Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a 12 inch tex ratsnake that had a regurge a few weeks back.Caused by a cat that batted his bin around after he had just eaten.That cat was rehomed this weekend.
I waited 2 weeks and refed him a very small pink which he held down and I am going to feed him again today.My question is when should I resume handling him again.Ive not touched him since he regurged except to slip in a pink and change water.
Id like to tame him down but dont want to stress him.He isnt too bad, never has tried to bite yet or even hiss or gape, just shakes his tail and trys to run.
Anyway any advice here would be appreciated.

I'd wait until the snake has 5 or 6 regurge-free feeedings before handling it. Getting the snake on a feeding schedule is the most important thing.

I raised baby Texas rats and handled them daily. It didn't do a thing to tame them down. So I wouldn't count on regular handling to make your snake tame.

Tim

My advice would be to do just as Tim already mentioned, and make sure it holds down several more smaller sized meals before attempting to hold it. And when you DO, make absolutely SURE that you wait 2 days AFTER feeding it to do so, or else you risk another regurge from stress. This is a very common thing for nervous snake's to do soon after eating, and it can be extremely dangerous to the snake's health, and even sometimes fatal, especially to very small snakes.
This may sound strange to some people, but regurges can often cause a "domino effect" of problems that they can never recuperate from until they perish. This is something you need to avoid at all costs. And that means no handling until the snake can substancially digest it's meal first.

Good luck with the little guy!

~Doug
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"a snake in the grass is a GOOD thing"

my website -serpentinespecialties.webs.com

Thanks, I will have to be patient and a month or so to start handling him.I just fed him again.This is his second meal since the regurge.So far so good.
Like I said he is not a bitey snake at all but is much more nervous compared to our corns and kings.

how often do you feed it? I would recommend the smaller meals, but I would also feed it twice a week, even after the regurge, because, now stay with me folks, if it keeps down the one smaller meal, and you wait three days and see a defecation, it is time to feed it again. It lost some needed nitrients, and those smaller meals, careful as they may be, is not much nutrition. These are arguably one of the largest rats in our country, serious kissin' cousin to the black rat, if not one and the same, and they can grow quickly. Keep the cats away and the proper temps and humidity and these things don't usually miss a meal. Regurge noted, but you also want to get this thing some nutrition. My advice, feed small, wait 3 dats, check for poop, feed again, repeat, observe, after whatever initial time you set has passed, bump the food size up to fuzzies, feed a few weeks, start the multiple fuzzy per meal or 2 a week regimen. You have a snake that has the potential to easily be 30" in a year.
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Todd Hughes

One thing I have noticed about the T. rat is their rapid pace of digestion. I have an adult in a cage right next to an adult corn snake and feed them both at the same time. The rat emits poop like clockwork between 36 and 72 hours later, the corn lags behind at 5-7 days. My rule has always been to never handle or otherwise manipulate a snake for at least 48 hours -- preferably 72 -- after feeding to rpevent regurgitation. As for taming a T. rat, I am more and more convinced that these little devils are born belligerent with a high defensive response, and that all the handling in the world can only mediate that partially. If you want a snuggling snake a corn is the way to go. Actually I have a lot of respect for T. rats . . . they live just about anywhere, climb like Spiderman and stand their ground very effectively. I kind of like the "don't mess with me attitude." That's what leather gloves and Band-aids were made for.