Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I bought a BRB from a breeder in March when she was 7 months old & have had regurgitation issues ever since. First I thought it was a heat spike. Her tank got up to 86f for a day so I fixed that issue & it still kept happening. I had her in a vivarium & completely gutted it and put her on a simple LAM setup with a hide & some approved soil for humidity. I did research on the plants I had before putting them in there & they weren’t toxic but who knows what the stores put on them to preserve them. After waiting another two week period to let her stomach bacteria build back up she ate a pinky with benebac (a probiotic) on 6/5 and kept it down. She was showing signs of hunger so I fed her two days ago 6/17 and has been fine until today…

She started writhing around uncontrollably like she was in severe pain. It was like a seizure episode but instead of shaking she was writhing around. It finished with her head completely upside down & her mouth open. I rushed her to the vet & he had no idea what was wrong. He gave her a generic dewormer & will be calling his buddies at UC Davis for more information. When I got her in the carrier she was strike-y and nervous (I could tell she was hurting) but when she got to the vet she was perfectly normal again which confused us further.

She has a great personality, never nippy or nervous, always curious and active but right after she eats she shows signs of discomfort. She sprawls out in the middle of the terrarium and lays there with her head cocked to the side or turned completely 180 degrees at her neck. I'm used to snakes retreating to their warm hide, curling up & digesting for a few days but it’s like shes in pain/discomfort after she eats everytime.

Specs: 10 months old, 20in long, humidity 80-97, temp 70-80f, started her on fuzzy & hopper mice but due to her regurgitation syndrome Ive had her on pinkies to keep the stress of eating to a minimum

Did you notify the breeder? If there's something internally not right, if it was me as the seller, I'd replace the animal, no questions asked. Unless it's an expensive morph, the money you're spending on vet bills is hard to justify unless the vet has a cure what's going on. Has it been treated with flagyl?

I didn't treat her with flagyl, I used benebac. That's what the breeder said to use when I contacted him regarding the regurges. Sadly she passed away yesterday. I contacted him again this morning & we'll see what he says. I don't think he'll replace her. He seems like he doesn't really care which is a shame because I've heard great things about him. Thanks for the help but there's not much more for me to do at this point.

Well, I'm sorry to hear your snake passed. The benebac would have helped build gut load. Flagyl is used in the opposite type scenario where there may be a bacterial infection that inflames the digestive tract. Where you had the animal for quite a while under your care, I can see where the breeder may think what happened was out of his/her control or responsibility.
If your animal had feeding issues from the start, it would be questionable, whether or not the animal was sick when sent, or there may have been a husbandry related issue. Husbandry can include things such as a contaminated food item you had no way of knowing there was a problem with (that started everything going downhill), so I can see where the breeder may not feel it's their responsibility to do anything.
One way or another, I'm truly sorry you lost your animal and wish you all the best.