Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My baby blotched just threw up one of the two pinkies I gave him. I found it the next day. As suggested I'm feeding him ever four days. The two pinkies were a bit bigger (he's growing qiuckly) - also the temps here have dropped so maybe that was it. He's getting big enough that I may be able to transfer him to a twenty long now so I can use a higher heat source (I'm using heat tape on a ten for him now). Can I feed him as usual in four days or should I wait longer? Anything else I should do to be sure this doesn't happen again? Really like this little guy!
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1.0.0 277 Graybanded Kingsnake, Boris Karloff - R.I.P.
1.0.0 Crockett Graybanded Kingsnake, Julien Sands
1.0.0 Appalachian Blotched Kingsnake, Boyd
1.0.0 Ball Python, Frank Langella
1.0.0 Blue-eyed lucy, Ian McKellen
1.0.0 spider Ball Python, Martin Freeman
0.1.0 Bearded Dragon, Moira
1.0.0 Sweet Rosy Bourke Parakeet, Didgeridoo
1.0.0 Ringneck Dove, Pimmdale Plumington
0.1.0 Smart & Loving Daughter

First thing, determine if this was caused by a temporary husbandry mistake or not. If it was a husbandry mistake, fix it imediately, wait 2 weeks to feed him again, offer very small meals for a month or so and slowly bring him back up to proper sized meals.

If it was not a random husbandry mistake and you are certain the snake has access to proper temps, the snake is as stress free as possible (hides), and the snake is left alone for 2-3 days after a meal, then you probably have a parasite problem and need to take him to the vet right away. The vet will mostly likely give the little guy flagyl and or panicure and do a fecal test. When scheduling a vet visit, if you have access to a very fresh fecal deposit, ask if you should bring it in. I've had 2 reptile vets in the past, 1 wanted deposits and 1 didn't, but it's worth asking.

After all is said in done, pay close attention to the snakes water bowl. imo that is the number one "screwup" of snake keepers, water is left for days or weeks without being changed and can get nasty, especially if the snake fouls it and it sits there for days. a snake drinking poop water for a few days is no bueno. Not saying you had this problem, just that i know a lot of people are guilty of it.

Hi Snake Mother,

From what you said, let me offer another view. Most likely, the snake only ate one. Normally they empty their stomach when they throw up. Also, lower temps do effect what they eat and how they process it. Lower temps can and will cause healthy snakes to throw up large meals.

I do differ from AB in that unless there is a real disease or injury, I do not wait two weeks. For healthy snakes, two weeks in an eternity. Heck, I feed them right away, after I fix the problem, maybe wait a day. The Key is, healthy vs. an unhealthy snake. If the snake keep throw up repeatedly, then move to what AB said.

Also, what your seeing is common in winter, I do not know where you live, but here, we get cold spells, then warm spells etc and it does effect snake cages, as they are minimally heated. Such cages as monitor cages with super hot spots, are not effected as much.

About you heat pad set on 10, That scares me, there is a long history of problems with cool air and hot heat pads and with many types of reptiles. I never use a heat pad on high, always low. If more heat is needed, then I use a lite in the cage. In the winter here, we are always adjusting the wattage, as the temps vary in the room. So please be careful with heat pads.

Also heat pads/stripes/ rocks, etc, are very dangerous. Which is another reason I keep them on low. They are not like a normal heat source that produces X amount of heat(btu's) They raise the ambient heat. whatever it is, a heat pad will raise it. To a point of catching fire. Which is WHY they tell you to not fold a heat pad/stripe etc.

As I mentioned in the past, I feed neonates almost daily, in the winter, they will move to every other day to every three days, which is still GREAT. Best of luck

Raise your ambient room temps to 75. See how that goes.

Thanks so much for all the good advice - I really appreciate it!. I realize I misspoke in my original post - I have heat tape on a 10 gallon tank because he's still pretty small and I know he can't escape the 10 gallon tank setup I have. I did just change the heat tape for a wider tape thinking he might' be getting too cold. That heat tape kept the tank at 85 to 87f. He refused a pinky last night. I changed back to the smaller heat tape this morning that keeps the temp at 80 to 82. I hope he goes back to eating fine again now that I've returned to the heat source he had when he was eating fine. If not, maybe I should stop extra heat altogether? I also raised the heat in my home 5 degrees last week because it was so cold. The house in now 70f all the time. My adult king has no heat on him,since he avoids the heated side when I turn it on. I thought a baby king might need a higher temp - the articles say 80 to 85. Kinda confused here.
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1.0.0 277 Graybanded Kingsnake, Boris Karloff - R.I.P.
1.0.0 Crockett Graybanded Kingsnake, Julien Sands
1.0.0 Appalachian Blotched Kingsnake, Boyd
1.0.0 Ball Python, Frank Langella
1.0.0 Blue-eyed lucy, Ian McKellen
1.0.0 spider Ball Python, Martin Freeman
0.1.0 Bearded Dragon, Moira
1.0.0 Sweet Rosy Bourke Parakeet, Didgeridoo
1.0.0 Ringneck Dove, Pimmdale Plumington
0.1.0 Smart & Loving Daughter

I would keep your temps up. just because 1 king "can" do fine with a cooler temp, that doesnt mean that all can.

a couple common temp options that work for kings...

78-82 all the time (i dont suggest this one)

70-75 cool side and 85-90 warm side (i do suggest this)

right now at this moment I have all of my baby kings sitting at 74 on the cool side and 88 on the warm side and they are eating 4 pinkies/fuzzies per week. My adult kings are sitting at 70 on the cool side and 91 on the warm side and are eating 1-2 large mice per week. Those are the temps on the floor of their enclosers.

A couple of things, heat tape is not good for supporting ambient temps, that is, the cage temps. Heat tapes are good for hot spot type heating.

If that is what your doing it sort of explains the problem. If the cage is 85F, then the hot spot above the heat tape is much hotter then 85F.

I have a few cal kings I hatched this fall in my incubator room, and its 85F in the room. They are eating four or five pinks at a time, every three or four days. And growing like weeds.

Again, heat tapes are not space heaters, they heat by contact.

If I had a 70F room, I would heat the cage to the high 70's, low 80's with a lite bulb and provide regional heating with a heat tape on one small area of the cage. The temps on the hot spot being between 85 and 95F and no more. 85F as a constant, works well, but is not the best.

As this is winter, its natural for snakes to seek different conditions when they feel a chill, winter coming on. They either seek warmer conditions, high sun exposure, or move to safety deep safe temps like denning, if suitable temps cannot be found. this means in captivity, you may have to tell the animal, its not winter. Which means, you cannot let the cage get cold. Some people(naïve) call this tricking the snake, but its not trickery, all the snake wants is to not get caught in the cold with food in its stomach that it cannot digest. Best wishes