Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I just fed my tx bairds yesterday afternoon, the female ate the pinky fine, so did the male, but i just checked his cage and it's been regurgitated...looks like it wasnt in his stoumach for very long because at first i thought it was uneaten...then i remember seeing him swallow it. Should I just take it out and give him a fresh one tomorrow or this afternoon or what? This is the first time i've ever had a snake regurg on me.

Thanks,
Chris
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The reason mainstream thought is thought of as a stream is because it's so shallow. -Unknown

Battling ignorance one stupid person at a time.

Current snakes:
1) Female Licorice Stick Black Rat snake - Lola
2) Neonate Black Rat snake (Het for Lic Stk's) - Frankie
3 & 4) 2 Bairds Rat snakes - Rosa and Jose

Have you checked your temps with an accurate thermometer or temp gun? Overheating has been my most likely cause for this problem with Elaphe. I'd make sure temp conditions are accurate and try again in a couple of days.

Bryan
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Last night I was laying in bed looking up at the stars in the sky and I thought to myself, "Where the hell is my ceiling?"

I have the temp at 81.5 in each cage...both are under the exact same living conditions. Except the female has a purple lid and the male has a blue lid, lol. I called up a pet store that deals with reptiles a lot and the lady told me that it probably means the snake's going to die soon...but I was thinking couldn't it be from stress...considering I just got the snakes 3 days ago? They are both still really edgy and I havent tried handling either of them yet.
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The reason mainstream thought is thought of as a stream is because it's so shallow. -Unknown

Battling ignorance one stupid person at a time.

Current snakes:
1) Female Licorice Stick Black Rat snake - Lola
2) Neonate Black Rat snake (Het for Lic Stk's) - Frankie
3 & 4) 2 Bairds Rat snakes - Rosa and Jose

I don't think the snake is going to die soon!!! In fact, I think it's ridiculous for someone that's supposed to be somewhat of an expert to say that. If your temps are good and the cage isn't overly humid, then I would just wait for maybe 5 days and then try again. How big is the snake compared to the pinkies you're feeding it? Are they really big pinkies (almost fuzzies) or are they normal sized or even smaller then normal? I bring this up because last year I bought a hatchling Western hognose. It was so small that it could only digest about half a pinkie before the rest would rot and cause regurgitation. I had to put half pinkies in there (gross). After about a month or so, it could eat a whole pinky with no problem, and is still eating good today.
Cheers!

I'm glad to hear that you dont think he's on his way out, lol. I have a female from the same clutch exact same size as him and fed her the same size pinky and she's doing fine. These probably half the girth of my pinky...they're SMALL (mice on ice aka major ripoff mice lol) I was thinking that he may just have been too uptight to actually sit and digest it.

Also...these are both very uptight since i've had them and i've had to get in their cage to change the astroturf because they spilled their water bowls all over the place and when i've picked them up to put in another cage (which i normally wouldn't do this soon after getting them) they have both been shaking their tails violently..however never striking at me. will this just go away within a week or so and i can handle them a little calmer or do i just need to handle them more like my i did with my neonate to get them to calm down some?
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The reason mainstream thought is thought of as a stream is because it's so shallow. -Unknown

Battling ignorance one stupid person at a time.

Current snakes:
1) Female Licorice Stick Black Rat snake - Lola
2) Neonate Black Rat snake (Het for Lic Stk's) - Frankie
3 & 4) 2 Bairds Rat snakes - Rosa and Jose

Regurging will dehydrate the snake so you should let him rehydrate before feeding him again. Dehydration and stress can cause a snake to regurge. Is there a hidebox in the cage? Do you know if the bairds were eating live or dead prior to you getting them? I would leave the male alone for a week so he can get acclimated to his new surroundings and give him fresh water everyday so he can rehydrate. Then I would try to feed him again.

I don't know what the lady at the pet store was thinking that lead her to say the snake would die soon.

Terry Parks

>>I'm glad to hear that you dont think he's on his way out, lol. I have a female from the same clutch exact same size as him and fed her the same size pinky and she's doing fine. These probably half the girth of my pinky...they're SMALL (mice on ice aka major ripoff mice lol) I was thinking that he may just have been too uptight to actually sit and digest it.
>>
>>Also...these are both very uptight since i've had them and i've had to get in their cage to change the astroturf because they spilled their water bowls all over the place and when i've picked them up to put in another cage (which i normally wouldn't do this soon after getting them) they have both been shaking their tails violently..however never striking at me. will this just go away within a week or so and i can handle them a little calmer or do i just need to handle them more like my i did with my neonate to get them to calm down some?
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>>The reason mainstream thought is thought of as a stream is because it's so shallow. -Unknown
>>
>>Battling ignorance one stupid person at a time.
>>
>>Current snakes:
>>1) Female Licorice Stick Black Rat snake - Lola
>>2) Neonate Black Rat snake (Het for Lic Stk's) - Frankie
>>3 & 4) 2 Bairds Rat snakes - Rosa and Jose

I have been keeping a little bathroom cup of water in each of their tanks...they seem to be drinking it fine i see them over at it all the time. they're under the exact same conditions, even the same heat light and same distance from it. I have hide boxes in each cage, however the male (the one who regurg'd) prefers to push the hide box over to the corner then curl up in the corner behind the hide box, lol. (the hide boxes are the deli cups they were shipped in turned upside down with holes cut in the side). I'm really wanting to pick them up and try handling them lol..but i'm gonna let them sit...i'll feed the female again since shes not having any problems in a 3 days and at that time i'll try the male again (so they're on the same feeding schedule).

thanks for everyones help.
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The reason mainstream thought is thought of as a stream is because it's so shallow. -Unknown

Battling ignorance one stupid person at a time.

Current snakes:
0.1 Licorice Stick Black Rat(Lola)
1.0 Neonate Black Rat (het for Lic Stk's) (Frankie)
1.1 Texas Bairds (Jose and Rosa)

When was the last time he shed? I've had snakes swallow food and then change their minds later because they were about to shed.

No idea when he shed last...he doesn't look like he's in the process of it though.
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The reason mainstream thought is thought of as a stream is because it's so shallow. -Unknown

Battling ignorance one stupid person at a time.

Current snakes:
0.1 Licorice Stick Black Rat(Lola)
1.0 Neonate Black Rat (het for Lic Stk's) (Frankie)
1.1 Texas Bairds (Jose and Rosa)