Well, that freaked me out.

[rebelrachel13]

I just experienced my 5.5 foot BCI spit up water on me. (<-- minus the laughter at the end. lol.)

Eve was just sitting in her cage (near her bowl with her head on the edge of it, so I realized she had probably been drinking but didn't think much of it) and I wanted to take her out for a minute just to look at her. Turns out she was pretty grumpy, and after about 2 minutes of her wiggling around uncomfortably, I started to walk to her cage to put her back.

I noticed that there was something wet and cold on my arm. When I looked, there was practically a little puddle of water on it. I then realized Eve had some water on her mouth and chin. She didn't make any noises and the water came from her mouth, not her nostrils. I was initially panicking thinking "mucus! oh no!" but pretty quickly realized it was water (no smell, clear, thin, not icky at all). I never saw her mouth open though.

Yesterday evening I was planning on taking her out for pictures (see My Boas thread, ha) but by the time I got out there, the lighting was bad in almost every place I tried. She also seemed kind of stressed so I just took her back in without getting any worthwhile shots.

Later that night I fed her as usual on Saturdays. She ate enthusiastically (2 medium rats) and then coiled up in her warm side. She is almost certainly about to go into shed, she's darker than usual and her eyes are getting a little hazy.

I am almost entirely sure that this is a false alarm and it was my fault, but I thought I'd let you guys know. When I get concerned about my snakes, it makes me feel better to type it out here. That way if it turns out to be a problem I have already recorded it.

I feel pretty horrible about taking her out of her cage in the first place, but I am just thankful that she is fine. I always go to thinking the worst about things.

So, note to self, I guess: Always wait 48 hours after feeding, don't take out a snake that just drank water and is almost in shed, and plan ahead for picture time so that the sun doesn't go down on you.

Please let me know if you think this may be a health concern rather than just a result of me being hasty and inconsiderate. I have heard of snakes dribbling some water while being handled if they were just drinking, especially bigger ones. That is the only conclusion I can come to that makes any sense. She's going to the vet soon for an annual snakey check-up.

Thanks for reading and sorry for the rant. Here's a pic of her from yesterday that turned out okay.

[Solarsoldier001]

Eve is gorgeous! That was a interesting story. I think I would've panic more then you!

[Sama]

She is beautiful. I haven't had this happen but I did feed my sister corn snake just after he drank. The mouse was nice and fluffy before I gave it to him, but by the time he decided the mouse was dead the poor thing looked like it had been drowned.

[rebelrachel13]

Thank you two. It really scared me, but I think a lot of it was caused by me feeling immediately guilty for taking her out so soon after drinking, much less eating. I usually wait 48 hours with no problem, so I don't know what came over me to suddenly want to take her out.

[Evenstar]

Not to worry! Boas drool all the time after drinking. They can't hold their licker. Wait til next time when she does actually spit on you......

But she didn't drool on you because you were inconsiderate in taking her out. She'd just had a drink, so she drooled. Plain and simple. If she was a bit "grumpy" about being handled, it was probably due to her nearing her shed cycle more than anything else. And 48 hrs after eating is plenty of time to wait after feeding to handle her. You didn't do anything wrong!

[Mike41793]

thats kind a weird but ive read that happening in another thread with some guys SD tic or burm or something. I think it ended up being nbd but i would probably freakout too lol

[rebelrachel13]

Huh, I had no idea that it was normal for boas to drool sometimes. I've had her for a year and never seen it happen.

(Sent from my Android via Tapatalk)

[Evenstar]

Huh, I had no idea that it was normal for boas to drool sometimes. I've had her for a year and never seen it happen.

(Sent from my Android via Tapatalk)

Well, they don't drool like a dog might. But immediately after drinking, if they're disturbed, they might dribble the water that's still in their mouths. A lot of snakes do that, not just boas. I was being funny when I said they can't hold their licker.

[WarriorPrincess90]

They can't hold their licker.