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  #1 (permalink)  
Old 08-06-2003, 04:47 AM
MDK MDK is offline
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109222

For the last two weeks my Guyana began soaking himself in his waterbowl....... and than..... regurged his dinner from the night before (actually the first time it was almost two days post dinner). I am obviously worried and will bring him to a vet to be checked out.......... but, I wanted to get feedback from the forum......

More data points......

- She is about 2.5 feet, still young
- Not a problem eater as long as you leave her alone
- She is feeding on F/T pinky rat pups
- She typically eats two (she regurg's one, not both)
- Hercage is right next to my workdesk, I am afraid that maybe there is to much motion surrounding her.... making her a bit stressed
- She is very good natured
- We didnt handle her for 24 hours after she ate, but after that we did a bit of cage remodeling, the next day she regurg'd
- The water is on the cool side of the cage
- Hot side temps is around 90, cools side is 75ish
- Humidity is around 50-55%
- I spray the cage every once and awhile to get the humidity up

My gut tells me that it is stress, and to much surrounding motion and cage changes but I find the combo of soaking/regurging as a behavior pattern that could possible mean something more..... I have not seen her soak besides the two times that she regurg'd

Thoughts?

Thanks........

MDK
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Old 08-06-2003, 04:57 AM
TrowaIkari TrowaIkari is offline
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109223

How often are you feeding her? In my experience, young BCCs keep food down if they are only fed every 10-14 days. Only feed one prey item at a time. If it doesn't seem to fill him up, then take a step up in size but not quantity. After a regurg you need to wait at the very least 2 weeks before attempting to feed again. The next feeding after the regurg needs to be very small, think rat pink.

Hope this helps!

Alicia
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Old 08-06-2003, 06:03 AM
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109224

Also wait at least 48 hrs before handling after feeding [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img]
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Old 08-06-2003, 12:06 PM
MDK MDK is offline
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109230

We have been feeding her once a week...... I will skip a week and handle wait 48 not 24 after her next feeding before handling.........

I am curious about the coincedence of soaking/regurging....... is it just that, a coincedence do you think?
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Old 08-06-2003, 01:01 PM
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109232

My Boas love to soak given the opertunity. Would say that is just a coincidence. I would only feed 1 prey item at a time. the 2 rat pups sounds like it's too much for it. How big of a cage is it in? Some BCCs do get easily stressed out. My Suri, is was more high strung than my BCI. He doesn't strike, but you can tell he is always on his guard.
And yes 10-14 days after regurge, till the next feeding attempt, and 48 hours till you should handle it. Some people will say they can handle theirs the same day or 24 hours later, Its just not worth the risk. A reguge is very stressfull on a snake. Much worse than when a human vomits.

But definately have a vet check for parasites.
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Old 08-06-2003, 03:23 PM
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109238

One other quick thought is to lower his temps a little. Try to get his hot side only to about 86 F. BCC's are so fussy when young, and high temps cause more regurgs than many people think. The other info provided here should also be followed, especially the part about having the snake checked out by a vet! Good luck!
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Old 08-06-2003, 04:01 PM
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109240

Is she WC or CB?
get a fecal done at your vet's (costs about $15) IMO, rule out parasites...
I had a guyana that was orignially treated for parasites 5 years ago, (he was WC)
The guy who owned him had him treated, then he was fine then slowly he started losing
weight and had to be force fed, I adopted the snake and improved the home and he
started eating on his own and eveything seemed fine, then suddenly went off food
and got really thin, I did go to the vet and turned out there was parasties but sadly
I waited too long and the snake did not survive the treatment, he was too weak.
I know it's hard to get fecals when the snake isn't eating... so if you can't get any still
call the vet... regurging is never a good thing, esp on a delicate BCC stomach. Good luck!!!
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Old 08-06-2003, 06:52 PM
MDK MDK is offline
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109250

The snake is captive bred........ also, any thoughts of good Herp Doc's in the Bay Area.... I have a good vet for our dogs/cats.... but I think I would feel better with someone who specialized in reptiles/snakes.........

I know I have seen links in the past to specialized services that help point to Vets that do specialize in reptiles but I cant seem to find them now.....

Thanks again for all the input........ this place is great !!!!!!

MDK
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Old 08-06-2003, 07:09 PM
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109252

MDK i think this is the link to the thread you were looking for.

http://www.redtailboa.net/modules.ph...c=12321&22

hope that helps you out some. [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img]

it looks like this one may be your best bet.

VCA Crocker Animal Hospital
Garand Look, D.V.M.
475 N. Jackson Ave.
San Jose, CA 95133
walk-ins only, yes, even for reptiles
tel: (40 272-1330
M-F 7:30-7:00
Sat/Sun 9:00-4:00
http://www.vcai.com/
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Old 08-06-2003, 07:17 PM
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109254

Everyone has good points here. Any one of them could be hitting the nail on the head or it could be a combination of things. BCC are not as forgiving as BCI with husbandry.

Have you ever seen or dealt with snake mites? look closely for them and if you find them refer to the caresheets section for any number of ways to get rid of them.

If as hisba suggested, there are internal parasites, then you will likely notice other symptoms...weight loss, dark runny sometimes with blood usually very smelly stool. But do not assume that if there is normal stool that everything is fine. Take a stool sample to your vet. If there are untreated parasites and the snake continues to regurge he/she (I noticed your snake had a sex change half way through your original post lol) WILL DIE. Make sure the snake is well dydrated before any worming though. Puking dehydrates and dehydration is a death sentence to any young boa. put a 50/50 mix of water and pedialyte in the water bowl even if you dont see symptoms of dehydration. If you do see skin flaps forming along the tail then you need to tube or get a vet to tube some full strength pedialyte a couple of times a day. Do not attempt feeding a snake that just puked for 2 weeks. The acid generated to puke kills gut flora and they just can't digest anything for awhile and will likely just puke it up again making things much worse.

90 is a bit too warm and overheated snakes will soak to cool off but so will parasite ridden snakes. Mites irritate the skin and internal parasites make their butts itch I suppose.

One prey item for a young BCC is the only way to go. BCC are much more delicate as youngsters than any of the BCI ssps. Feeding multiple prey or prey that is too large for them will sometimes cause regurge.

Now the big problem... Many times when a boa regurges a couple of times, even after whatever caused it to regurge has been corrected, they will for no apparent reason continue to puke and it doesnt take but 3-4 pukes in a row to kill your snake. While a snake can survive for several months without food. They cannot survive even a few weeks of puking every week. They lose too much fluid and enzyme and every puke is like a whack with a shovel.

My last question: How are you thawing the f/t rat pinks?
Do not microwave!
Do not leave them out to thaw on their own
Do not feed f/t prey to a snake that is not fully thawed and warmed slightly (gently squeeze the rats head and feel for coolness. If the head feels cool then the brain is likely still frozen)
The best way I have found to thaw them is to place them in a zip lock bag and run warm water over them...but don't do this too long or too hot or you will cook them.

Some people use a light bulb to warm them..This dehydrates and starts smaller prey to putrify but using a bulb to warm a thawed larger rat seems to work ok if done correctly.

Recap:
Common causes of regurge for BCC

Parasites
Temps too warm
Temps too cool
inadequate humidity
Prey too large or multiple prey items
Feeding too frequent
Prey not properly thawed or perhaps freezer burned
Stress...Make sure there are hides on both the cool and hot side
Handling after meal (same as stress really)

Here is a tidbit about parasites such as roundworms, pinworms, hookworms etc... Q- Neither parent has worms and the cages are sterile...so how did the babies end up with worms? A- while a well kept, healthy snake may test negative for worms and never have them bother them, most snakes if not all still have them. You can eradicate worms from the gut but you can't kill the larvae that have burrowed through the skin and ended up in muscle. These parastites are stuck there and cannot for some reason make their way back to the digestive system but can penetrate into the bith canal and infect unborn offspring.

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