Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey guys,
So we bought a gopher snake for a friend that is having a regurge problem, and I thought maybe you guys could help. The gopher snake lives a few hours away, so I haven't seen her since she started regurging, but her keeper says that she's starting to look skinny. She's regurged three times, because our friend didn't know to stop feeding her. Since she called, we told her to stop feeding and wait a week, then offer her a pinky head. Her temps are good, she keeps her in one of those plastic shoeboxes (with air holes, of course), she's got hides, fresh water, and stays on paper towel. She's heated with a UTH.
The gopher snake has refused food for the past two nights, when she's been offered a pink head both nights. Tonight she's being left in her deli cup with the pink.
She ate fine for about two months before she started regurging. Now, I don't know what to tell her because I've never had a regurge problem that got so bad that the snake started looking skinny. She is calling the vet tomorrow to schedule an appointment, but any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!
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-Jaime Palma
Mad-City Constrictors

Try lowering her temps. Gophers tend to regurg if their temps are 84 and above.
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Aspire to inspire before you expire.

I agree with Beaker30. There should be a gradient where the snake has an area in the mid-70s where it can retreat to.

If the snake does not eat, wait 3 days. Do NOT try to feed it every night - this will only add stress to the snake.

Often times snakes that regurge go through a shed cycle before they start eating again.

Do not handle the snake until it is back on a regular feeding schedule.

Also, what is the size of the snake's enclosure? Small snakes do best when kept in small enclosures. If the snake is in a 10-gallon tank or something larger, I'd move it to a shoebox-sized enclosure.

Gopher snakes are cool pets, here's one that I caught in Las Vegas last year.

Tim

Third Eye

Hey,
The little one does have a temperature gradient, mid-80's on the warm end and room temp on the other end (the UTH covers about 1/3 of the bottom of the cage). She's in plastic shoebox type container already, with multiple hides. She's being kept on newspapers as of now.
She's gone in for the vet check, and hopefully it's just a matter of time before she starts eating and holding it down again. We'll be waiting a few days to try any more food on her.
Thanks for your help!

p.s. For sure gopher snakes are cool pets... I have a friend that has a pair of bull snakes that I think are the coolest thing ever... I may have caught a touch of the pit-bug. Next season!
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-Jaime Palma
Mad-City Constrictors

Chatting with Bob, on IRC, I told him of my bloodred.
#1 His first question is why am I feeding in the winter?

Well, I guess I use to corns, going year round, but I presume some may have a strong urge to brumate?

#2 He told me to pull the water a few days before and after a feeding. MAJOR DUH. My boss does this all the time and it just did not hit me. Plus all my snakes regurges were very wet.

Honestly we need a list we can all go to. Not just for the newbies, but heck we just forget a few of the tricks for each problem.
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Thanks for reading.
Big Tom

www.HerpZillA.com
www.HerpHelp.com

Haha, yeah, a list would be helpful for sure. As for feeding through winter, we're dealing with a hatchling over on this end that probably doesn't have enough fuel reserves to go through a winter successfully. This is my friend's first snake, and I don't know much about pits, so I'm just trying to find whatever help I can for her! Everything's very much appreciated

As an update:
She took the snake into the vet, and the vet advised that everything she was doing was right, so far. I also believe that the vet didn't see the snake as too skinny. I advised her to lower the temps back down to 84, and leave her be for another few days before offering her food again. The vet did a preemptive de-worming, which he apparently told my friend would help with the snake's appetite... Anyone else ever hear of this? I know that de-worming on dragons can have adverse affects on their feeding response, so I'm a little wary of it.
I could suggest pulling the water... Without seeing the snake, my first impression of a "skinny" looking snake is dehydration, so I told her to make sure that the water is extra fresh, but I'll suggest that as a possibility as well.
Basically, she's just going to let the snake be, and offer a pink head again in a few days. If it starts looking any worse, then she's going to bring her over here to Madison and we'll take the snake into my vet. Hoping for the best... she's done such a good job with her snake besides not knowing to stop feeding after a regurge, and she's really attached...

Thanks for everything, guys!
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-Jaime Palma
Mad-City Constrictors

The most common thing that folks do when dealing with a young snake that regurges is to try and feed after a regurge too quickly. When the food item is taken into the stomach and brought back up, it comes with all types of stomach acids that are really strong.

When you get a regurge wait at least 10 days and usually two weeks before attempting to feed again and then with a smaller than normal meal. During that time evaluate what in your husbandry like the above posters mentioned ( temps, humidity, handling etc etc.) caused the problem. If you look at it really objectively 90% of the time it is not a health problem, but rather a husbandry problem that has caused the problem that will evolve into a health problem over time.

If you don't with each successive regurge the chances fo full recovery is lessened.

Good Luck
John Cherry
Cherryville Farms