even try to feed it for about 6-8 weeks, sometimes longer. This second barf may be the beginnings of chronic regurgitation syndrome, that’s typically how it starts. Unless your snake is at death’s door from starvation anyway, it isn’t going to starve if you just keep it quiet and don’t feed it for a couple of months. And if it is at death’s door already, it probably isn’t going to recover.

You’ve got to get your snake’s insides all settled and reset before you try to get it to feed. Snakes aren’t built to barf and it really takes it out of them when they have to do so.

You ask if there are other problems here and I can’t give you an answer. There are so many reasons why a snake might barf that from here there’s no way I can diagnose your snake’s problem. Snakes will barf it they are too hot or too cold while they digest; they can barf from stress; they can barf because of a meal that is too big. If it’s a captive-bred snake or even raised from a baby in captivity, then there probably isn’t anything serious underlying problem. If it’s a wild-caught snake, as are most WLP in captivity, then there are possible parasite problems ranging from flagellated protozoans to a variety of worms. Even so, if you can stabilize your snake, it probably can handle those sorts of things just fine.

Regurgitation can be a very serious thing and it’s possible that you should seek a reptile vet to look at your snake. But usually, if you are patient, give them a rest and start them back slowly, they usually can get back on track.

Good luck, DGB