Regurging.. help..

[Smooth23]

My little Parsel is about 2 and a half years old now. He's been eating rats for awhile now, frozen and live. Over the past 6 months he's gotten picky about frozen, refusing quite often so I've been feeding live more and more, usually after a couple refusals. The last two he has regurgitated. Conditions haven't changed or anything... I just go into the room and there lies half digested rat. Both times it was about 36 hours or so after eating. Help me out guys, I can't afford to keep him if he's not going to eat properly

[BMorrison]

Give him 2 weeks to let his stomach acids catch up and try again. Leave him alone until then.
I'm not an expert but IMO that's what I would do...
Good Luck!

[Stewart_Reptiles]

Regurgitation can be due to several factors

Low temps - Stress (Handling your BP to soon after feeding for example) - Internal parasites.

I would recommend you to not offer any food to your BP for at least the next 2 weeks.

What are your temps?

Did you handle your BP within 48 hours of feeding?

Have you had a fecal done?

I can't afford to keep him if he's not going to eat properly

Thing like that can happen if you cannot “afford to keep” an animal soon as an issue arise you might want to reconsider owning it, because problem do arise every now and than.

[Smooth23]

88 on the warm side, 78-80 on the cool, humidity's been 65-70% consistantly. I hadn't handled him after feeding. It was just about 3 weeks between last regurge and this one. I haven't had a fecal done. And I mean it in the truest sense when I say I can't afford to keep a snake that wont keep food down. I lost my job a few months ago and its hard to justify paying for rats that keep ending up in the trash

[Texas Dan]

88 on the warm side, 78-80 on the cool, humidity's been 65-70% consistantly. I hadn't handled him after feeding. It was just about 3 weeks between last regurge and this one. I haven't had a fecal done. And I mean it in the truest sense when I say I can't afford to keep a snake that wont keep food down. I lost my job a few months ago and its hard to justify paying for rats that keep ending up in the trash

Ohh, 88 is a little low. Plus my suggestion would be to get a job.

I would also take him to the vet. I mean, if YOU threw up everytime you ate, I'm sure you'd go see a doctor.

[Stewart_Reptiles]

I would highly recommend you to take him to an herp vet and have a fecal done since it has occured twice in 3 weeks.

[Gloryhound]

definately needs to see a vet and I would try to get the hot spot up to 90 degrees as it will help to reduce stress and further encourage digestion. I don't think the temps are a really big problem though, as when they go into breeding season in the wild day time temps are between 80 and 85 and night time temps drop to 70 to 75. If the temps were a problem then none of the ball pythons in the wild would be able to eat over the breeding season including the little ones!

As for Vet bills, they can get expensive. Just to clear up an RI we spent over $200.00. As far as we are concerned though when you get a pet you have to think of it pretty much like a kid. With that said if your kid was throwing up after every meal would you take him/her to the doctor? Then again maybe my wife and I are a little fanatical about our animals. We already have arranged a deal with the Vet for taking in a group of new born snakes when our first clutch hatches and we haven't even got to the point of putting the male with the female!

[Texas Dan]

definately needs to see a vet and I would try to get the hot spot up to 90 degrees as it will help to reduce stress and further encourage digestion. I don't think the temps are a really big problem though, as when they go into breeding season in the wild day time temps are between 80 and 85 and night time temps drop to 70 to 75. If the temps were a problem then none of the ball pythons in the wild would be able to eat over the breeding season including the little ones!

As for Vet bills, they can get expensive. Just to clear up an RI we spent over $200.00. As far as we are concerned though when you get a pet you have to think of it pretty much like a kid. With that said if your kid was throwing up after every meal would you take him/her to the doctor? Then again maybe my wife and I are a little fanatical about our animals. We already have arranged a deal with the Vet for taking in a group of new born snakes when our first clutch hatches and we haven't even got to the point of putting the male with the female!

Excuse me, this is what I said. I believe you owe me $20.

[Gloryhound]

Excuse me, this is what I said. I believe you owe me $20.

No you said if "you" were throwing up after every meal...

I said " If your "kid" was throwing up after every meal...

So now I think you owe me $20.00!

[Skiploder]

88 is fine. If your basking spot is indeed 88 degrees and the ambient temps are correct, this is not the reason your snake is either vomiting or regurgitating.

There is a difference between vomiting and regurging. Regurgitation happens when the animal willfully stops the digestions process. Vomiting is involuntary and is more harmful to the snake for several reasons. Vomiting is not generally stress related and is caused by an actual medical issue.

Since your snake has regurged or vomited a couple of times, and you can probably safely rule our stress or temperature issues, you need to have him checked by a vet for an underlying illness.