Rainbow boa problems!

Rolson · 10-14-15, 12:15 AM

My baby rainbow boa is about 5 months old and about two feet in length, we got her from petco and they told us they were feeding her two fuzzies every week. They first time we fed her seemed good her response was awesome and she was striking good and getting them down fine. The next week we fed her a couple days later we found one of the fuzzies had been regurgitated. We had also just moved her to her new cage at that time after she ate. the cage is a 55 gallon and its 36 inches long and it has a mini pond that we made which has a waterfall/water filter inside of it. When she first got put in her new cage after eating we noticed she had went to her pond and drank and submerged herself. After reading some i found out that they are not supposed to drink a lot after eating and i thought that was the reason she had regurgitated, but i also knew it could have been the fact we moved her into her new and larger cage. The next week we fed her half her normal amount, we only gave her one fuzzie. She kept the one fuzzie down fine and i put her straight into her hide away from her water. we moved her back up to two fuzzies the following week and she kept those down fine as well, i had put her straight into her hide away from her water again. However when we fed her the normal two fuzzies this time She did not strike at her food and actually moved pretty slow and just pressed her face up against the fuzzie and slowly started eating it. This leads to the most recent feeding which was last sunday. She again did not strike and was moving quite slow and just pressed her face against the fuzzie and slowly started eating it. Monday night everything was fine she was in her hot humid hide and was relaxing. This morning we find two regurgitated fuzzies in her pond. Her humidity is in the high 90's and her temp range is at 76-85

So in conclusion she has had successful feeds in both cages (her first tank was 10 gallons) The only time she regurgitated in the new cage prior to this was when i noticed she had got to her water bowl right after we put her back. So i think it might be that she is getting too much water after she eats sometimes and i say sometimes because the time she did feed successfully with two fuzzies while she was in her new cage i put her straight back to her hide no where near her water. This time after feeding her she did go straight to her hide again but i found the fuzzies in her pond which leads me to think she was in the water when it happened.

-should i remove her pond and place a smaller water bowl in her cage so i can remove it until the 48 hours passes after feeding her to put it back in?

-i also thought she might not have been getting enough belly heat so i thinned her substrate out above her heat pad so she would get a better source. temp is still at 85-86 we use a thermostat.

-is her new cage too big for her? is it stressing her out? i dont see her out of her hide a lot so i thought this might be a possibility even though she has had a successful feeding of two fuzzies while living inside of it. I know rainbow boas and all snakes for that matter can be timid and want to hide/burrow but she doesn't come out a lot at all. i guess she comes out really late at night like in the early morning hours which would explain why we didnt see the two most recent fuzzies that were regurgitated in the pond until this morning.

Other then her recent lack of aggression while feeding and the 2 incidents of regurgitation she seems to be very healthy and her skin looks amazing and has a good glow to it, she is also shedding fine.

Pls help asap i love my baby!

**Tsubaki** · 10-14-15, 03:35 AM

If i am reading this right, you are picking her up and moving her after feeding? Picking a snake or moving it after feeding can cause it to give up its food.

Rolson · 10-14-15, 10:52 AM

You think the two seconds shes in my hand when i move her from her feeding box to her cage is causing this though?

bigsnakegirl785 · 10-14-15, 10:58 AM

I think your problems are coming partly from feeding two prey items (boas tend to regurge when fed multiple prey items, and BRBs are very prone to regurges), and not waiting long enough to feed after the first regurge. You're supposed to wait 2-3 weeks after a regurge and offer a half-sized prey item. So you should have waited 2-3 weeks and offered one mouse pinky or fuzzy if she's big enough for small adult mice.

Moving a snake after eating is also a big no-no and can definitely cause a regurge, there's no reason to feed in a separate enclosure.

Heat is also another issue with these guys, too much heat will cause them to regurge as opposed to too little.

Wingbeats · 10-14-15, 11:04 AM

I second what other peeps say

Double-check your husbandry - 90-100% humidity for babies, temps between 70-80 degrees F, no higher than 85 degrees F.

You could probably feed one hopper instead of two fuzzies - I am feeding my 6-month old rainbow boa hoppers right now. Though, like others said, wait for longer after a regurge.

No need to feed in a separate enclosure - just feed in the enclosure on a flat plate

then you don't get them stressed from handling.

Rolson · 10-14-15, 11:13 AM

The reason we feed in a separate container is so shes doesn't digest any substrate. The other reason is that i heard some snakes after being fed in their cages are more prone to biting you when you go to get them out because they could think its food. So you guys think i should definitely feed her in her cage?

Wingbeats · 10-14-15, 11:23 AM

Feed on a plate to prevent substrate ingestion

and the other thing is a myth! If you handle your snake when it's not feeding time, they will not associate hand with food.

I feed in the enclosure and Chaska never enters feeding mode when I stick my hand in. She only enters feeding mode when she smells a mouse thawing.

bigsnakegirl785 · 10-14-15, 11:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rolson

The reason we feed in a separate container is so shes doesn't digest any substrate. The other reason is that i heard some snakes after being fed in their cages are more prone to biting you when you go to get them out because they could think its food. So you guys think i should definitely feed her in her cage?

1) Wingbeats offered a good alternative so that she doesn't ingest substrate, and depending on what kind of substrate you use, substrate ingestion isn't an issue with proper temps and humidity. Snakes have strong digestive systems.

2) That's actually a myth. Think about it this way: if a snake would think your hand is food by simply throwing a mouse/rat into their cage, what makes you think they wouldn't think your hand is food by you actually picking the snake up right before feeding it?

Snakes think anything that moves and smells like food is food, regardless of how/where they're fed. The key is practicing cancelling cues, just let them know it isn't feeding time. In my experience, most snakes don't even need cancelling cues. I feed all 7 of my snakes in their enclosures, and I've never experienced a feeding bite in 9 years. I have had defense bites, but that's an entirely different issue.

Not to mention, I think you'll find feeding in the enclosure will save you time and effort, and reduce stress on the snake.

**Tsubaki** · 10-14-15, 11:34 AM

That biting thing is a myth, if that was true.. taking out the snake to feed it would make the snake associate being taken out with food. Best thing is to find a a way to make it easy for the snake to know the difference, a lot of people use tap training for this. They touch the snake with a hook before they pick it up, and do not touch it when food is coming (The touch snaps the snake out of the feeding response). Also several substrates are harmless when ingested a little, a healthy snake should not have issues with it. Have you ever seen a wild snake search for tupperware? If it worries you or you have a substrate that you don't trust (change it, i would say) but just put the food in on a newspaper or a plate.

Also i agree with the previous stated, you should have let the animal recover longer and try to offer 1 prey.

ManSlaughter33 · 10-14-15, 02:58 PM

I agree with all of the above.
If your worried about tank aggression with your boa, try tap training.. tap gently with a snake hook before picking it up so it knows the difference between handling and feeding.

Yes handling for those 2 seconds after a meal can cause it to regurge its food.
As for the substrate, they don't have plates in the wild and no one to move them for feeding so I think your snake will be okay. Otherwise set a piece of paper towel down or small plate as Wingbeats suggested

Regurgitating can cause acidic burns and make your snake uncomfortable so waiting 2-3 weeks will help that. (as I'm sure you eating after vomiting might be uncomfortable and make you feel worse)

Good Luck with your little one happy keeping

Rolson · 10-14-15, 03:39 PM

ok so im going to feed her inside her cage from now on to reduce any handling after feeding. I also tuned the thermostat down to around 83-84 for her hot spot. Ty everyone for the response. so i guess i should wait 2 weeks then feed her 1 fuzzy. After that i might bump her up to 1 hopper a week depending on how she reacts in her next feed

ManSlaughter33 · 10-14-15, 03:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rolson

ok so im going to feed her inside her cage from now on to reduce any handling after feeding. I also tuned the thermostat down to around 83-84 for her hot spot. Ty everyone for the response. so i guess i should wait 2 weeks then feed her 1 fuzzy. After that i might bump her up to 1 hopper a week depending on how she reacts in her next feed

That would be a great start