Regurge!

[bhsurf4]

I’ve only kept snakes a few years, but I have 9 of them now, including 6 ball pythons. I have never had one regurgitate until this afternoon. She is a 3 year old vanilla that is deep in shed. Didn’t figure she would eat, but you can never tell with a BP. She struck, wrapped, and ate. As soon as the tail was all the way in, she stopped moving (usually they will keep moving the rat down) and laid there for a couple minutes. Then she started breathing weird and had her mouth gaped open and the rats tail starting to stick back out. She didn’t move for a couple more minutes and was looking rough, I thought I was gonna lose her. I reached in and touched her back, and after a few seconds she gave the rat back so to say. After the rat was back out she seemed perfectly fine and even crawled up out of her tank and onto my arm. I checked her out really well and put her back in. Within 2 minutes of being back in she started her shed, got it off, and is just sitting there as usual. You think it was just because of her being ready to shed? Rat was usual size, maybe even on the small side for what she can take.


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[EL-Ziggy]

Sounds like the shed had something to do with it. I'd give it two weeks and try again.

[Craiga 01453]

Yeah, definitely sounds shed related.

It also wasn't a regurge. Regurges are partially digested. If it was a regurge I'd advise waiting a few weeks to feed again. But since it was just "thrown up" and never reached her stomach there should be no issues.

[Bogertophis]

Yes, very safe to assume it was shed related. Think of it as trying to wolf down a huge holiday meal when your pants are too tight & the zipper is stuck.

From a snake's perspective: the old skin doesn't tear easily when you're inside of it, trying to expand everywhere, all at once. A real appetite-killer.

[bhsurf4]

Appreciate it. Scared the hell outta me! She looked bad before the rat came up. Laying there motionless, mouth half cocked open, head at a funny angle, weird breathing. I’ll keep an eye on her, but she looks 100% like her old self. She shed, dropped a deuce, and is laying in her hide with her head poked out like usual. I opened the top a minute ago to spot clean the shed and the present she left with it, and she came out to investigate (usually I’ll open the top and she will crawl out onto my arm if she wants to come out) I decided not to handle her though.


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[Bogertophis]

Appreciate it. Scared the hell outta me! She looked bad before the rat came up. Laying there motionless, mouth half cocked open, head at a funny angle, weird breathing. I’ll keep an eye on her, but she looks 100% like her old self. She shed, dropped a deuce, and is laying in her hide with her head poked out like usual. I opened the top a minute ago to spot clean the shed and the present she left with it, and she came out to investigate (usually I’ll open the top and she will crawl out onto my arm if she wants to come out) I decided not to handle her though.


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I'll bet it did! There's a first time for everything...now you know. Whenever you know your snake is in a shed cycle, whether at the beginning or the end, just skip the feeding for best results. Some accept food anyway, & do OK, but it's not worth the hassle. Shedding their skin takes extra hydration, & so does digestion, so many snakes will regurge their meal when just going into shed, like when it's just barely apparent & they'll eat anyway, but what happens sometimes is that after a day or so they get deeper in shed & are unable to properly digest, so back it comes, lol. I'm sure she's fine now, it's just that "her clothes were too tight". You were only a day or so too early.

[Moose84]

I’ve only kept snakes a few years, but I have 9 of them now, including 6 ball pythons. I have never had one regurgitate until this afternoon. She is a 3 year old vanilla that is deep in shed. Didn’t figure she would eat, but you can never tell with a BP. She struck, wrapped, and ate. As soon as the tail was all the way in, she stopped moving (usually they will keep moving the rat down) and laid there for a couple minutes. Then she started breathing weird and had her mouth gaped open and the rats tail starting to stick back out. She didn’t move for a couple more minutes and was looking rough, I thought I was gonna lose her. I reached in and touched her back, and after a few seconds she gave the rat back so to say. After the rat was back out she seemed perfectly fine and even crawled up out of her tank and onto my arm. I checked her out really well and put her back in. Within 2 minutes of being back in she started her shed, got it off, and is just sitting there as usual. You think it was just because of her being ready to shed? Rat was usual size, maybe even on the small side for what she can take.


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I don't mean this derogatory in any way but her spitting that rat back out is more than likely your fault. Sounds like you were hovering over the animal while she was eating and then touched her when you got concerned. Understand that a snake is most vulnerable while they are feeding and are completely without a defense mechanism.. Once they strike and wrap it is best to leave them alone. Hovering over/around them and touching them is a sure fire way for this to happen. Just some food for thought for next time. I wouldn't be worried about it. Just don't do it again.

[bhsurf4]

I don't mean this derogatory in any way but her spitting that rat back out is more than likely your fault. Sounds like you were hovering over the animal while she was eating and then touched her when you got concerned. Understand that a snake is most vulnerable while they are feeding and are completely without a defense mechanism.. Once they strike and wrap it is best to leave them alone. Hovering over/around them and touching them is a sure fire way for this to happen. Just some food for thought for next time. I wouldn't be worried about it. Just don't do it again.

You might be right that it’s my fault, but I wasn’t hovering over her. I was watching from across the room where she couldn’t see me. When it seemed that she was in distress and I honestly thought she was dead, I walked over to her tank. The rat looked to be stuck and she went from breathing funny to what seemed to be not breathing. Her head was tilted to the side with her mouth half way open and the rats tail sticking out and she wasn’t moving at all. I’ve seen snakes eat hundreds and hundreds of times and I’ve just never seen anything like this. And she had already started the process of bringing the rat back up before I went over. I decided at that point I’d rather have the rat back than a possibly dead snake. I may wait a little longer before going over next time, but it seemed like that rat was coming back up whether I was near her or not.


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[Bogertophis]

You might be right that it’s my fault, but I wasn’t hovering over her. I was watching from across the room where she couldn’t see me. When it seemed that she was in distress and I honestly thought she was dead, I walked over to her tank. The rat looked to be stuck and she went from breathing funny to what seemed to be not breathing. Her head was tilted to the side with her mouth half way open and the rats tail sticking out and she wasn’t moving at all. I’ve seen snakes eat hundreds and hundreds of times and I’ve just never seen anything like this. And she had already started the process of bringing the rat back up before I went over. I decided at that point I’d rather have the rat back than a possibly dead snake. I may wait a little longer before going over next time, but it seemed like that rat was coming back up whether I was near her or not.


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I don't think it was your doing, other than feeding a snake still in shed, oops! When you see a snake open their mouth like that, it's a "work in progress" trying to up-chuck.