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Originally Posted by Jendee
Theyve said it works far better then vet care so Im not sure what new technology your talking about. I dont even know what kind of advice your give for regurging beside checking husbandry and not stressing the animal. Regurge can and does become habit forming it does effect the digestio. System and they will dehydrate from it and die. Something at that point needs to be done. And at this point it seems you 2 are the only people i know who say literally no to any idea out there. If people producing 200-300 baby boas a yr tell me this works better then over the counter stuff. Im certainly going to give it a try it is much better then sitting around spending money at a vet over an over for a "problem" child to die
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I think we can all discuss this without it getting so personal. Im especially not sure how I got lumped in with Aaron in any kind of general way, as its usually he and I on the opposing end of every discussion.
However, we do agree on this particular point as there is not only a lack of controlled testing evidence to support the use of probiotics, but actual scientific evidence to dispute it. There are many things that very reputable people think are true until such time as someone comes along to question and test it.
The same seems true here. Conventional wisdom in the past was that large snakes needed time to build up their stomach acids after a regurge. If I remember correctly some of those breeders you are discussing said this still. However, enough scientific study has been done now to show that isnt the case, and as a result we have looked for other causes for repeated regurgitations. This leads to a better understanding of both their physiology and our husbandry too. It seems like probiotics might fall under this same conventional wisdom that proves to be conjectural, and so with further testing could either be shown true or false. At this point controlled testing would need to be done, since its just some people saying it works and others saying it doesnt. All I was saying is that the scientific reasoning for probiotic treatment with yogurt is flawed due to this not being the right bacteria for snakes. Im not saying its absolutely impossible, just that it makes no sense scientifically.
As for the points I highlighted above, I would absolutely question those. What led you to those assumptions? Regurgitation is not a habit, it is a violent physical process with a direct cause. That the cause is not understood by the keeper does not mean it can just be labelled habitual or habit forming. For instance, if you get food poisoning and regurgitate numerous meals its not because of a habit, its because there is a real physical cause behind it.
Regurgitation is also not the same as diarrhea where dehydration would be the cause of death. Snakes who regurge can and do still drink and absorb water. The problem with regurgitation is that digestion is an energetically huge expenditure for these snakes. Restarting the digestive system requires large amounts of energy, amino acids, minerals, etc from a snake, which is normally replaced by that gained from the metabolism of the prey. However, repeated regurgitations mean that much is being repeatedly expended and nothing ever gained, so the animal would essentially be starving and depleted, not so much dehydrated.
So given your incorrect assumptions, and the possibility of passing them on to others, the wrong course of action could be taken and the root problem never solved. Which is why I wanted to present my information regarding the introduction of probiotics. I dont think its necessarily harmful at all, just that it does not address the actual cause of the problem.
As for whether or not something needs to be done in this particular case, I think it was very simple what needed to be done. Let the snake settle in and recheck the parameters of the habitat. The keeper has done both of those things, so I expect that it will do what most digestive problems do in good conditions, and sort itself out without the need for any kind of added unknown extras.
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