Playin with food??

bo2as · 12-26-10, 02:56 AM

hey guys
I have 2 boas. one red tail named Athena and one hog island named Hyprion. I just recently got Hyprion. so far he has cost me a lot :S upi and mited.. he infected Athena too. they are both taking antibiotics and under treatment for the mites. Now here is my question. I tried feeding them before yesterday, Athena ate with no problem. Now hyprion on the other hand constricted the rat (prekilled) smelled it kind of moved it around, but did not eat it after 1 hour. So i froze the rat and tried again today. He did the same thing but this time ate it half way then regurgitated it. He hasn't had a problem feeding before this. now I'm wondering is it the meds? should i be worried? also the rat was hairless. does that make a difference.? is he just not hungry?? any feedback??

infernalis · 12-26-10, 06:49 AM

Ch^4 · 12-26-10, 10:49 AM

I would make sure you wait at least a week before offering him food again. They need to recover after a regurgitation. He may not have liked the way the rat tasted--maybe because it was refrozen/thawed, or maybe the meds. Again, just make sure you give him at least another week before offering food. Good luck!

Will0W783 · 12-26-10, 11:01 AM

I think he may have regurged the rat because it was refrozen and rethawed. That tends to lead to spoiled rats...once they are thawed you can't refreeze them. If one of your snakes refuses food again, put the thawed rodent in a baggie in the fridge and try again the next day. If they still refuse you have to throw the rat out. I would give him a week to two weeks before offering food again, then offer a smaller than normal meal to get him back on track. Their systems need time to recover after a regurg- the food has a long way to go from the stomach to the mouth and it tends to lead to inflammation.

Also, I guess from your post that you do not quarantine? You really need to do so in the future, or you can end up with nasty diseases taking out your whole collection. ANY new snake, regardless of where it comes from, needs to be set up in a separate room for at least 2-3 months, in a simple cage (I recommend white paper towels as bedding because it's easy to see mites and examine the poop for evidence of worms). Make sure you only care for that snake after your established ones in a day to avoid tracking stuff around. I'm not trying to be harsh, but there are a lot of very contagious snake diseases, and quarantining is the only way us keepers can protect our animals. Best of luck with both your guys- hope they recover quickly.

shaunyboy · 12-26-10, 02:33 PM

i would agree with willow that imo he regurged because the rat was thawed then refrozen

are his temperatures ok as that can also lead to regurge but not usually half way through eating

if its temperatures they usually eat fully it then if the temps too low to digest they regurge it

cheers shaun

bo2as · 12-26-10, 03:13 PM

thanx guys

well the rat was not refrozen. i baugt it alive because the pet store had no frozen one. i unfortunatly pre killed it :s. and for the regurg, he only had the rat in up to the belly. meaning the rats bum anf feet were still not inside hyprion. so im guessing the tast he didnt like.mabe because it was hairless. And yess i think i have learned my lesson about quarentining my new animals.. i will DEFINATLY do that in the future

ill keep u guys posted!
thankx alot!!

infernalis · 12-26-10, 05:39 PM

I would not call what you described "regurgitation" then, I would lean more to "spat it out"

No reason for major concern unless it happens again with a completely different rat.