Regurgitating Rainbow Boa!!!

[Will0W783]

I think that in the case of regurges, there is always (maybe 99.99999%) an underlying husbandry issue. That may come in the form of the snake simply being offered a meal that was too large for it to digest in a timely fashion, or it may be that the temperatures are not optimal for that species.
Keep in mind that snakes must digest an entire whole prey item...therefore if the ambient temps are too hot, the food will spoil in their gut before they can digest it and they will regurge to prevent sepsis. If the temperatures are too low, the snake will not be able to get its enzymes to work in time to digest the prey before natural decomposition takes over and it will need to regurge to prevent itself from becoming ill. Snakes in the wild occasionally bite off more than they can chew, and will regurge. After, the snake can rest as long as it wants to before eating again.

I have mixed feelings on the probiotics issue. I've used liquified probiotics dissolved in Pedialyte injected into the prey of multiple regurgers I've dealt with in the past. However, I found that if I used probiotics too soon, the snake would simply regurge again. The only consistent thing that I have seen work is giving the animal a rest before its next feeding. Think about how hard muscles must work and how far the prey must come up for a snake to regurge...it can cause damage and stress to the esophagus.

I would be very interested to see studies showing stomach acid content and composition in healthy snakes and in chronic regurgers...we just don't know what's going on inside there really.

I do not think probiotics can hurt, however I would not use yogurt. Snakes do not normally consume dairy products and I would hesitate to introduce a foreign alien substance into an already stressed animal's system. I would think the way to go, if you wish to try probiotics, is to buy pills from a store and dissolve it in unflavored Pedialyte, then inject this solution into the snake's prey item.

However, I think the most important thing to do is give the snake time to rest. For a young or emaciated/thin python/boa, I'd give a week. For an adult of normal body weight, give two weeks. For viperids, give 3-4 weeks of rest before the next feeding.

Just my $0.02 based on my experiences and discussions with other keepers.