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poop AND regurge?

sumguy Jan 24, 2004 10:39 AM

My amel left a present in her water dish this morning. Cylindrical and 1.5" long, appears to be all mouse fur. Did not notice any smells or bodily fluids but have never seen snake regurge, just mass of fur floating. She never defecates in her water dish. There was ALSO normal looking feces in a corner (dark glob with urates) that was fresh judging by the smell. She is fed a fuzzy every Saturday and was only handled on Thursday of this week. The temps may have dropped this week because of this cold spell and my cheap thermostat. Any ideas?

Replies (3)

brandon_c Jan 24, 2004 10:50 AM

Probably just the unusual temperature drop. Any idea what it got down to? Sometimes it's hard to know what the temperature truly dips down to at night, so I highly recommend a digital thermometer with max / minimum readings. You can get them for about ten bucks at Home Depot, Radio Shack, etc.

If the regurg is an isolated incident, it's not too much to worry about. Probably temp-related. I had a corn regurg once for no apparent reason (at least not apparent to me), and then never did it again for his long, happy life.

Monitor those temps, give the snake at least a week to recover, and try feeding again ... perhaps a smaller item.

If it happens again, let us know.

Good luck!

-Brandon
www.nosnakeban.org

Gargoyle420 Jan 24, 2004 11:11 AM

A non smelling regurge.That has me stumped.That is a classic,textbook regurge.Your corn needs the correct heat A.S.A.P...Paul.

Tigergenesis Jan 24, 2004 01:35 PM

Here's some interesting info I found:

Regurgitation of food may result from handling a snake too soon after it is fed. Regurgitated food is undigested and relatively odorless. Another common cause of regurgitation is inadequate and incomplete digestion caused by relatively cool environmental temperatures. In these cases, the regurgitated food appears digested and is malodorous. Other causes of regurgitation include stress in easily excitable species, parasitism, intestinal obstruction and serious internal disease. An experienced veterinarian should be consulted if the cause is not readily determined.

Once a snake regurgitates, it is likely that it will regurgitate again at the next feeding if special precautions are not taken. Regurgitation rids the snake of the natural gastric fluids, and it takes nearly 2 weeks for the fluids to return to normal. If fed a normal size meal soon after regurgitation, without the proper fluids, the snake cannot digest the food, and will regurgitate again. A hatchling that regurgitates three consecutive meals may die.

If the snake regurgitates, it should not be fed again for 7-10 days, and then the meal should be much smaller than normal. Hatchlings should be fed a small, newborn pinkie mouse or a pinkie head for the next feeding. After 2 successive regurges on any snake, regardless of the size, we recommend that the next feeding be a pinkie head. Gradually increase the size of the food size over the next 2-3 feedings. If the problem persists, it may be necessary to consult a veterinarian.

Regurgitation can be caused by too low temperatures, feeding during shedding, or bacterial infection. Snakes that frequently regurgitate can often be cured by giving one time dose of GSE (grapefruit seed extract) in the drinking water at a dose of 3 drops per cup of water. GSE can also be used routinely in the drinking water at a dose of 5 to 10 drops per gallon.
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