I have been keeping kings/milks for 13 years and have not experienced a regurged/vomited meal until now. As some of you may have seen my earlier post, I recently acquired a captive hatch, locality L.getula californiae (12/2011 hatch). It was cooled for about 2 months and warmed up. Refused first meals of live, brained, and ft mice. On 2/9/2012, it consumed a baby Scelop. lizard eagerly and with vigor. Digested quickly with zero problems. I decided on 2/12/2012 to attempt a scented pink, using the "bait and switch method" of teasing the snake with a lizard and tricking it to eat a scented live pink. The snake grabbed the lizard off the tongs and began constricting. I ran some cool water under the faucet over the snake's head and it released. It eventually took the scented live pink. However, the snake took a considerable amount of time consuming the pink (30 minutes). The meal looked large, but barely left a belly buldge.

I returned the snake from its feeding tub to its enclosure--5 gallon screen top tank with cypress mulch substrate, cork bark hides, moist sphagnum hide, water bowl. UTH heats warm side of tank at 80-83F. Room is always around 58-65F (kept cool due to pyros and zonata). He attempted to enter a cork hide via a small crack which he normally can enter. But due to the meal, he got stuck. I was able to gently and quickly get him out and he burrowed under the substrate.

I thought nothing of the feeding ordeal (stress of making him release the lizard, meal maybe being a tad large, getting stuck, etc) and let him be for two days. I was doing his water and moss today and noticed an "off" smell. Dug around the snake nolonger had a buldge, but rather, I found a half vomited (pretty much mostly digested) pink. I cleaned out the soiled area of the substrate and inspected the snake, seeing no real problem--active, tounge flicking, "darty". Attemped to give him a dead lizard in which he refused (i figured he would).

What did I do wrong? Did I wait too soon to offer a scented pink? I was told to give him some soaks in water with diluted Pedialyte (to boost electrolytes, etc) and try feeding in a week or two. Am I just being overly concerned---I know snakes can sometimes regurge a meal, but this was half digested.

Any tips? I'm kinda freaking out because i love this little guy and have never, ever had this happen in my snake keeping career before.

Thanks
-Zach

[ Hide Replies ]

• Neonate getula pinky mouse vomit - Zach_MexMilk, Tue Feb 14 15:10:40 2012
• RE: Neonate getula pinky mouse vomit - mikefedzen, Tue Feb 14 16:46:28 2012
• RE: Neonate getula pinky mouse vomit - pyromaniac, Tue Feb 14 17:15:35 2012
• RE: Neonate getula pinky mouse vomit - a153fish, Tue Feb 14 18:00:04 2012
• RE: Neonate getula pinky mouse vomit - DMong, Tue Feb 14 22:59:14 2012