Juvie BP regurgitated 11 days ago, was told to wait 14 days

Hello everyone

This is my first post here.
I have a few reptiles but our baby is our first BP and we want to make his life awesome.

however… last time he ate, he regurgitated/vomited before he was finished digesting. Now, my guess is his enclosure was too cold-this was during the time we had to quick fast get a new thermostat�� but really, what do I know? Meal might have been too big. He might have been stressed beyond belief. We’re feeding frozen thawed rat pups right now. My other snake eats and sheds like a champ and never denies a meal. He’s not a BP though- he’s a ridiculously long Kenyon sand boa and that’s a totally different kinda thing, I know.
New thermostat is on and has been getting him more regulated since we got it. Normal stuff. 90 basking spot, 88 hot hide, 82 ambient air, 77 cool side, 75 cool hide. Those are current readings, of course they fluctuate. 68% humidity right now. At night I drop the hot side by about 5 degrees so he’s got a consistent warm.
So. The very opinionated but helpful Facebook groups told me to wait 14 days before handling or offering food again. We’re on day 11.
after more research it seems the 14 day wait is nonsense. My plan should be to offer him a rat pinkie instead of a pup to make sure he keeps it down. And then leave him alone for several days.

to wait 3 more days or not to wait? I’d throw him a pinkie tonight if I thought he’d eat. He’s so tiny☹️

First, stop panicking, he won't starve right now. And yes, it's best to wait AT LEAST 14 days or more, following any snake regurgitation.

It takes time for snakes to replenish their digestive enzymes, & if you don't give them enough time to do that, you risk another regurgitation, & each time a snake regurgitates, there is a risk that they may aspirate (into their very life-essential lung!) and even die, so regurgitations are something worth preventing. Snakes also get dehydrated from repeated episodes, another serious risk!

I do agree that when you do offer him food again, size it way down (for the next few meals) to be sure he digests okay. Easy does it. And yes, until he makes a full recovery (is back to eating normally) you should also refrain from handling him.

I would wait. Here is why. It takes them a long time to replenish the fluids that help them digest. If you feed too soon he will regurge AGAIN, and get set back even more, and you absolutely cannot afford that on hatchlings. Depending how big he is, I might even go smaller than a rat pinky. Do you have a kitchen scale in grams to weigh him?

I know facebook and reddit can have some pretty outlandish things to say, especially regarding enclosure sizes, so it doesn't hurt to check here, but on this one they are right.

Thanks for the responses, guys, I appreciate the input. I'll wait it out and feed him on day 14, then. There are just so many different things when researching snake stuff, it's overwhelming.
We've left him alone, only times I've handled him were during spot cleaning when he's tried to climb up my arm, just setting him to the side and continuing to do my thing.

Do you think a pinkie mouse would be a better meal, then? They can be quite a bit smaller than rat pinkies... though I'm not sure switching back to mice is a good idea since he's already on rats. ?
We do not have a scale anymore, lost it somehow when we moved over the summer. But I know I need to get another one soon.

I'd go with a rat pink- mouse pinkies are way too small for a hatchling BP, & as you noted, they smell & taste different, & might influence what he accepts in the future.

If you don't have a scale I would stick with a rat pink.

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Originally Posted by nikkubus

If you don't have a scale I would stick with a rat pink.

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Since they're hairless they're very easy to digest, anyway. Not much of a risk.

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

Since they're hairless they're very easy to digest, anyway. Not much of a risk.

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Rat pinkie it is then. I think I have a few left from right after we got him, anyway, so YAY!

Thanks, again!

Hopefully the regurge was due to a husbandry issue and not something more serious. Did you purchase it from a private breeder, or from a commercial pet store?

Also is the ball python being kept very far away from the sand boa?

We got him at a pet store. :( So I'm hoping it was something I wasn't doing right also.
He's got a really good shape and his color is great, iridescent and bright, so he's hydrated at least.
There are no breeders that I'm aware of close to here, but the expo comes a couple of times a year. That's where we'll be getting our next critter.

The sand boa is in a completely different room and they're never out at the same time :)

We did have some issues with temps & humidity in the early days. He ate really well a few times before the time that he didn't... So maybe it's all related that way. His temps/humidity are fairly spot on now that I got a newer thermostat.

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Originally Posted by TedBundytheSandBoa

We got him at a pet store. :( So I'm hoping it was something I wasn't doing right also.
He's got a really good shape and his color is great, iridescent and bright, so he's hydrated at least.
There are no breeders that I'm aware of close to here, but the expo comes a couple of times a year. That's where we'll be getting our next critter.

The sand boa is in a completely different room and they're never out at the same time :)

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Just so you know, buying pets at expos are not risk-free either- plenty of cross-contamination occurs there, with some snakes going home with mites that didn't arrive with them, so if they can transfer mites, they can also share pathogens that cause diseases. But yes, snakes in pet stores have generally had the most risky exposures of all, while buying direct from responsible breeders is usually the safest.

Since you're planning to attend the "next expo", a word of advice: find out from the promoters well-ahead of time as to what breeders will be there, & research their reputations ahead of time. And then try not to be impulsive & forget what you learned once you get there. And taking a checklist of health signs to look for when buying a snake might help too, so you don't forget anything. Expos can be very busy & distracting- & many feel pressured to buy "that nice snake before someone else beats you to it".

Glad your KSB is in another room- but don't forget to handle him first, & the new (quarantined) snake always last. No sharing food or tongs- & wash up after dealing with the BP- preferably shower & change clothes, just in case- & btw, ALWAYS do that after attending an expo! (YOU too can transfer germs from one to the other.)

I had not thought about it that way. But I'll consider it now for sure.
We've gone to the expo once, to just look around. I know there was hand sanitizer at every station, though we didn't handle anything other than a tegu that day. But it does make total sense that diseases and parasites would be easily transmitted within that space. A very crowded space. With lots of people-sounds so unfun and peopley now. I know a lot of people in the Facebook groups struggle with mites a lot and I just don't wanna.
I've also learned of several reputable online breeders to check out when we are snake shopping, also. I don't know what the name dropping policies are on the forum.... I like to see what I'm buying, however. And I know buying and shipping animals has it's negative aspects too. Scares me a little.
Maybe as I learn more and meet more BP people, I'll find a rescue or a breeder in my area and it'll be a really good experience when the time comes. I gotta be 100 with the one I have now before I bring another one in so maybe next year sometime.
We have taken on a few special needs pets that we couldn't leave behind at the big box pet stores over the years as adoptions and not purchases. Our stunted bearded dragon is actually thriving. She'll be 7 years old soon. But I know the pet shops get a bad rep :( (the dragon is also very far away from both snakes)

The boa is on a different feeding schedule because she eats every 12-14 days now and has her own tongs/thawing bowl/food/and she (we just learned he is a she because she's huge...) came to us with her separate eating container. We quickly figured out that she's very aggressive during feedings otherwise-I dislike the movement during feedings but it's what she's used to and she's older and crankier than our other pets so she seems stuck in her ways. We typically put the feeding container down in her enclosure and let her come out on her own rather than moving her with our hands. Eats and sheds like a pro. She'll be 10 this year I believe.

Actually they didn't say the KSB is in another room, just that the snakes aren't out at the same time.

Before getting another critter read this: https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...antine-process

I agree with what was said above about expos. Some are really good and the promoters go out of their way to attract vendors who go to great lengths to provide quality animals, while others will let anyone get a table. Definitely look at the list of vendors beforehand to see who is attending and do some research on them - or even ask here - because there are some vendors who are so bad I won't even go to an expo if they are there.

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Originally Posted by bcr229

Actually they didn't say the KSB is in another room, just that the snakes aren't out at the same time...

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Originally Posted by TedBundytheSandBoa

...The sand boa is in a completely different room and they're never out at the same time :)

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Is this a test? :D :snake:

Wow. I'll definitely do my homework and ask questions before we go.

KSB is in a different room :) She lives in my teenager's room of doom as it's her pet. She takes remarkable care of the snake, actually. It's been impressive.

I just wanted to tell you guys that the baby has been left alone since eating a small rat pink last Tuesday and just had a nice snakey poo so I think we are pretty much good to go! Thanks again!

Wonderful news! :gj: Thanks for updating us.