regurgitating

[paulsreef]

I picked up a yearling corn at the last show. Since, it has regurgitated 2 meals. The meals were the proper size and were kept down for at least 5 days before regurgitation. I waited 2 days before attempting the second feeding. I also have a 2yr. old corn, a Bci, and a Ball that have never experienced this before.
Thanks for your input.
Paul.

[marisa]

You must wait MUCH longer between regurg than two days. If not you have another regurg :D The snake needs time to recoup digestive liquids in the stomach and relax before it can hold another meal down.

In this situation I would let the snake rest for at LEAST ten days. No feeding attempts, no cleaning, nothing. Make sure the hot spot is nice a warm, maybe even a smidge warmer than normal.

After ten days-two weeks try a smaller tha normal prey item. IE.. if your snake is eating small adult mice, offer a fuzzy instead. Keep the snake eating smaller meals for a few succesful kept down feedings then you should be safe to move back up.

Marisa

[paulsreef]

Thanks Marisa;
So is it just nervousness of being in a new home?
Paul.

[BoidKeeper]

Personally I would have waited 14 days after the first regurge. Now the stomach is really messed up. Now it will take even longer for the bacteria and acids to build back up to where they need to be to properly digest a meal. The wait time between meals get longer and longer with every regurge. Now I would wait a full three weeks from the date of the regurge. In the mean time keep the basking spot at 90.
Why did it puke? Could be a number of reasons. Snakes need an acclimation period before being fed in their new homes. So if you fed it too soon stress could have caused it to puke. Other causes of regurge include handling too soon after feeding, parasites, blockage, temps not high enough.
Good luck,
Trevor

[vanderkm]

Definitely concur with what has been said already - if this is a yearling corn then letting it go without food or handling for three weeks will not be a problem. As important as basking temp is, I think it is more critical to have a full range of temperatures within the enclosure with secure hiding areas available so that it has a choice of temperature. Corns will often prefer a secure hide to the right temperature, especially in a new envirnoment, so it may not have been getting the right temperature for digestion.

Regurg can result from temps that are too high as often as those that are too low. Definitely don't handle beyond what is needed for cage cleaning until this guy has kept a couple meals down. Dropping the first meal to half the expected size is essential for the first couple meals too. A yearling is likely big enough that you don't need to be too concerned about dehydration, but make sure fresh water is available.

In many cases a regurg is just a temporary problem, but in some cases it can become quite recurrent and persistent. A parasite check may be worthwhile if you can get fresh feces to a vet to examine.

mary v.