redudant regurge question I know.

Michael1 · #1 (**permalink**) 06-16-2002, 05:57 PM

Hi all well just when i thought everything was going fine in the feeding i take out the paper in my ball pythons cage only to find peices of the insides of a mouse. it loks like maybe the heart its red and bloody lumps. dont really want to dive into that .. i assume its a regurgitation. Here is my questions: 1. Once it regurges is it destined to not eat? 2. Will it regurge again?3. What is causing this? Its about 3 months old and its been very active and seems really healthy. I also have another one from the same litter who is eating fine. The temps have been kind of low at night around 75 but during the day i have around 85 to 95. They are fed in a tote and usually fed a hopper or fuzzie once a week. Thanks [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_rolleyes.gif[/img]
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eddie · #2 (**permalink**) 06-16-2002, 07:20 PM

Ok, how about just a little more info.
Are the two housed together?
What size is their home(s)?
Do you have an under tank heater or anything else for the floor heat?

Any ways, a reguege is NOT the end of the world!
If they are housed together, this can cause stress on one or both, which can lead to a regurge in some cases.
The lack of lower heat can sometimes cause regurge due to food decaying inside the snake due to improper and slow digestion.
Food that is too latge can do this, but it sounds like your food is about the right size.
A very large factor is internal parasites.
Chances are your balls are wild caught imports and are most likely loaded with parasites.
This is what I am willing to bet on, especially since they have most likely been fed live while at the petstore and I am guessing you too. Live and fresh killed rodents can and will give your snakes parasites, both internal and external.
One way to eliminate this is to feed frozen thawed food. Plus it is safer for the snake due to rodent bites that can and do happen.

But I say , if housed together, get them apart in diff set-ups.
Don't feed the one that has reg'ed for about two weeks to let him build up his stomach flora again and to possibly repair any damage done to his stomach from the episode.
Then set up a vet for a check-up and possible deworming treatment.
Take some stool samples from BOTH animals along with BOTH animals to the vet on visit day.
You can bag the samples in a ziplock baggies, but DON'T freeze them, merely refridgerate them.
And good luck with them
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Michael1 · #3 (**permalink**) 06-16-2002, 07:45 PM

Actually I purchased them from a breeder.. walkabout reptiles who they said they were not wild caught they had already shed once and fed once when I bought them. Yes they are housed together and im trying to get them seperated cause i dont want them to get stressed. they are both very nice snakes one is more active than the other. I have an underthe cage heater and a heatlamp i use the heatlamp during the day but turn it off at night. The one who is more active is a ravenous eater and the other one will eat but only after a while. As for feeding frozen thawed. I really want to but i have been scared to make the change cause I have heard and read about bals being very picky and hard to feed and they were doing so good i wanted to leave well enough alone but now do you have any suggestions on how to start feeding them frozen thawed without too much trauma? Do I start with pre killed? Thanks [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_confused.gif[/img]
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eddie · #4 (**permalink**) 06-16-2002, 08:03 PM

Sure, baby steps.
Start with stunned to fresh killed, then evolve from that to the frozen thawed.
You may need to dance the food around some or they may just swap up with little work.
All ya can do is try and see how they react to it and go from there.
But with stunned, watch the mouse the entire time it is in the feed box with the snakes, cause stunned can recover and usually have a nasty tude and are VERY defensive and usually try to bite anything they see as a threat.I have killed more woken stunned food than my snakes have. ( I feed f/t but sometimes get some that haven't been coverted)

But even with them coming from a breeder, there is still a very strong possibility of internal parasites since it sounds like they were fed live only so far.

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