Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I just recieved a Suriname from Tudehope and I first must say what a fine looking snake she is. As soon as i can get some good decent photos, i will post some. I fed her today and as soon as I dropped the little fuzzie in her cage it took her about 2 seconds to constrict it. About 5 minutes later, I gave her another one, also with the same outcome. One of my first snakes was a bci that was very similar in her food intake, while never reguritating any of her meals. However, I've read that Surinames are sometimes known for this. Can someone tell me some of their experiences. I don't want to risk her reguritating but I also want her to grow up to be 10ft. plus. TIA

first off congrats, tudehope makes some awsome babies.

now, i NEVER feed any new suri for at least a week after acquiring them, never ever. let them settle and empty out. one fuzzy should serve her fine for a first meal... two for a brand new baby is pushing it in my opion. suris are slow growers. not like the bci you mentioned. better to err on the side of caution. one fuzzy every 7 days should be just fine.

take it slow with baby suris, itll pay off.

take care

sean
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recycle your pets

I had the same happen to me. I waited 14 days after the last regurge and then fed the snake a smaller than normal meal. But just to make sure the snake would digest it, I cut the f/t mouse with a razor down the spine (very small cut) so the snakes digestive enzymes would properly break down the mouse. And wouldn't ya know it she was just fine after that ordeal.
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Greg

well, i had a reply but forgot to post it and when i did post it, it was to late. i had to resign in and i lost my entire post. So, I'll try again. I had waited 5 days before feeding her. I normally wait at least a week also (2 weeks with ball pythons) but i felt with my 10 years experience, it would be ok this time. She was very alert like she was hungry the day before so I thought I would feed her. I also have a baby burmese python who generally have a bigger appetite than boas and when i try and feed her the second mouse, she sometimes ignores it. But, my suri acted like she was still hungry and sure enough, she was. I think from now on, instead of feeding her 2 fuzzies, i will feed her one, more often. Probably every 4-5 days. And as far as the other guys post, being a baby suriname, she is still a little hissy, so yes, i do take her out of her cage. The same with my burmese. I don't won't a 10ft boa nor a 15ft burm that i'm not comfortable with.

unless you want your baby to puke ! I have 4 of Rob's babies this year, and they are not tiny little babies, but I would still not feed them more then 1 fuzzie mouse or 1 rat pink every 10-14 days. I personally go every 2 weeks and don't have the gurge probelms. Your boa will grow regardless, pumping it with food will only lead to an early death! Take it slow, atleast untill they reach 3'-4' or so, by then they can handle larger meals with no problems.
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Got Bats?

surinames should never be compared to burms.... the only thing they have in common is lack of legs. like charles said, one fuzzy every 4-5 days is too much. as far as her 'looking hungry" and taking another fuzzy, well my guess is you couldve givven her 4 in a row and shed gobble them down, they have excellent deefing responses. but just because they WILL eat more, doesnt mean they should. i CAN eat an entire large pizza by myself, doesnt mean i should or that its good for me. simply means i am capable of it.
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recycle your pets

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'Tis not the stongest of the species that will eventually survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change' Charles Darwin
Thanks and take care - Joe Rollo

Feeding too large or too much can cause problems! Take the advice that has been given to you from the others. Once a baby starts the regurging syndrome it is VERY hard to stop it and often leads to death. I have personaly lost babies to this about a year ago and they only regurged a few times one of them only did it twice but it was too late because dehydration kicks in way too fast and it is hard to recover from espescially in a young boa so take warning. Almost all snakes will eat shortly after feeding, I think this is because in the wild food can be hard to come by so when it is there they take advantage of it because they dont know when there next meal will be.

Dont let your gaurd down any snake can have a bad hair day.

with the occasional week off. Also, don't try to feed him huge meals and you should be fine. It will grow, and possibly become a monster as long as it's healthy.
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Got Bats?

I agree with the general replies to this message. I will add my two cents as well. This is my OPINION but common sense backs it up. I believe muscle tone has a big part to play in this "syndrome". BCC's in the wild dont only consume bite size meals, they are as opportunistic as any other snake. It is also my belief that they don't only seek out bottom heat. If you want a healthy snake, get it out of it's cage on a regular basis. I like to let my snakes climb trees and get real sunlight. It not only helps with their muscle tone, it also provides stimulus. We cant expect our animals to sit in boxes, never see the light of day and be healthy. I'll take a snake that has just fed and let it climb around and bask in some direct sunlight, I've never had a regurge, and they digest very quickly. I even take em out and put them in the yard before the sprinklers come on and let them get soaked. Fluctuate their temperature, give them as many gradients and cycles as you can think of..with common sense as your guide. They will surprise you with behavior you may not have seen before. They aren't made of glass and I think it's our responsibility to learn something other than how to feed them, clean them watch them physically mature and then put them together and wonder why they don't successfully breed and have viable young. I don't think we "get" snakes to breed as much as we "keep" them from breeding. Ok, maybe that was my four cents rather than two, but it does make sense. Peace

TRUE RT's (BCC) tend to be MUCH more delicate than BCI. A rule of thumb i go by is: Wait until a meal has passed B4 offering more. And always offer appropriate SIZED prey items. *Slightly* larger than mid body girth is perfect for acclimated RTs....for new arrivals, I always feed smaller meals for the first 2 months. Have no fear...before you know it, you will have a very LARGE, very STRONG BCC. But try not to think about it too much, LOL its like watchin the grass grow.