Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a baby corn that has thrown up its meals for the last two weeks. I am using the smallest pinkie that I can find, and this is still happening. The snake has not look as though it has lost any weight but I am still concerned. Another of my snakes about the same size is having no problems with its pinkies.

Thanks,
Jason

One regurge is bad, two can be deadly. You MUST Give it some time off to replenish it's gastro-intestinal juices.

At least a week, if not more is needed between feedings. When you do begin feeding, cut off just the head of a pinky and see if it can hold that down. This small amount of nourishment will be enough to keep it alive, but hopefully not enough to upset it and cause another regurge.

That's what I've learned, hopefully an old-timer will jump in and give yo uall the info. Things have been kind of slow here on the forum due to the holidays, though.

Stop any kind of stress on her for the next month. No handling, no excess noise, no cleaning of her cage, etc. Move her to a quiet part of the house. Check your temps, making sure to get an accurate reading directly over the hot spot. If it is above 85 degrees F, you need to get it lower. Then wait two weeks to offer a food item that is half the size of the one that she had last time. You can slice a frozen pinky down the middle lengthwise, then thaw it and only offer half. IF she eats that, don't bother her for the next two weeks. At the two week mark, if she hasn't regurged, do the same thing again, half size pinky, no handling...... After she has kept down three or more feedings, you can start handling her again. IF she regurges again, a vet visit is what I would suggest ASAP. A third regurge is deadly, a second one can be also.....

You have to let her stomach acids replenish, or she will keep regurging.

>>I have a baby corn that has thrown up its meals for the last two weeks. I am using the smallest pinkie that I can find, and this is still happening. The snake has not look as though it has lost any weight but I am still concerned. Another of my snakes about the same size is having no problems with its pinkies.
>>
>>Thanks,
>>Jason
-----
phflame
kingsnake.com host

My question is: how long can a baby go without eating? The original poster said that he had been trying to get it to eat for two weeks.

The proper fix is to hold off feeding and then try again, but what if it has apready been two weeks since it kept a meal down? I've yet to ever find an answer to that question in my own research...

>>My question is: how long can a baby go without eating?

The answer is "depends...." How healthy is the baby? How dehydrated? What kind of cage conditions? If the baby is active and burning up calories in a warm/hot cage, that would shorten the time span.....

......but what if it has apready been two weeks since it kept a meal down?

The answer is the same "depends....". What kind of conditions is it being kept in? How much handling has it had to endure? etc. If it has been kept in prime conditions, I would try to feed it once it had been two weeks since it regurged. If excess stress had been put on the snake, I would give it at least a few days of isolation, etc. and then try to feed it.

But be extremely strict about keeping the stress to a bare minimum after the feeding, until the snake is well on the road to recovery.

Remember this is only my own opinion.
-----
phflame
kingsnake.com host

Ok, thanks!
The feedings were exactly one week apart. She does manage to keep the food down for a day or two each. I really think it is the size of the food that is causing it. She is a very tiny snake. I will wait and then give her a split pinkie. Temps of cage look good, hot temps are around 82. Cool temps are around 78.

Thanks again to all
Jason