Leaving for 2 Weeks

Hitting the road for 2 weeks to see the Grand Canyon (1st time!) and need to prepare. I have a pet sitter coming daily to water and feed everyone, maintain humidity and double-check temps, but she is not comfortable feeding Neptune.

He is eating a 25 gram rat every 7 days. I’ve read in other threads not to feed right before leaving in case of regurge, but usually that was for shorter trips.

He usually eats on Mondays and I’m leaving on a Sat. Should I just feed him the Mon before I leave and he’ll be fine until I get back 2 weeks later?

Should I feed him a smaller meal on Monday and another small meal on the Sat I leave?

He’s usually spring loaded and ready for a Thanksgiving feast every Mon, so I’m worried about making him skip. :(

Regardless of the length of the trip you want to cease all feeding at least 5 to 7 days before the day you leave and give the animal time to fully digest his meal.

If a regurgitation happen you want to clean up right away not when you come back, not only because you do not want to leave something decompose in your house but also because at time a regurgitation is also accompanied with a large amount of stomach acid being thrown up and the last thing you would want is to have you snake sit in this for an extended amount of time.

Sure in most cases nothing happens but you should always proceed as if something would.

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...l=1#post537167

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Deborah

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...l=1#post537167

---

Ugh, that was an agonizing read. But makes it plainly clear the not-so-obvious risks of regurge that I wouldn’t have thought of. Horrifying.

I know what I need to do, thanks Deb.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Deborah

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...l=1#post537167

---

oh my goodness...i had no idea how truly extreme a regurge can be in every way. thank you for sharing...

Woah that post.. Hurts to read. I had no idea [emoji55]
I don't really have anything helpful to say but take Debs advice and have fun on your trip! I've only seen photos but it looks beautiful [emoji6]

Sent from my LG-TP260 using Tapatalk

I'd probably feed him the week before I left and again when I returned. That way you know he's completely cleaned out and all he'll need is fresh water. Three weeks without food is no big deal.

I’ll feed the Sat before I leave so I’ll have the full 7 days of observation before leaving. Then feed the Sat I get back. That’ll be 3 weeks between meals and he’ll act like he’s being killed, but at least I can go with a clear conscience.

Thanks y’all!