regurge?

Reticsrule · 07-29-05, 03:27 PM

i went to take out my little female boa today and when i lifted up her rock there was what looked to me like a half digested mouse. if this is a regurge should i stop feeding her for a while? im feeding her 2-3 hopper mice every five days. i think this might be the problem but the mice are just so small compared to her and she takes them like nothing. thanks for any help.

thunder · 07-29-05, 04:14 PM

It sounds like a regurge. It's best to wait a few weeks before offering food again, so that she has time to get her digestive juices up to a normal level. In the future, I would suggest feeding her more like every 7-10 days. Not all boas have the capacity to eat so often, althoug some do. Also, double check your temps in case something is off.

Reticsrule · 07-29-05, 08:06 PM

i was planning on feeding her every 7 days once i move her up to bigger food items but while i have these small ones im feeding her once every 5 days. i last fed her on monday and tomorrow(saturday) is her next feeding day. would offering her just one of those small mice tomorrow be a bad idea?

thunder · 07-30-05, 12:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Reticsrule

would offering her just one of those small mice tomorrow be a bad idea?

Yes. When a snake regurges, it loses a lot of it's digestive fluids, and it takes a little while for them to build them up again. If you feed too soon after a regurge, you may cause another regurge, and it becomes a vicious cycle, the regurge syndrome. Wait at least a week.

RB420 · 07-30-05, 09:08 AM

instead of feeding 2-3 hopper mice, just feed one appropriat sized rat, i beleive single prey items are easier to digest for them than multiple.

Reticsrule · 07-30-05, 10:22 AM

well i am going to a show on august 7 where i will be buying food for both of my boas. ill still have to use up the hoppers i have but then do you think she would be able to take weanling rats or rat pups?(shes 23" long)

BallPythonLover · 07-30-05, 11:20 AM

it would be better to go with rat pups until you see the size of the weanling rats.
i have a 23 inch boa and he can take a small rat. onl reason i know this is my dad bought the wroung size rat and i tried it it barley made a lump. any way good luck

Reticsrule · 07-30-05, 01:36 PM

ok thanks for the help guys. i didnt feed her today but i will have to finish up those hoppers before i get rat pups at the show on the 7th. should i drop the feeding schedule on the hoppers to something like 2 every 7 days? or 1 every five days? im not gonna feed her 2 every five days again so after i wait a week how should i feed the hoppers?

Linds · 07-30-05, 01:48 PM

IMHO the only time a snake should be fed on a steady five day schedule is when they need to gain weight. I feed my babies more on a 7-10 day and adults every 2 weeks or so. August 7th isn't far away, I would just wait until you pick up some more appropriately sized rodents before you try again.

Reticsrule · 07-30-05, 07:08 PM

well if i dont absolutly have to i dont really want to waste the five hoppers i have left. i guess ill wait a week and then maybe feed her one or two hoppers. then ill buy something bigger for her at the august 7th show.