Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi, i've had my rosy boa for about two months now and she has eaten twice with me and twice with the people at EBV. But the past two times that she has eaten with me she has regurgitated her food. Only shes not been regurgitating it right after she has been waiting a few days. The first time it was about two days before i found the partially digested (though still definitely) pinkie. We waited a while because she looked like she was going to shed, but it was a few days so we tried again. We fed her, she took it down and everything was good. The next morning she had kept her food down and there was a perfect shed in her cage. That was the 5th. However i just found a regurgitated pinkie in her cage, just a pink blob with toes and a tail.
I am quite worried about her, i am going to bring her into work (i work at the Petaluma Wildlife Museum) with her thrown up pinkie and get advice but that will be on Tuesday and needless to say i am fretting.
If anyone has any advice or clue as to what is going on it would be much appreciated.
Thank you!
-Rachel

It is hard to diagnose with the limited info. Is there a smell to the vomited meal? What does the snakes feces look like? Is there enough heat?

It might just be that there is not enough heat.

Runny feces, pungent smell and regurgitation can be Cryptosporidia and it is deadly to rosies and highly contagious. I do not want to suggest that it is definitely crypto but just in case: Do not get the rosy or anything it has come into contact with near any other animal, cage or supplies. The crypto is spread through fecal contact and it does not take much exposure. A fecal exam can be done to rule out crypto and I HIGHLY suggest it if the smell and runny feces are present.

Kevin

Kevin,
Thank you for the reply.
She might not have been getting enough heat at my house but i took her into the wildlife museum where i work and am keeping her there where the heat is regulated. It has been 2 weeks since i last tried to feed her (regurg again) and right now were thinking that her stomach acids just need to build up so we are still waiting to try again.
The regurg is like a barely digested pinkie, still able to make out some toes and tail. Doesnt smell that bad, just like, well, slightly rotting pinkie.
The time before last her feces was very runny, like diarrhea, but that was the first and only time it has been like that. she has pooped since and it was pretty normal.
Appreciate all the help, im worried sick over her.
Thanks!
-Rachel

Hi Rachel, you are very welcome. Just keep an eye and nose on the feces and for any funky smell from reguritated food. As far as heat, there needs to be under cage heat. I suggest a standard heating pad (for people) from the store. Get one that has low, med and high settings and use low. Put it under 1/3 of the cage (not in the cage) and put a hide box half on and half off the heat pad. Do not feed for at least 10 days after a regurgitated meal. You are right about the stomach needing time to recover.

The main reasons for rosy boa regurgitation are:

Not enough heat.
Too much heat (ambient temp inside cage that the snake cannot escape from).
Cryptosporidia