Reptile & Amphibian Forums

hey guys. today i found this (look below) in my baby kingsnakes tank. im not sure whether it is a poop or he threw it up. i feed every five days. he is on aspen, two water bowls, a hot and cold hide and a uth as a heater. thanks

Looks like vomit. How long ago did he eat?
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I am number Nine.

jeff pfeifer

he ate on monday so 5 days ago. i usually feed him every 5 days one fuzzy. he has eaten them fine until this time.

Are you sure it couldn't have been there a couple days ago?...because it looks like it might be an old regurge. Snakes usually regurge between the second and third day. You can tell which it is by smelling it. Poop stinks, but a regurge will smell rotten (which of course it is). That is why they regurge anyway, because if it can't be digested properly the meal rots instead, poisoning the snakes system with bacteria. What are the temps on the warm side?? Are they accurately monitored with a temp probe or temp gun?

And is the snake actually using the warm side?. If the warm side temp is in the high 80's that should be warm enough to properly digest.

If it IS a regurge, make sure the temps are warm enough as above and DO NOT attempt to feed it again for at least another 10 days so its stomach can replenish the vital acids/electrolytes needed to digest. And then when you do feed, make sure the meal is very small until you see it is kept down okay. If it is, then you can gradually step up the size to normal after a few successful smaller feeds. The last thing you want is to start the process all over again. That leads to a swift downhill "domino effect" that can kill it if not addressed correctly ASAP!.

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

serpentinespecialties.webs.com

smell it
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"the fact of the matter is if folks want "pure" types they should go snake hunting. or at least do some research on potential breeding stock and not just pick anything up anywhere show/petshop"

Thomas Davis

Unfortunately i fed him yesterday /: ive never had a snake vomit before so i didnt know. I will monitor him carefully over the next few days.

I hope you are suing an undertandk heat source with a good hot- hot spot of 90F plus.
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"the fact of the matter is if folks want "pure" types they should go snake hunting. or at least do some research on potential breeding stock and not just pick anything up anywhere show/petshop"

Thomas Davis

Yea i use a uth. The temperature probe reads 90.5.

As long as the snake uses the warm side and your probe is down on the enclosure's floor surface at 90.5 where the snake's belly make contact and not in the ambient air of the cage it should be fine. It's important to allow a few hides too. One on the warm and cool side so it doesn't have to choose security over temps, or vice versa.

Were you able to determine if it was poop or a regurge by the odor? Would seem very odd if it is using the thermogadient and be regurging unless there is another issue going on. Fouled water can cause this too, in which case there would be an overabundance of bacteria causing regurge. Intestinal worms can cause regurges too, but less likely.

Anyway, you have to make sure all these things are addressed and are optimum and make sure it cannot happen again. If it does, you had better stop feeding it get a fecal floatation and a throat swab done by a vet to see what's going on in it's gut and get it treated. If it's bad bacteria some simple Flagyl administration at the rate of 50 mg/kg of body weight could be all that is needed.

But in any case, you had better make damn sure it uses that warm side if there is any hope at all of preventing another regurge if that is indeed what it was initially.

good luck!

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

serpentinespecialties.webs.com

He usually lies under the hot hide or burrows under it in contact with the heat pad