Urgent problem. Regurge.

Something is critically wrong with my male Pennywise. Before anyone asks, yes, I have moved him across the house away from my other snakes. He is throwing up. This came out of nowhere. He regurged 2 rats tonight (im assuming his meal from 3 days ago and then the meal from a week before that) and now he is vomiting clear liquid.

Someone mentioned one of the rats he ate may have gotten him sick. I've never had an issue like this before. So far no other snakes have been showing issues. Vet is not possible until Monday and I have to leave tomorrow and wont be back until Saturday night. Vet is closed Sunday.

I watched him throw up this most recent and third time. It is a clear liquid. He made a very long raspy noise when he was throwing up. Not ruling RI out at the moment but he hasn't shown any other RI symptoms such as bubbles or popping or other weird breathing normally. Not sure what to do. This is happening at the absolute worst time.

Anyone have anything they could tell me? Going to be keeping a close eye on the rest of my collection to see if this is some sort of infection and if it spreads.

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If it had an RI it more than likely would not have recently eaten.

You may want to check into a emergency vey. It may be difficult to find one that has experience with snakes but its worth a shot. With that much fluid lose I think the snake needs medical attention sooner rather than later.

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Originally Posted by KMG

If it had an RI it more than likely would not have recently eaten.

You may want to check into a emergency vey. It may be difficult to find one that has experience with snakes but its worth a shot. With that much fluid lose I think the snake needs medical attention sooner rather than later.

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We want to but the nearest one the see's snakes is too far away. Monday is the earliest he can see a snake vet which sucks but I can't make it go any faster and now at the worst of times I have to leave town in the morning. I'm really hoping he pulls through. When it rains it poors. 3 hours ago this wasnt even a thought and now everything is spiraling out of control.

In the meantime he is seperated from everyone and being left alone as best I can to avoid more stress.

You may at least call a exotic emergency vet, explain the situation, and see what they recommend to do until Monday.

What are the ambient and hotspot temps?

I hope this takes a turn for the better. Positive thought headed your way. :)

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Originally Posted by KMG

You may at least call a exotic emergency vet, explain the situation, and see what they recommend to do until Monday.

What are the ambient and hotspot temps?

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Ambient temps were way too low. 75. Just bought two heaters one for the room where most of my snakes are and one for where he is being kept.

Hotspot is 90

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If the ambient was truly 75 that shouldn't be the issue with hotspots at 90. Now if there is a chance the ambient temps were lower than that could cause digestion issues and you are doing well to boost the temp to prevent the others from starting down the same path if that is the case.

If it were me I would raise the sick ones hotspot to 92 and keep the humidity up a bit. I would also try to get him in a room with an ambient temp in the low 80s. You may find this easiest in a closet. Being a smaller room it will be easier and cheaper to heat. It will also be very calm and stress free for your snake.

BTW, those heaters will work but the best option and what most of us use are the oil filled models.

This is a cheaper model and it doesn't have a digital thermostat.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Utilitech-5...4-b67e57965e3e

If you have the money these have worked well for me. I have one in my snake room and another for wherever I may want it. The one in my snake room has given me a few good years of service so far. It is better because it has a digital thermostat.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/De-Longhi-5...etting/3262151

Those will have to be when I get to my new house. I want to do it sooner but I don't have the extra money until I start my knew job but as soon as I do I'll pick one of those up. Thank you so much for the recomendation.

No problem.

Good luck!

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Originally Posted by KMG

No problem.

Good luck!

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Set him up with the new heater. He hasnt thrown up again which is good. It's gonna be a long weekend.

Make sure the heater is not pointed at the snakes tub. You just want to heat the area and not the tub directly.

Just woke up. He didnt regurge again last night which is good. Heater seems to be working on keeping his ambient temps up which is good. Calling the vet when they open today to pen him in for monday.

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Originally Posted by cheosamad

Those will have to be when I get to my new house. I want to do it sooner but I don't have the extra money until I start my knew job but as soon as I do I'll pick one of those up. Thank you so much for the recomendation.

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. Sorry for the issues. Glad you have a handle on it now. Temps and humidity are very important for the well being of these animals. If there is a National Liquidators outlet store in your area, they sell oil filled heaters for a more reasonable price than most. Hope everything turns out for the better. Good Luck.

So in the meantime until I move and get an oil heater for my new snake room I have a fixer upper solution. He's on a herpstat 2 with one probe regulating his heat pad and the second probe is measuring the ambient temp of his tub on the cold side with a hot heat alarm set to 88 and a cold temp alarm set to 80. In the meantime this is the best I can do.


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Originally Posted by cheosamad

So in the meantime until I move and get an oil heater for my new snake room I have a fixer upper solution. He's on a herpstat 2 with one probe regulating his heat pad and the second probe is measuring the ambient temp of his tub on the cold side with a hot heat alarm set to 88 and a cold temp alarm set to 80. In the meantime this is the best I can do.


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. That's great! Be careful on where the second probe is placed and that its secured appropriately and won't be at risk of being wet or moved by the snake. :gj:

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Originally Posted by Albert Clark

. That's great! Be careful on where the second probe is placed and that its secured appropriately and won't be at risk of being wet or moved by the snake. :gj:

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Both done and done. Its on his cold side but its nowhere he would be moving it even if he slithered past it and not above his water bowl.


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I feel your pain, I just had something similar happen, seemingly out of nowhere. Hope your guy pulls through, sending good vibes your way.

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Originally Posted by Snizards

I feel your pain, I just had something similar happen, seemingly out of nowhere. Hope your guy pulls through, sending good vibes your way.

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Going to just be as careful as I can be. This has me super worried. 2 weeks of solitude should do him some good I hope.


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Low ambient temps so long the hot spot is within proper range is not likely the cause of the regurgitation.

Now are you sure both were regurgitation, regurgitation usually occur pretty fast after a feed, not a week later, by the time a week has gone by the prey is digested.

Regurgitation can be due to a few factors

Stress, improper temps not allowing digestion (obviously we know the hot spot was allowing that), bad feeder (if you feed F/T), internal parasites, RI etc.

Was this animal new in your collection?

Now it is very important to wait at least 2 weeks before attempting to feed again and if at that time the animal regurgitates again, a trip to a vet will be mandatory.

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Originally Posted by Deborah

Low ambient temps so long the hot spot is within proper range is not likely the cause of the regurgitation.

Now are you sure both were regurgitation, regurgitation usually occur pretty fast after a feed, not a week later, by the time a week has gone by the prey is digested.

Regurgitation can be due to a few factors

Stress, improper temps not allowing digestion (obviously we know the hot spot was allowing that), bad feeder (if you feed F/T), internal parasites, RI etc.

Was this animal new in your collection?

Now it is very important to wait at least 2 weeks before attempting to feed again and if at that time the animal regurgitates again, a trip to a vet will be mandatory.

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I've had this snake for several months. I feed live. Perhaps the stress of moving him to clean or he has developed an illness and this is his first symptom. Called the vet today and they told me I'll have to wait for him to expell something again for them to test otherwise they cant help. I'm going to give him at least a full 2 weeks before I do anything with him. I'm super worried.

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Originally Posted by cheosamad

I've had this snake for several months. I feed live. Perhaps the stress of moving him to clean or he has developed an illness and this is his first symptom. Called the vet today and they told me I'll have to wait for him to expell something again for them to test otherwise they cant help. I'm going to give him at least a full 2 weeks before I do anything with him. I'm super worried.

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That's not quite true. They can get samples but would have to send probes up his vent and down his throat to get them, which is expensive and stressful on the snake.

If anything else is expelled - from either end - save it in a plastic baggie with a little distilled water to keep it from drying out. Your vet will want to test for parasites and cryptosporidium.

I wouldn't feed him anything for at least a month, just keep his humidity up so he doesn't dehydrate.

Bear in mind that since you had him close to your other snakes, if this one tests positive for parasites the others will likely have picked it up also, so they should all be tested and treated accordingly. Until you know what you're dealing with nothing should come into or leave your collection.

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Originally Posted by bcr229

That's not quite true. They can get samples but would have to send probes up his vent and down his throat to get them, which is expensive and stressful on the snake.

If anything else is expelled - from either end - save it in a plastic baggie with a little distilled water to keep it from drying out. Your vet will want to test for parasites and cryptosporidium.

I wouldn't feed him anything for at least a month, just keep his humidity up so he doesn't dehydrate.

Bear in mind that since you had him close to your other snakes, if this one tests positive for parasites the others will likely have picked it up also, so they should all be tested and treated accordingly. Until you know what you're dealing with nothing should come into or leave your collection.

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Do you think he would be okay off of food for 6 weeks? I know they're hardy and can fast but I don't know how it works when they're not the one choosing not to eat. I move in about 4 weeks so I'm gonna need to give him 2 more weeks to settle at my new house before I can think of feeding him or anything.

Really just wanna make sure I do what's best for the snake.

6 weeks is fine, I've had snakes go off food for longer than that.

When you do feed again give a smaller prey item that is smaller than what you usually feed. It is common to go down to half the normal size.

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Originally Posted by KMG

When you do feed again give a smaller prey item that is smaller than what you usually feed. It is common to go down to half the normal size.

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Alright. What would you say is half sized from a small adult rat? Maybe just give him a mouse like he was eating before?


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Originally Posted by cheosamad

Alright. What would you say is half sized from a small adult rat? Maybe just give him a mouse like he was eating before?


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A rat pup would be about right.

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Originally Posted by Eric Alan

A rat pup would be about right.

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Okay this is all good info. Thank you guys so much. And sorry if its spam but expect updates. Really hoping when I return home he is stable and doing better. It may sound like a sorta double edged sword but i really hope it was just because of prey size increase or stress because at least thats super easy to fix.


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When you do feed next, offer a meal half the size of a normal one, and dust the damp f/t feeder with a bit of this powder to help re-establish the snake's gut flora:https://beanfarm.com/collections/health-care/products/nutribac-reptile-amph-probiotic?variant=24905368073




Wait two weeks and if all is well offer another half-sized and dusted feeder. If that stays down then offer a normal meal every two weeks.

Okay. Going to order that stuff right now so I have it on hand when its time to feed him again. I appreciate everyones help so much. I think we're gonna make it through this one haha.


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It was 100% RI and now I have a bigger problem. I only know that because one of my other snakes started showing tiny bubbles when she flicked her tongue today. This is really bad.

Vet is still closed until tomorrow and I have nothing to bring them. Maybe if I bring my other snake that is showing signs they can help me anyway.

In the meantime a breeder told me an option is drop my humidity and raise my temps to try to 'cook' out the infection? They said rasing my ambients to 88 and my hot spot to 93 and only offering water for a few hours every second day is a decent option if I'm early enough to help fight the RI in my entire collection.

My issue with that is wont that overheat my snake? They wont even really have a decent temperature gradiant to regulate their heat.

Any other suggestions would be appreciated right now. Until tomorrow I have no clue what to do. I don't want all of my snakes to die.


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Well, raising your temps a few degrees will help only to boost the animal's immune system. The definitive action is to get to the exotic vet so any pathogens can be identified and appropriate treatment started. Immediately switch your substrate to paper towels for the time being after deep cleaning the enclosure/s. Respiratory infections won't kill your reptiles but untreated and prolonged RI certainly will make them spiral downward and ultimately kill them.

We're actually at a vet as I type this but they need to refer me to an exotic specific vet so I can get better treatment. They said they're going to perscrive antibiotics. Should I administer these or should I wait until I see the exotic vet to go forward with treatment?

In the meantime my husbandry has done a total 180. I already use paper towels but my ambient temps and humidity needed serious correcting which I've taken care of. Finally have an entire building at 86 degrees ambient and then 91 degree hotspots for my snakes.

Final question. They've identified 4 of my 7 snakes as showing signs of RI. Since obviously my RI snakes have to be seperated from my non infected snakes does that also mean as I treat them they have to be seperated from one another or can they be treated in the same room?

Okay they reffered me to an exotic vet for tomorrow. They said Pennywise actually seems fine and his issue were totally seperate but I will be bringing him for an exam regardless.

Ramen they said had some labored breathing but they dont know if its due to stress or something else. She will be coming in also.

They told me Valak is not showing any signs of concern.

The final is Cleo or 2000g normal and she is by far the worst. She has started bubbling and foaming at the mouth and also may have started developing mouth rot. They gave her a round of fluids and antibiotics and she is our top priority for treatment tomorrow.

They told me my other 3 snakes were no cause for concern.


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Was a culture done on any of the animals of concern?

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Originally Posted by Deborah

Was a culture done on any of the animals of concern?

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We actually don't have any poop that I could bring in. We're still waiting on one to freeze and bag. This place does not offer that service anyway. I'm hoping the exotic vet tomorrow does so I can get that done ASAP.


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Originally Posted by cheosamad

We actually don't have any poop that I could bring in. We're still waiting on one to freeze and bag. This place does not offer that service anyway. I'm hoping the exotic vet tomorrow does so I can get that done ASAP.


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Culture as in RI which means a swab of the mouth which should be done on any BP suspected to have a RI, to make sure it is indeed a RI (there are things far worse than RI that present themselves as RI at first) and that the appropriate antibiotic is being used (there are different causes for RI)

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Originally Posted by Deborah

Culture as in RI which means a swab of the mouth which should be done on any BP suspected to have a RI, to make sure it is indeed a RI (there are things far worse than RI that present themselves as RI at first) and that the appropriate antibiotic is being used (there are different causes for RI)

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Ah. My apologies I misunderstood. I'm actually not sure I will ask when the vet comes back in because I actually didnt ask how they reached their diagnosis.


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Wishing the best for you and all your BPs


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Did the vet ever make it back?

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Originally Posted by KMG

Did the vet ever make it back?

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The actual woman who examined my snakes didnt. Apparently it was a crazy busy night. They checked us out anf faxed our info over to the exotic vet that we will be going to tomorrow.


Also sorry for the long delay on updating. It was over an hour drive home and we're exuasted. Did all we could for tonight. Exotic vet first thing in the AM.

When I got a snake that came with a free RI the exotic vet I went to actually had me raise the humidity and temp while we started giving antibiotic injections every few days. I don't see allowing the humidity to drop down would do anything more than add to the issues.

It sounds like your husbandry needs to be double checked. You need to get things perfect so your snakes can all kick this and come back to good.

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Originally Posted by KMG

When I got a snake that came with a free RI the exotic vet I went to actually had me raise the humidity and temp while we started giving antibiotic injections every few days. I don't see allowing the humidity to drop down would do anything more than add to the issues.

It sounds like your husbandry needs to be double checked. You need to get things perfect so your snakes can all kick this and come back to good.

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I haven't actually begun doing what that breeder recommended, I just figured it was worth asking. We spent a good 30 minutes talking about it at Tampa Repticon.


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Both temps and humidity should be increased slightly for an RI. Think about when you're congested and you take a hot, steamy shower - it helps you blow the crud out of your sinuses and throat so you feel better for a while.

On the way to the exotic vet right now. Time for some better answers.


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So we're at the vet. They agree that it was most likely a husbandry issue that started this. She is giving us a poop collector to take home because they said they only can do a poop culture no mouth swabs.

Every few breaths you can hear her wheeze. They said didn't hear anything deeper in her lungs and no visual signs of parasites or mouth inflamation. Just bubbles which goes hand in hand with upper RI.

Doctor is recommending a round of 4taz to combat the current issues we are seeing until we can get a poop sample and get an exact idea of what we're dealing with. The vet last night gave her bactryl (im sure im spelling these wrong)

She has a followup in the 28th which will be 5 treatments in. Im a lot happier with this vet.


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Just bubbles which goes hand in hand with upper RI.

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And yet the vet did not do a culture? Sorry but a good Herp vet will do a culture to asses the type of RI and prescribe the proper anti-biotic any vet that fails to do so is a vet I would avoid.

I noticed that you mentioned going to Repticon this weekend. Are you in the Tampa area? If so, I can recommend a couple really good exotics vets...


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Originally Posted by Deborah

And yet the vet did not do a culture? Sorry but a good Herp vet will do a culture to asses the type of RI and prescribe the proper anti-biotic any vet that fails to do so is a vet I would avoid.

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These are the only vets I could even get to look at my snakes. I'm doing all I can but I'm limited to the people I can access. Also limited to how much I can afford in all of these vet bills. I'm doing all I can for now to try to take care of her but idk anyone else who will look at my snakes. That's why I'm going back as soon as she poops for a culture. I can't do anything more than that.

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Originally Posted by EmilyandArlo

I noticed that you mentioned going to Repticon this weekend. Are you in the Tampa area? If so, I can recommend a couple really good exotics vets...


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I'm actually from Atlanta. I drove down this past weekend just for the show.


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Originally Posted by cheosamad

These are the only vets I could even get to look at my snakes. I'm doing all I can but I'm limited to the people I can access. Also limited to how much I can afford in all of these vet bills. I'm doing all I can for now to try to take care of her but idk anyone else who will look at my snakes. That's why I'm going back as soon as she poops for a culture. I can't do anything more than that.

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A wrongly diagnosed and or treated RI because of the lack of proper test can be a lot more costly than one properly diagnosed and treated, not to mention that there are other thing than RI out there and you have more than one animal. :gj:

There are a lot of vet claiming to see exotics but really what they do is see hamster, guinea pigs, birds etc and have VERY limited hands on experience with snakes, their anatomy and the test and treatments required.

The best place in Georgia is UGA vet school, or the right vet that will listen to you and do the test that are necessary (I am fortunate that my vet while having a limited snake knowledge will consult with others and will also listen to me since she knows I have a lot more hands on experience with snakes than she does, and if I ask for a test like a culture she will do it)

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...ce-Reptile-Vet

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...Causes-of-URIs