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Regurgitated Rats? - sorry, might be a bit long

huricanmj Feb 27, 2004 10:12 AM

I am hoping to get some assistance with a concern of mine. I have had quite a time getting my boy, phil, to eat pre-killed prey. I have found a way to get him to do it, I place the dead rat in the cage (he shows no interest at all - even if I have it dance the watusi...lol) and then I stimulate his hunting desire by placing in a second, live rat. I have done this three times now and with relief, he eats both rats. My goal is to move up to a pre-killed rabbit and a live rat and then to a thawed big rabbit and a live rat. ANYWAY... this last time, he ate the two rats (he likes to be fed in the dark at night) and when I checked on him the next morning, he had regurgitated both of them (the first time I have seen that - not a pretty sight or smell for that matter). So, ?why did it happen? was it too much food? He had eaten the same meal twice before. Is he sick? Is this normal? Give me some pointers if you can...

Thanx.

Marco

Replies (3)

BrianSmith Feb 27, 2004 05:09 PM

Hi Marco,.

At first glance it does sound like it could have been too much of a meal. But there are other possible factors too. But first, let me ask, was his previous meal less than 6 or 7 days before that? If so, sometimes when pythons are fed large meals too frequently they are incapable of properly digesting the second meal. In this case the animals simply rot instead of being broken down and digested and they must then be thrown up. Or sometimes there are pythons (not just burmese) that have more sensetive stomachs than the norm and must eat smaller meals. One of my male albino patternless' is this way. If I give him a meal even barely pushing any size envelope he will regurge. So I feed him "half size" meals to prevent this. He grows much more slowly than the other males but is perfectly thick and healthy and is a great breeder.

Here's something you can try if you don't want to deviate from your method of feeding,... give him two medium rats,. OR one small along with a large. Feed him every 8 to 10 days if you are currently feeding him every 5 to 7 days.

Hope this helps.

>>I am hoping to get some assistance with a concern of mine. I have had quite a time getting my boy, phil, to eat pre-killed prey. I have found a way to get him to do it, I place the dead rat in the cage (he shows no interest at all - even if I have it dance the watusi...lol) and then I stimulate his hunting desire by placing in a second, live rat. I have done this three times now and with relief, he eats both rats. My goal is to move up to a pre-killed rabbit and a live rat and then to a thawed big rabbit and a live rat. ANYWAY... this last time, he ate the two rats (he likes to be fed in the dark at night) and when I checked on him the next morning, he had regurgitated both of them (the first time I have seen that - not a pretty sight or smell for that matter). So, ?why did it happen? was it too much food? He had eaten the same meal twice before. Is he sick? Is this normal? Give me some pointers if you can...
>>
>>Thanx.
>>
>>Marco
-----
Believe in yourself and your abilities and you can accomplish anything.

jfmoore Feb 27, 2004 09:41 PM

Hi Marco - How big is your snake? What are the temperatures in the cage? How long have you had Phil?

Thanks,
Joan

huricanmj Mar 01, 2004 04:04 PM

I have had phil for almost 2 years and have had him on a slower feeding schedule. I feed him every two weeks and I give him two large rats. This was the first time he regurgitated any meal. I fed him 2 days ago and he had kept the meal down. I hope the problem was just a fluke.

My temps vary from 84-88F. He is normally a good feeder on live prey and I am just making the change to pre-killed prey items.

Thank you for your advice - I look to you all for help in the future.

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