Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Just kidding, but my 6 week old baby nelsons regurgitates about 75% of its meals. I am feeding appropriately sized pinkies. Any suggestions?...perhaps an alternative food???

Thanks for reading,

Chris

Pinkies should be your food of choice for this animal. I don't think the pinkies are the problem.

I have a few questions that will help us help you...

Where did you get this 6 week old Nelsoni? I ask this b/c most adults are just coming out of hibernation now & will begin breeding & egg laying in the next few to several weeks.. meaning your snake may be small for it's age and older that you think..

What temp are you keeping him at? and what are you using to heat the tank?

Do you have a hide box in with him?

What are you using for substrate, and could he have consumed some of it?

Have you had a vet check him for parasites?

~ Mike

I got the Nelsoni from a reputable breeder at the white plains show in new york. I got a pair and one of them eats just fine and was the same size. Using a heat pad under the box...95 degrees in the warmest spot, 65 in the coolest (daytime). Each is housed separately. Yes they each have a hidebox and i was using wood chip substrate and have since switched to paper towels. Finally, no i never have my animals checked by a herp vet...way too expensive for a $90 snake.

thanks for the reply

chris

It sounds to me like your setup is fine - I am glad to hear you switched over to paper towels as they are very safe, cheap, & easy to replace..

If this were my animal i would dose him with a little flagyl wait a few days and try to feed him again.. doing this works for me 99% of the time.. If he continues to lose meals you may need to have him vet checked unless you know someone that can dose him with flagyl for you.

Of course this is just my opinion, others may disagree!

~ mike

Better check about Flagyl and Milks.....I do not have my book handy but I could swear that for whatever reason I read the Flagyl is not the best choice for Milks??? Worth checking into.
Tom Stevens

Hi Tom, you have not sent me new pic's in a while!

If you find that article on flagyl not working well with milks let me know where it is. I would be interested in reading it.

Over the years I have used both Flagyl & Panicur in milks, corns & kings with no negative effects on breeding or egg quality.. BUT, Like i said in my post this is just what i would do if it were my snake. For others i would suggest a herp vet running a stool sample.

talk to you soon! ~ Mike

A friend of mine from this forum gave me some pointers on a similar problem not too long ago.

Assuming all conditions are well and you have just one snake that is regurging. Give him about 3 weeks of rest from eating to let his stomach settle. Then feed him one small pinky. Then another after 10-14 days... gradually he should come back to normal. Take note of when the last time he held down a meal was to be sure he doesn't go TOO long without any food.

Hope this helps and good luck!

(Also it isn't too uncommon for a medium sized snake to regurg if you feed him a large meal of 2 or more mice)

You will hear mixed reviews about a product called NutriBac. It basically a powedered form of gut flora [bacteria] that a snake can lose when it regurges. If you ad some of this stuff to water or sprinkle it on a food offering some people think it helps a snake recover faster and helps it to hold down food. I have used it and had good results. A few of the online herp supply places carry it. You may wanna try it. Tom Stevens

That seems a bit too hot and a bit too cold. I am not up on Nelsons, but it seems to me that they should be about 88 (at the very highest) maximum and 72 (at the very lowest) minimum. Anyone else have any guidelines for the temps?

How and where are you measuring your temps, by the way? Remember to measure them directly over the hot spot. You should use an accurate thermometer, also. I would decrease the temps of that hot spot and increase the temps of the cool spot. Do you have two hide boxes, one over the cool side and one over the hot side?
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phflame
kingsnake.com host

I personally feel that the temps may be too hot. 95 is way too hot, try lowering the temps to a range of 78-82. I keep all my snakes in that range, and have great results.

Billy
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Genesis 1:1

>>I personally feel that the temps may be too hot. 95 is way too hot, try lowering the temps to a range of 78-82. I keep all my snakes in that range, and have great results.
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>>Billy
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ditto for my experience with milks.
terry