New Baby Corn Regurgitate!!! Advice!!

HollyG · 09-13-13, 02:06 PM

Yesterday I got a 4 month old female Corn, very healthy looking. The breeder actually brought her to me and it was a 2 hr drive (she has family to visit around here which is the only reason she brought her to me). The thing is that my little corn ate only 2 days before and the drive and new enclosure was just too stressful and she ended up regurgitating her meal! That was yesterday. Now, I've read a bit on how to deal with this, but I'd like some more advice on the matter (I've never had any other of my snakes do this before). Breeder says she is actually a fantastic eater and nothing ever has happened like this before. I was able to get her to drink a bunch of water today, so she must be feeling better. The thing is that she is so tiny (on pinky mice) that I am a bit nervous! She is the smallest snake I've ever had. I also attached a pic of her enclosure too. It's quite large for her so I cluttered it with fake plants, wood, hides, and good ol' plantation soil for a soft, burrow-able bedding. She also has 2 water dishes on either side of the enclosure, I just forgot to put them in when I took the pic, they are in now. That way no matter what side she decides to go on, she doesn't have to go far for water and can still feel secure. There is an under tank heating mat on one side of the enclosure and I also have a heat lamp for her as well. On hot days I don't use the heat lamp. Because of how young and small she is I don't quite know how long to wait to try to get her to feed for me. They say wait 10 days to replenish digestive juices and electrolytes etc and the fact that this is a new environment on top of that, I was thinking 10 days is enough time but not too long to starve her or anything. You guys have any suggestions? I was basically just gunna leave her alone and not go in the enclosure at all other than changing her water until I try to feed her (in a separate container so she doesn't ingest any soil, and that was the way the breeder was feeding her) to make it easier on her. On top of all this, looks like her belly is in blue and will be starting a shed real soon! Is there anything else I should be trying or do I have it pretty much figured out in waiting and not bugger her at all in that amount of time or until she is finished her shed. Thanks guys!
1185532_10200422337025805_2035611654_n.jpg
1234168_10200422319265361_508705015_n.jpg

smy_749 · 09-13-13, 02:36 PM

Not shocking that she regurged after a 2 hour ride and a new enclosure just 2 days after eating. How did you get her to drink water though? Not sure what that meant. I would say 5-7 days is enough. You need to get a thermostat to control the heat, it will make your life easier and save your snakes life when your not their to manually control it. Enclosure looks well decorated with enough hide spots as well.

HollyG · 09-13-13, 03:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by smy_749

Not shocking that she regurged after a 2 hour ride and a new enclosure just 2 days after eating. How did you get her to drink water though? Not sure what that meant. I would say 5-7 days is enough. You need to get a thermostat to control the heat, it will make your life easier and save your snakes life when your not their to manually control it. Enclosure looks well decorated with enough hide spots as well.

Oh thanks

I do have a thermostat, I just didn't mention it because i figured any person with common sense would have one for a UTH. lol That's just me though :P As for getting her to drink water, this morning I just wanted to check on her to see how she was doing, making sure she was ok after all the stress. I knew drinking water after a regure definitely helps, so I lightly picked her up and placed her head down on the edge of the water dish (while her body was still in my hands) to let her smell that the water was there, and she instantly went in and took a big drink on her own luckily. I held her there and didn't move so I didn't disturb her to let her finish. When she was done I lightly placed her down beside the dish and she went off and hid in the leaves on the warm side of the enclosure. So, I didn't like force her to drink or anything if that's what you were worried about

But now that she has had something to drink I am not touching her until she eats for me.

Starbuck · 09-13-13, 03:11 PM

i agree with smy, 5-7 days should be fine. Also, especially since she IS in a strange place, i wouldn't take her out to feed her in a separate enclosure. This will ensure that she feels ecure and comfprtable enough to take a meal. You dont need to worry about her ingesting substrate as long as she has good temps and plenty of water to drink. Further, i would not handle her until she has eaten at least 2-3 times on her own, with no issues; just to be on the safe side.

Your enclosure looks great, best of luck!

formica · 09-13-13, 03:14 PM

cant face reading past the first 2 lines - paragraphs and sentences urgently needed :P

first up, leave ur snake alone for a week, to settle in, dont handle, dont poke, dont disturb or move things around, just leave him alone

after a week, try feeding again and hopefully he'll be nicely settled enough to digest properly

and yep as smy said - get a thermostat - you dont need a heat mat and a heat lamp, and you are putting your snake at very serious risk by using both without a thermostat (both need a thermostat, not one or the other), I suggest you remove the heat lamp, and leave the mat there, snakes do great on heat mats. enclosure looks big enough for your snake to escape the heat in the short term, but you must get a thermostat, aswell as protecting your snake directly, it will also help prevent damage to the enclosure and fire

enclosure looks pretty

HollyG · 09-13-13, 03:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by formica

cant face reading past the first 2 lines - paragraphs and sentences urgently needed :P

first up, leave ur snake alone for a week, to settle in, dont handle, dont poke, dont disturb or move things around, just leave him alone

after a week, try feeding again and hopefully he'll be nicely settled enough to digest properly

and yep as smy said - get a thermostat - you dont need a heat mat and a heat lamp, and you are putting your snake at very serious risk by using both without a thermostat (both need a thermostat, not one or the other), I suggest you remove the heat lamp, and leave the mat there, snakes do great on heat mats. enclosure looks big enough for your snake to escape the heat in the short term, but you must get a thermostat, aswell as protecting your snake directly, it will also help prevent damage to the enclosure and fire

enclosure looks pretty

I have never heard of anyone using a thermostat for a heat lamp? for a UTH, yes, I have one, because it's in physical contact with the enclosure, but for the lamp... didn't think I needed one. The lamp is suspended from the ceiling about half a foot above the enclosure with only a 50w bulb (red). I NEED the lamp where I live. It will be winter soon and with it down to -40C during the DAY and I keep the temp in the house no higher than about 69F, so the air temp in the enclosure gets much too cold for her. Belly heat is important, yes, but air temp is just as important IMO. Summertime the lamp is only used on cold summer night which isn't very often... I'm no beginner guys

been keeping snakes for a very long time. I'm just so nervous about this one because she is so tiny! lol and I never had a snake regure with me before. If I knew she had been fed only 2 days prior I would have waited another 2 days before getting her

Poor girl.

formica · 09-13-13, 03:37 PM

69F is fine for the cool side of a corn enclosure

Mikoh4792 · 09-13-13, 03:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by formica

69F is fine for the cool side of a corn enclosure

Maybe in the winter but 69F seems a bit cool for summer/spring. I wouldn't let the coolside get below 75F

formica · 09-13-13, 03:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mikoh4792

Maybe in the winter but 69F seems a bit cool for summer/spring. I wouldn't let the coolside get below 75F

thats a diffrence of what, 2C? for corns I wouldnt even consider that diffrence to be relevant

Mikoh4792 · 09-13-13, 03:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by formica

corns are a temperate species, they are quite used to winter drops in temperatures, if ur corn needs to warm up, it'll move closer to the heat mat

Yes during the Winter, not during the rest of the year. Where they come from it's usually warmer in the other seasons. When it gets that cold it usually means winter is coming and they get ready to hibernate.

Quote:

Originally Posted by formica

thats a diffrence of what, 2C? for corns I wouldnt even consider that diffrence to be relevant

It's a pretty big difference for any ecotherm that doesn't live in cool environments. I mean 65F is the usually the highest temperature recommended for brumating corns(although lower is better) and it's only 4 degrees off of 69F. When it comes to temperature a few degrees can make a difference.

formica · 09-13-13, 03:42 PM

corns are a temperate species, they are quite used to winter drops in temperatures, if ur corn needs to warm up, it'll move closer to the heat mat

HollyG · 09-13-13, 03:44 PM

Ya, I agree, even for a Corn 69F is too cold IMO. I personally wouldn't be comfortable letting it go down to any lower than 73F... that's just me though

Thanks for all the suggestions on the regurge issue though guys! I'll let you know know how it goes when I try to feed her next.

formica · 09-13-13, 04:08 PM

20C/69F is not cold for a corn snake, they are active from spring until late autumn, with a temperature range of <10C at night, they will bask @ 30C, any higher can be dangerous. the standard tempreture gradient should be 10C; ie 30C at heat mat, 20C at cool end

hibernation comes when temperatures are sustained below 18C, there is a diffrence between having an enclosure which does not go above 18C/65F and one which offers a range from 30C-20C

Mikoh4792 · 09-13-13, 04:59 PM

It seems you're right. After doing some reading turns out cornsnakes can tolerate a cold side of around 70F. Most caresheets I read say to not go lower than 75F.

Terranaut · 09-13-13, 05:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mikoh4792

It seems you're right. After doing some reading turns out cornsnakes can tolerate a cold side of around 70F. Most caresheets I read say to not go lower than 75F.

So your giving advice that is not your own and not correct?
Great job. That's what Wikipedia is for