Regurge

[SPJ]

I have never had to deal with this so please excuse the newbie questions.

I came hime today to the most horrendous smell coming from the snake room. A large female ball python regurged in her tub (did I mention it really smells bad?).
She has never been sick and nothing about her environment has changed.
The only thing that is different than the norm was that I fed her a feeder from a different source than where I usually get them last night.

Could the feeder have been bad and caused this?

How long after the regurge should I let her settle and not feed or handle?

Do I need to adjust the temps (up or down) because of this?

Would transporting her pose a problem if I bring her to the vet tomorrow?

Any specific things I should look for as far as how she acts, etc?

I changed out the bedding in the tub. Should i replace it with cypress like I usually use or should I put in newspaper?

That's about all the questions I have for now and any other suggestions on what to do would be really appreciated.

Thanks.

[sho220]

Good post. I've never had to deal with this, so I'm interested in what the more experienced folks have to say.

[Spaniard]

I would wait 2 weeks before feeding her again, give time for her to build up the digestive emzymes she lost during the regurge. Thats all I can chime in on.

[Adam_Wysocki]

Could the feeder have been bad and caused this?

If it was F/T, absolutely ... if it was live or pre-killed, not likely.

How long after the regurge should I let her settle and not feed or handle?

I typically wait 3 - 4 weeks and then offer an extremely small meal relative to the animals size ... for example, if feeding small rats at 30-40 grams, offer a 15 gram rat.

Do I need to adjust the temps (up or down) because of this?

If your temps were ok to begin with, they should be fine ... a little warmer might help her heal if there is internal damage ... but I would definitely verify your temps with a secondary thermometer ... too low of temps could easily cause a regurg.

Would transporting her pose a problem if I bring her to the vet tomorrow?

Nope, just be gentle with her ... as long as your not playing rugby with her it won't be a problem ... have the vet do a cloacal swab ... a snake that has a small amount of internal parasites left untreated could build them up over many many months or even years to the point where they are sooo overwhelming to her they can cause a regurg.

Any specific things I should look for as far as how she acts, etc?

Blood would be a bad sign.

I changed out the bedding in the tub. Should i replace it with cypress like I usually use or should I put in newspaper?

I always like paper for sick animals, but it probably doesn't matter much either way ... I think paper just makes it easier to make sure that the cage is always spotless which might be important depending on what your vet tells you.

-adam

[jcaustralia]

Could the feeder have been bad and caused this?
possible

How long after the regurge should I let her settle and not feed or handle?
i would wait till your next feeding cycle and get the food from your normal supplier

Do I need to adjust the temps (up or down) because of this? personally i would bump a few degrees warmer. keep the constant day temps.

Would transporting her pose a problem if I bring her to the vet tomorrow?
i do not see an issue with that

Any specific things I should look for as far as how she acts, etc?
keep an eye on her and see if she is acting normal.

I changed out the bedding in the tub. Should i replace it with cypress like I usually use or should I put in newspaper?
i would go with newspapper till you know better as to why she regurged

but definitly have a vet check her, i usually replace the tub as well, or a real good cleaning. but this is my 02