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

[TedBundytheSandBoa]

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☹️

[Bogertophis]

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.

[nikkubus]

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.

[TedBundytheSandBoa]

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.

[Bogertophis]

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.

[nikkubus]

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

[Bogertophis]

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

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

[TedBundytheSandBoa]

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

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

Thanks, again!

[bcr229]

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?

[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