Young BOA need help...

[Stigma]

ughhhh...im actualy embarrased to post this...i try so hard to make sure my animals are healthy and comfortable and for some reason this dang snake is just not cooperating....i dunno what i am doing wrong....



ok so here is the problem....the first week i got this baby boa from the pet shop i fed him a fuzzy mouse on schedule (as far as the petshop told me) and 4 days later he threw it up...so i got a vet appt. took him in...had him checked for parasites etc....they did a stool sample test and they said everything was hunky dory... well i have fed him 2 times (once a week.. every sat.) since then and had no problems...he has eaten and crapped it out fine...well today its his scheduled eating day...so i feed him ONE appropriately sized fuzzy mouse (same size i have been feeding him the whole time) and about 1 hour after eating it he regurged AGAIN i dunno what im doing wrong....i have not handeled him at all... and the cage he is in is not exposed at all...as a matter of fact the only exposed part is the front...i have put black paper on all sides so he stays comfortable.... does anyone know why he would be doing this?? my temps are all adequate on his warm and cool side...i just dont know whats up with this guy....can anyone please help me...what might be makin him throw up???????????????


i will add for some reason the last 2 times i fed him he has eaten the mouse backwards (starts from the tail end) but i have heard this is no problem..and the last time he did it he digested it fine .....im just worried for his health

[razeraze]

What is the surface temp of the basking spot and does the snake use the basking spot?

	Geek Auto Linker or Gallon Geek Auto Linker Gallon - United States liquid unit equal to 4 quarts or 3.785 liters

[Stigma]

the surface temp is 95 - 97 degress...he uses it regularly...i see him go back and forth from his basking all the time...and he went directly there after his meal.. i feed him in his cage...so i dont have to handel him after he feeds..

	Geek Auto Linker or Gallon Geek Auto Linker Gallon - United States liquid unit equal to 4 quarts or 3.785 liters

[rawr_bowzer]

I would say give him a lot more time to recuperate. Maybe a month. Then give him something smaller, and then progressively back to regular size prey item. The first regurgitation might have messed up his insides, just give him time to recover and he'll be fine in no time.

	Geek Auto Linker or Gallon Geek Auto Linker Gallon - United States liquid unit equal to 4 quarts or 3.785 liters

[pcncb]

Weird. Are you feeding f/t rats? I had a boa regurge 2 times after feeding him bad rats. I switched to a new bag of frozen rats and he did fine.

[pcncb]

Didn't think about that. How long did you wait between the regurge and the feeding

	Geek Auto Linker or Gallon Geek Auto Linker Gallon - United States liquid unit equal to 4 quarts or 3.785 liters

	regurgitate Throw up. Reptiles will regurge when they feel they are in danger or if they have some sort of health issue. If your reptile has regurgitated his/her food please seek help!

[Stigma]

i waited 14 days last time...but he ate fine 2 times in a row since this happened....


but u guys...i think i might know what happened here...raze...u are acting as if temps are a pretty important factor here....after u asked me temps...i went back to the cage to check things out...and i realized i forgot to turn his che back on!! it was 85F on the warm side... surface temp was only 90 (from the heat pad with out the che on) so im wondering if maybe he wasnt warm enough??????

ughhhh i dunno...i think 90 even would still be warm enough...


and yes im feeding FT....and this one is the last of 6 that i purchased a month ago...u think it culd have been bad?????

	Ceramic Heat Emitter Ceramic Heat Emitter: A porcelain heating device that screws into a standard porcelain incandescent socket

[razeraze]

Temps would be my first guess. I try to keep a basking spot big enough for the entire reptile to bask at 100+F. I have never had a problem with a regurge unless it was a shoddy rodent supplier.

	Geek Auto Linker or Gallon Geek Auto Linker Gallon - United States liquid unit equal to 4 quarts or 3.785 liters

	regurgitate Throw up. Reptiles will regurge when they feel they are in danger or if they have some sort of health issue. If your reptile has regurgitated his/her food please seek help!

[rawr_bowzer]

I don't think bad rats are a problem, unless it was heavily infested with parasites and was heavily decomposed already. Otherwise snakes would only live up to 2 years in the wild. What kind of a Boa is it? Maybe you somehow got a Suri without knowing...who knows!

	Suriname Redtail Boa Red Tail Boa Constrictor (Boa constrictor constrictor) from the locale of Suriname. Considered to be a "True" Red Tail.

[rawr_bowzer]

It doesn't sound like you're doing anything wrong...maybe dehydrated? My Boa drinks a huge amount of water after each feeding.

	Geek Auto Linker or Gallon Geek Auto Linker Gallon - United States liquid unit equal to 4 quarts or 3.785 liters

[Tom]

You should be feeding rats not mice for one thing. New born boas can and will eat rat pinkies. In my opinion you should never feed mice to any type of boa constrictor.

If your boa regurgitates, DO NOT FEED IT AGAIN FOR AT LEAST 2 WEEKS. I can’t stress this enough. You must give its stomachs time to settle down and repair itself. Think about it, when you throw up, do you really want to eat right away? Neither do they. Instinctually, they may eat, but that’s all it is, an instinct. And feeding them will do much more harm than good. Usually, they throw up the new meal as well and begin to dehydrate. If they regurgitate often enough, it begins to develop into a syndrome and it can be fatal. After the initial two week waiting period to feed the next meal, feed a smaller than normal prey item. For example, if you feed large rats, feed a medium or even better, a small rat instead. Then wait another two weeks and feed another small rat. Another two weeks and another small rat and if all goes well, you can step up to a medium rat two weeks later and then another medium rat 12 days later and then a large rat 12 days later and then you can resume a normal feeding schedule while keeping a careful eye on your boa. These feeding schedules have been constructed with the optimal health and longevity of your boa in mind. Slight deviation from this may be acceptable depending on the individual snake.

Take care
Tom

[razeraze]

Originally Posted by rawr_bowzer

I don't think bad rats are a problem, unless it was heavily infested with parasites and was heavily decomposed already. Otherwise snakes would only live up to 2 years in the wild. What kind of a Boa is it? Maybe you somehow got a Suri without knowing...who knows!

Bad rats are a problem if you are not feeding live. Rats may have been thawed and allowed to spoil before they were sold to you. I had this happen with american rodent supply.

	Suriname Redtail Boa Red Tail Boa Constrictor (Boa constrictor constrictor) from the locale of Suriname. Considered to be a "True" Red Tail.

[Stigma]

dehydration may be a factor.....i have never seen my boa drink water EVER...and it has a huge water dish that i refill ever other day....


should i maybe take expose the snake to water? in my bathtub or something???

	Geek Auto Linker or Gallon Geek Auto Linker Gallon - United States liquid unit equal to 4 quarts or 3.785 liters

[Stigma]

this mouse was thawed and immediately given tot eh snake..it wasnt 20 min after it was thawed when the snake ingested it... and also..like i said tom this is the 2nd time it has happened...the first time i waited 14 days...and fed it a smaller mouse than it was recieveing before...i will switch to rat pinkies when i feed it next...if thats whats best,,.,

	Geek Auto Linker or Gallon Geek Auto Linker Gallon - United States liquid unit equal to 4 quarts or 3.785 liters

[razeraze]

Where did you get the rat from? It may have been thawed before you purchased it, either during shipping or at a show.

I think temps are still the problem, and many snakes do not drink much. Just keep the water clean so if they feel the need to soak or drink they can.

	Geek Auto Linker or Gallon Geek Auto Linker Gallon - United States liquid unit equal to 4 quarts or 3.785 liters

[Stigma]

i got the mouse from petco...bought a 3 pack of frozen fuzzy mice...actualy bought 2 - 3 packs...

	Geek Auto Linker or Gallon Geek Auto Linker Gallon - United States liquid unit equal to 4 quarts or 3.785 liters

[Stargazer]

I'm not sure but I think you were given the correct protocol for dealing with a regurge after the first one? You should not be feeding him every week. You need to wait at least 10 days and then start with a much smaller meal and work your way back up. He needs to replenish his gut flora from the regurges. I will let the experts go into more detail on this.

	Geek Auto Linker or Gallon Geek Auto Linker Gallon - United States liquid unit equal to 4 quarts or 3.785 liters

	regurgitate Throw up. Reptiles will regurge when they feel they are in danger or if they have some sort of health issue. If your reptile has regurgitated his/her food please seek help!

[rawr_bowzer]

Originally Posted by Stigma

dehydration may be a factor.....i have never seen my boa drink water EVER...and it has a huge water dish that i refill ever other day....

My snake likes to drink. Not saying he's a drunk though.

	Geek Auto Linker or Gallon Geek Auto Linker Gallon - United States liquid unit equal to 4 quarts or 3.785 liters

[Stigma]

star i did wait...and had 2 successful feedings after...so im just confused on what im doing wrong...

	Geek Auto Linker or Gallon Geek Auto Linker Gallon - United States liquid unit equal to 4 quarts or 3.785 liters

[mpgt]

My BCC eats them backwards sometimes, and has never regurged. I've heard of snakes eating rats sideways, folded in half. Just follow Tom McCarthy's advice above. I think that's the best you can do. You might need a vet's help if it happens again. It is a BCI, right?

	Boa Constrictor Constrictor Red Tail Boa Constrictor (Boa constictor constrictor). Refers to "true" red tail boas such as the Guyana and Suriname locales.

	Boa Constrictor Imperator Boa Constrictor (Boa constrictor imperator). Most common is the Colombian Boa.