Snake threw up water?? Need help immediately!!

Hey all

I just bought a 2006 Florida Goini Kingsnake from Repticon in Columbia, SC and on the way home, he pooped in his very small, clear plastic container and managed to get himself covered in it (very watery, most likely diarrhea due to major stress from show). Naturally, I put him in the bath tub, got a bar of soap and gave him a thorough bath (Rubbed my hands with the soap and ran them up and down his body while he was in the lukewarm water). He was not happy whatsoever with this arrangement but it couldn't be helped. After I finished his bath, I was taking him out and i hear a blehh sound and see water splattering on the ground (at least it looked like water. perfectly clear liquid and didn't smell). I'm assuming he threw it up. He was also hissing the majority of the time during the bath but like i said, it was either a bath or being covered in poop.

He was last fed tuesday/wednesday and there was NO food item/anything that resembled digestive fluid whatsoever. Now, im going to leave him alone for a week at least to let him get settled and calm before I feed him. He is on 1 ex-breeder (F/T) a week. Should I feed him after a week or wait 10 days and feed him a smaller food item? Was this a regurge or just getting rid of water he may have swallowed while swimming? Kinda like a human who swallows too much water? Please advise.

-Andrew

First off....don't use soap on your snake! I hope you made sure the poor thing was very thoroughly rinsed off. It's possible the soap irritated him enough that he threw up whatever water he swallowed.

While I don't think tossing up excess water after a bath will have the same "regurge" affects that throwing up a rodent will....if I were in your shoes, I would give it at least 10-14 days before trying to feed anything, to make sure any residual soap is out of his system. Make sure he has LOTS of clean water to drink.

will do. I went back and looked at the throw-up and it actually has dried out and looks whitish/soapish so im assuming that he threw up some water/soap.

I did not know that soap was bad for a snake. It was your standard dial bar soap which I thought was safe for use on a snake? Will this harm him? And considering he was covered in poop, I thought a combo of water and soap would be more effective than just water.

Yeah even soapy residue in a tub can affect a snake, so never use soap on a snake, the warm water would have done the same thing for you. Also make sure the breeder knows whats going on so if anything happens down the road, it isn't just like it popped up all of a sudden.

How much damage can soap cause? As in death?

Well...just imagine how you'd feel if you swallowed about a gallon of soap and water. And they only have one functional lung...so if any chemical irritants get in there (ie: soap) it can be seriously harmful. Soap is simply not necessary. I understand the "ick" factor if he was covered in poop...but for future reference...simple, clean clear water is fine for cleaning, even if it may take more than one rinse to get all the mess off.

Will he be ok? I hope so. If he seems fine now, then he'll probably be ok. But keep an eye out for any respiratory distress that might develop. (Wheezing, open mouth breathing, or mucus in the mouth)

Ok. sounds good. I examined him just now (opened his cage and listened) and there are no wheezing sounds coming from him. Nothing abnormal. I feel awful for making such a huge mistake but thats what ignorance does for you.

As far as I can tell, he looks and sounds normal but like you said, all that could change. And to clarify, I DID NOT use dish soap, antibacterial soap or anything liquid. I used regular Spring bar soap if that helps even a little bit. Blah

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Originally Posted by Black_Shark

. I used regular Spring bar soap if that helps even a little bit. Blah

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Doesn't matter. If the animals head is anywhere near where you are cleaning, don't use any additives. Warm water will be just fine for cleaning up messes.

Roger that. Well, nothing left to do but wait. Unfortunately im stuck in Charlotte until early tomorrow morning when I get back to Raleigh and he gets put into his appropriate tub with heating and thermostat. Until then he is at room temp because the breeder told me he would be fine until tomorrow, but due to my ignorance addressing a simple unforeseen issue, he might not be fine at all. Might be a good time for me to start praying.

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Originally Posted by Black_Shark

Roger that. Well, nothing left to do but wait. Unfortunately im stuck in Charlotte until early tomorrow morning when I get back to Raleigh and he gets put into his appropriate tub with heating and thermostat. Until then he is at room temp because the breeder told me he would be fine until tomorrow, but due to my ignorance addressing a simple unforeseen issue, he might not be fine at all. Might be a good time for me to start praying.

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I would give him a nice soak in lukewarm water for 20 mins or so. It will allow him to hydrate (just rinse him off a few more times before soaking him to get any residue off). He'll drink some more. Most likely he will be fine, but his stools may be very lose since soap kind of acts as a lubricant in there.

You said he is an '06 so hes an adult animal with some size and reserves. He should be just fine. If he keeps acting strangely I would absolutely take him to a vet but logic tells me he'll be ok. (Granted, I am NOT a vet and do not know anything about how soap interacts with the digestive tracts of reptiles).

Roger that. I am currently in the process of taking him out, rinsing him and giving him a nice, 20 min soak. After that, hes going back in the makeshift cage I have set up for him till tomorrow morning.

After that, I'm going to treat this whole situation like a regurge. No handling/feeding/bothering for 14 days and then feeding him a smaller than normal prey item. Better to be safe than sorry.

UPDATE***

Well, after rinsing him, soaking him for 20 min and drying him off with a towel, he seems to be in tip-top shape. No wheezing, mucus, open mouth or signs of an RI. He is also acting completely normal, albeit a tad upset which is completely understandable. His tongue is flicking normally, normal head movement, normal curiousity. If I didnt know better, I would say that nothing happened to him.

Like I said above, I'm going to treat this as a regurge episode and the minute im back in Raleigh, put him in his tub and leave him alone for 14 days before feeding a smaller than normal prey item. Lets hope for the best! Thanks guys/gals!

Second Update***

Loki is in his 41Q tub with heat pad, water and 2 hides on top of Aspen. Noticed NO wheeing, mucus, clicking/anything related to RI. Thanks guys/gals!

Very glad to hear everything seems to be just fine!

You and me both! I can't thank you guys enough haha. And while preparing his brand new tub/washing it out with water he just sat in my lap or stuck his head out exploring with the tongue flickering. Considering all that has transpired, I'm very surprised hes as calm as he is. He's just acting like nothing happened. My other 2 babies would have been going nuts by now!

Snakes are very similar in shape to a straw, only they can bend every way possible. I would put money on it having nothing at all to do with the soap, but how you were holding it after removing it from the water. Give any snake a big drink of water, hold it with it's head hanging down and see what happens. It's going to lose most of the water it just drank.

In regards to the others comments. I'm not saying the soap isn't bad, but I would put money on it not being the culprit.

Well, it turns out that soap DOES act as a laxative. My guy pooped 5 times in one week after that ordeal and after figuring out his pooping/eating schedule I can tell you that this isnt normal. He normally poops, being fed an XL mouse once every 2 weeks, about 2 times between feedings.

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Originally Posted by Black_Shark

Well, it turns out that soap DOES act as a laxative. My guy pooped 5 times in one week after that ordeal and after figuring out his pooping/eating schedule I can tell you that this isnt normal. He normally poops, being fed an XL mouse once every 2 weeks, about 2 times between feedings.

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How often are you feeding? My kings poop every day. They have higher metabolism, feeding more often, and pooping more often. I doubt the soap had any effect contrary to what some might say. Believe it or not, dish soad can actually be a good remedy for mites. Yep....I said it. I've cleaned lots of snakes with soap over the last 20+ years of keeping snakes. Haven't seen anything negative come of it.....but I'm sure I'll get a good scolding for saying this.;)

Haha, well I only feed one XL (30-50g) mouse every 2 weeks to maintain weight or encourage slow growth. When I first got him over a month ago he weighed 592g. Now, after feeding him Monday and him pooping twice since then, he now weighs 604g. So it looks like my goal of maintaining his weight/slow growth is working! haha