I need help :(

[JeffJ]

my baby boa is going on week 2 of regurges.

Ive had a fecal done and there is no parasites or anything els that the vet can see that would explain this behavior. She is a captive bread, i thought the was WC but i was incorrect.

Her warm side is 92*f, cool is 82*f and the ambient temp is 80*f. Humidity is 50%

these are all temperatures taken with accu-temp Digital gauges and a Thermal Gun.

Ive inspected her for mites she seems ok, i must have done this at leats 10 times, only because she is soaking her self.

the background on this issue is this:

I picked her up from the pet store, where she was fed after she arrived from shipping. she took fine. and pooped fine. (Arrival to pickup = 2 days)

1st feeding went fine or so i though, she ate it. like a champ. went into her warm hide and stayed there. the following day i came home to observe her soaking in her water dish. i didn't bother her and a few hours later was surprised with a regurge. So i decided to take a fecal in for testing and left her be.

second feeding time comes around. (5 days later) and she takes this fuzzie no contest. she was cruzing and appeared very hungry and took it very quickly. Same thing after. she retreated to her warm hide for the rest of the evening. then when i came home from work she was AGAIN soaking in her water dish which was followed promptly this time with a regurge.

so here i stand. 2 regurges, she is still drinking, and im getting worried. some how the soaking is related but im not sure what the issue is. she has pooped fine so she is not impacted. no parasites or bacterial infections that the vet can tell. and im 99% sure being captive bread she does not have IBD although she is being quarantined to be sure. she has not exhibited any signs of it.

she is in a rack. its closed off on 3 sides, and is in my bed room so low traffic. so im at a loss if this is stress related.

thanks for looking, please help

[Spaniard]

Not sure if its the case in boas but with bps its recommended you wait 2 weeks after a regurge before offering food again. This gives the snake time to build up all its digestive fun stuff (enzymes, electrolytes, etc.) so that your next offering hopefully goes better.

[JeffJ]

that pretty much applies to all snakes. i was hoping that she would eat it fine this time. but i will have to wait longer now. because im sure after 2 regurges she has no enzymes left.

im just worried about her because she is a hatchling and will not last long if she cannot start keeping things down.

[Kristy]

Is there any chance that the rodents you are feeding her are a little bit too big for her?

I had a male boa, he would eat like there was no tomorrow. I had him on weanling rats and thought maybe it was time to move up. Now the difference between the weanling rats, and the small/small rats I was feeding was not much more than a few grams. However it was too much for him to handle. He'd soak then regurge the small rats.

I was in the same situation, vet check/fecal all that stuff was perfect.

So on a hunch and at my wits end, I gave him 3 weeks to heal from regurging and went back to weanling rats. Never had a problem again. I just waited another 6 months to change to small rats , and he did fine.

Like I said it wasn't a huge difference in size, but just enough to make him regurge.

So I would maybe give her two weeks to heal. Then try a smaller prey item and see how she does.

[JeffJ]

Is there any chance that the rodents you are feeding her are a little bit too big for her?

I had a male boa, he would eat like there was no tomorrow. I had him on weanling rats and thought maybe it was time to move up. Now the difference between the weanling rats, and the small/small rats I was feeding was not much more than a few grams. However it was too much for him to handle. He'd soak then regurge the small rats.

I was in the same situation, vet check/fecal all that stuff was perfect.

So on a hunch and at my wits end, I gave him 3 weeks to heal from regurging and went back to weanling rats. Never had a problem again. I just waited another 6 months to change to small rats , and he did fine.

Like I said it wasn't a huge difference in size, but just enough to make him regurge.

So I would maybe give her two weeks to heal. Then try a smaller prey item and see how she does.

im feeding a single fuzzie. however i had thought this as well. maybe its a tad to large (even though it does not appear to be) so i am going to try pinky mice in 10 days to see if i can get her back on a feeding (i pray it works) i don't want to loose her!!

ive thought it may be stress too but. she uses her hides daily. and i ONLY see her soaking when she is preparing to regurge on me

[Spaniard]

Well soaking after a meal usually means that they are trying to relieve some of the pressure in their stomach. Considering she's soaked every time before regurging it may be the prey size after all. Good luck with the smaller prey item! Keep us updated.

[JeffJ]

i will keep you all updated.

now i feel bad because this is my fault

[dr del]

Hi,

I'm not a boa guy at all but I have a question.

Would replacing her waterbowl with one she cannot fit in be a good idea?


dr del

[JeffJ]

Hi,

I'm not a boa guy at all but I have a question.

Would replacing her waterbowl with one she cannot fit in be a good idea?


dr del

well i didn't think she could cram her self in this one but she did the next size down is like hamster size.

i have a small bearded dragon sized water bowl in there.

but i do have smaller dishes i can offer and you best believe that i will be switching them out.

[JimiSnakes]

You need this stuff--
NutriBAC df

Wait 2 weeks after feeding last. Take the smallest possible size prey you think she'll eat and coat it with this stuff (it's a powder form). Wait two weeks and do it again. You should be all set after that.

Just remember when feeding her, it's not about the meal anymore. It's just about getting something inside her to nuetralize those stomach acids and bring her back to stability.