My Rosy Regurgitated, Need Advice

PsychoSnake · 11-11-14, 11:27 AM

I fed my rosy boa, Copper, on Sunday night. I was away on Monday (work) and this morning (Tuesday) when I got home I found that he had regurgitated. My guess is he did it on Monday. The smell was horrible.

Here's the issue: I'm going on vacation this coming Saturday and not coming back home until the following Saturday. I worry about feeding him just before I go in case he regurgitates again while I'm away. Should I just forgo feeding until I get back? He's usually a good eater.

I didn't handle him after feeding except for putting him back into his terrarium after eating. He feeds in a separate tub. He did get some handling the day before though. I had some friends from out of town play with him for 10-15 minutes on Saturday night, but that's it.

**EL Ziggy** · 11-11-14, 11:44 AM

I'd probably hold off until you get back from vacation before attempting to feed again.

PsychoSnake · 11-13-14, 09:09 AM

Thanks. The second opinion really helps.

**EL Ziggy** · 11-13-14, 09:36 AM

A lot of keepers wait 7-10 days after a regurge to feed again. If you're going to be away and can't monitor him then a few extra days won't hurt. Can I ask why you feed in a separate tub? Is it just a personal preference?

PsychoSnake · 11-13-14, 11:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EL-Ziggy

A lot of keepers wait 7-10 days after a regurge to feed again. If you're going to be away and can't monitor him then a few extra days won't hurt. Can I ask why you feed in a separate tub? Is it just a personal preference?

That's the way he was fed before I got him. I think I will just wait until I get back to be on the safe side.

**EL Ziggy** · 11-13-14, 12:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PsychoSnake

That's the way he was fed before I got him. I think I will just wait until I get back to be on the safe side.

Stick with what works best for you but there's really no need to feed in a separate tub. It's so much easier and less stressful for the snake and the keeper to feed inside the snake's regular enclosure. Safe travels and let us know how your next feeding goes. Best wishes.

**Aaron_S** · 11-13-14, 10:17 AM

Feed 3 days before you leave or wait until you get back.

PsychoSnake · 11-13-14, 01:13 PM

Thank you!

PsychoSnake · 11-30-14, 02:14 AM

Update: I fed Copper this week inside his terrarium and have not been handling him at all. It looks like he had a partial regurg this time. Not nearly as bad as the first time, but it still concerns me. I found a fresh very small poop and the remains of a mouse body with its insides basically sucked out. He still has his normal appetite and is drinking normally.

I should probably add that weather has been crazy in my area. One day 56F, then the next 26F! I was talking with a local reptile breeder today and he said he's been getting a lot of calls about snakes going off feed and that he thinks Copper's regurg may have been caused by the weather. I'm still not sure about what to do though.

**EL Ziggy** · 11-30-14, 10:19 AM

Colder temps could definitely be an issue. They need sufficient heat to digest their food. What are your warm and cool side temps like now? What are you using as a heat source and do you have a thermostat?

PsychoSnake · 11-30-14, 11:14 AM

Warm side right now is 86F and cool side is 80F. He has a basking spot of 90F. His heat source is a CHE and he is housed in a traditional glass terrarium. I don't have a thermostat yet, just a rheostat.

I'm thinking the instability of the environment isn't so much his terrarium as it is my house. I live in an old house that was converted into a duplex. The insulation is quite poor. The house is a one story with a basement that can only be accessed from the outside. The current temperature in my bedroom is 75F, but my kitchen is 60F. This is with all the interior doors wide open, storm windows on, plastic on the windows, draft guards under the outer doors and old socks stuffed into the threshold of my back door and I'm STILL losing heat out from the kitchen.

I thought that things would be okay since I house Copper in my bedroom and when I'm home his temperature readings seem fine. But I'm not home at all for three days of the week due to work and my apartment's thermostat is not programmable. I'm thinking my error is that I don't set the house thermostat high enough when I'm gone and when the crazy weather hits and I cannot come home to reset the thermostat when I'm at work (I can't leave location whatsoever when I'm on duty). So the house is getting too cold and the snake terrariums aren't at their optimal settings as their heating units run on rheostats.

So.... I think I'm going to have to bite the bullet and keep my house thermostat set higher and pay the $$$ until the weather finally gets back to normal. Ugh.

Thoughts?

KavomatovlHes · 01-08-15, 06:44 AM

Pls I have a lot of tummy fat and need to lose all ASAP What do I do? Where do I start from?