Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I got my first ETB in Mid April. It is a Suriname WC. It was given to me because it hadn't eaten. I got it eating after a week or two (on the first try)and it has eaten every 10-12 days sinc e for a total of 5 meals. It was getting ready to shed about two weeks ago so I didn't feed it for 16 days. I then fed it a small mouse (snake length is about 24" It was the biggest meal it had eaten yet. Today I noticed it regurged. Should I panic or chalk it up to too large of a meal? I am planning on waiting another 10 days before trying to feed again and just feeding a small hopper. Maybe I was being a little over ambitious. I am hoping it doesn't start a bad regurge cycle. Any ideas or experiences to share? Like I said I am really nervous now.

Hay, Go to www.corallus.com and where it say's on-line Articles click on to care-sheet's read Emerald's/Regurge sheet by, Danny Mandez it's real informative.
Have A Good One ! !
Kenneth

The actual name of the article is (The Truth About Regurgitation).

Kenneth

I just read it and I think that the problem was too large of a meal. He has been defecating after 2-3 meals but this particular meal was visible in the body. I think I will wait 21 days and try a small fuzzy as opposed to the large hopper/small mouse I fed last time. Wish me luck.

Hey, Sound's good ,Good Luck with your Emerald ! !
Have A Good One ! !
Kenneth

Hi

Have you had it checked for worms? If not, it would be a good idea to do so. HOWEVER, do NOT, I repeat do NOT allow the vet to give the ETB worming medication if nothing is found in the stool. Lots of vets and dealers do this as standard practice, but it is not necessary and just puts additional stress on an already stressed out animal. If stool is negative, ask if you can bring another sample in next time it "goes" (not the snake, just the sample).

Also, when you do start feeding again, you might want to stretch out the feeding time at least a couple of days to no more than every 14 days, maybe even a few days longer than that for the first few feedings after the 21 day waiting period. An animal that size doesn't need to eat every 10-12 days.

If your local pet store has Bene-Bac (usually found in bird supplies) it wouldn't hurt to get some of that and rub just a 1/4" or so of the paste in the mouse's fur. Bene-Bac helps to replace some of the gut flora the snake lost when it gurged. Probiotic would be good too, but it's a bit harder to find.

If you have other reptiles, you need to make sure this animal is quarantined and separate from them if you have not already done so. There are many reasons/causes for gurge and you need to make sure that your other animals are safe in case this is not just an issue of over-feeding.

Good luck!
Karen

thanks Karen. I will stretch out the feeding as you suggested. The only other reptiles I have are a pair of Jungle Carpet Pythons but they are in my shop while the ETB is in the house. I will look for teh Bene-Bac. Like I said I am pretty confident it was a meal size issue. He was cruising the cage last night looking all over. This is what he usually does a couple days before feeding time. I feel bad for him but hes gonna have to wait!

Just to reiterate what Karen said, you absolutely have to wait for the 21 days, no matter how tempting it is to feed him again. Once you have waited, feed him something MUCH smaller than what he would normally eat and then to be on the safe side, wait until he passes it to feed again. I would get at least 2 and preferably 3 extra-small meals in him (and then out again) safely before you try anything close to normal size prey. I don't have any experience at all with ETB's, but I do have plenty with true redtails (Bcc) who are prone to the same thing, especially as youngsters and it's very easy to get into a downward spiral of eating and vomiting until they eventually die. Patience and discipline are key to a full recovery. It's also critical to keep your little one well hydrated during the wait. Good luck! Billy

>>thanks Karen. I will stretch out the feeding as you suggested. The only other reptiles I have are a pair of Jungle Carpet Pythons but they are in my shop while the ETB is in the house. I will look for teh Bene-Bac. Like I said I am pretty confident it was a meal size issue. He was cruising the cage last night looking all over. This is what he usually does a couple days before feeding time. I feel bad for him but hes gonna have to wait!

I am definately going to wait and he is definately going to get a very small meal. Probably just a fuzzy mouse. Will do so for several meals. So far he has deficated very well. I have been keeping him well misted and watered. His max basking temp is 80-82 but he rarely uses it. This is OK isn't it? He usually sits away from this spot.

The temp is fine. If he starts to sit right under the heat source, then I would up it a degree or two at a time. Conversely, if he sits as far away as possible from the heat source, you need to lower it a degree or two at a time until he sits somewhere in middle the majority of the time.

Make sure you don't give into temptation. I know it's hard when they are looking for food to deny them, but it will be better in the long run if he waits.

Karen

Thanks Karen. I didn't think of it that way. I guess I will bump the temp up a touch to make sure he isn't looking for something warmer. I will absoulutely wait 21 days. There is no temptation to feed earlier if you thik about it rationally.

What is the ambient temp in the enclosure? At what temp is he spending most of his time?

>>Thanks Karen. I didn't think of it that way. I guess I will bump the temp up a touch to make sure he isn't looking for something warmer. I will absoulutely wait 21 days. There is no temptation to feed earlier if you thik about it rationally.

Just to clarify, the reason you want to wait until he defecates is not to make sure the stool is OK, but to make sure he has nothing in his digestive tract before you give him something else. In fact, the stool may very well be runny after the next meal in 3 weeks, but should begin to firm up with time as his insides continue to repair. With little Bcc at least, there is some thought that occasionally their gi tracts can get overloaded and their little bodies just rebel by vomiting. Then once they vomit, they irritate their gi tract and lose fluids and crucial gut flora. The whole thing adds up to a snake that is still hungry but doesn't have the capability to digest properly. Multiply this by 2 or 3 or 4 regurge events in as many weeks and you see how things go down hill really fast. As has already been said and as you are going to do, it is absolutely critical to let their little system repair itself before introducing any more food. They are not like Burms or Retics or even Carpets who will digest just about anything you throw at them. Again, I have no experience with ETB's but the regurge syndrome is the same with true red tails and seems to be for the same reasons. Again, best of luck!! Billy

>>I am definately going to wait and he is definately going to get a very small meal. Probably just a fuzzy mouse. Will do so for several meals. So far he has deficated very well. I have been keeping him well misted and watered. His max basking temp is 80-82 but he rarely uses it. This is OK isn't it? He usually sits away from this spot.

i didnt think ETB's deficated for about 3 meals ... wouldnt it be unadvisable to feed it after 21 days then wait for the next defication?