My bee keep on regurgitating the rat.

[ScraPPyCoCo]

Im really worried right now, my male bee keeps on regurgitating the rats. First i gave him a big meal, after few days he regurgitate it. 2nd i gave him a small meal, he still regurgitate it after a few days. Im so worried because his dropping weight so fast. His body is like hollow. Im bringing him to a vet tomorrow morning. Have you experienced this?

[JLC]

Need a lot more information in order to really help.

Here's a list of questions that would help us to help you:
http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...t-Questionaire

[ScraPPyCoCo]

1. How long have you had your ball python?

More than a year.




2. How old (or how big) is your snake?

More or less 2ft





3. Does it eat on a regular schedule?



I give him 1 juvie rat for 2 weeks



4. How long since its last meal?



3days



5. What type/size prey is being offered?

Any size, from adult to juvie





6. How often do you offer food?



Depends on the availability of rats



7. What type and size of enclosure does it live in?



Plastic bin



8. What are you using as substrate? If it has depth, how deep is it?



Newspaper



9. What type of heating do you use?



None



10. Do you use a thermostat to control temperatures?

No





11. What do you use to measure/monitor temperatures?



None



12. What are the surface and ambient temperatures in the enclosure?







13. What is the average humidity level?







14. How many and what type of hides does the snake have?



None



15. Is water readily available at all times?



Yes



16. Does the snake live alone or does it share the enclosure with anything else?



Alone



17. How often and for how long is the snake typically handled?


Once or twice in 2 weeks



18. Does the snake have any medical history (old injuries or illnesses)?

No





19. Do you have any other reptiles? Have you brought in any new reptiles recently?

Yes and no





20. Is there anything specific or unique about your situation that we should be aware of?


Lately, when i first give him the adult rat, he grabbed it immediately then ate it, after a few days he regurgitate it the after a week i offered him a juvie rat, he ate it then regurgitate it after a few days.






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[FireStorm]

1) You need to be doing something to monitor and control temps. Since you are not, it is very likely that the temperatures are part if not all of your problem. Do you have any idea what the temps are? Even just an idea of the temps in the room? The snake needs a hotspot in the 85-90F range in order to be able to digest food. Without that, he can't digest and will regurgitate (lack of heat can also cause MANY other problems - basically nothing about the snake's metabolism can work right without it). You need a heat mat, thermostat, and digital thermometer ASAP. Like, yesterday.

2) Once you get your temps right, WAIT before trying to feed. Regurgitation is really hard on the digestive system. You need to wait two weeks before trying to feed again to allow his system to recover. Otherwise you will just create a vicious cycle.

[TexanLady]

The fact you have no heat source, no thermostat, and no way to measure humidity is a little disturbing to me. I don't mind it being kept in a plastic bin (though you never said what size), but a heat source and thermostat, as well as a humidity gage are very necessary when keeping a ball python! Your snake could be regurgitating the food because he can't warm up enough to digest it fully. A well regulated and monitored enclosure is absolutely vital when keeping a ball python. Digestion is a very energy sucking process for snakes, and they need heat to do it. My advice is to stop trying to feed him, and get his enclosure setup properly. Then let him rest for a week before offering food again. Regurgitation is not good for snakes and takes a lot out of them.

Also, you mentioned how often you feed is dependent on how available rats are? That is unacceptable in my opinion. When you run out of food you go to the store and get more for yourself, and you need to do the same thing for your snake. If your local supplier has a history of running out then you need to look to other avenues or order online. Missing your snakes meal because you couldn't find it food, or didn't want to pay for an expensive feeder at the pet store is not ok. At all.

Sorry to rant a bit, but your post really disturbed me.

Also, you need a hide! Ball pythons are very private animals and will often go off feed if they don't feel secure in their environment. I would suggest stopping by the general care forums here and do some major research on how to properly care for a ball python.

[Expensive hobby]

Ya no hides, no heat, no monitoring of temp, possibly incorrect prey size, and not enough time between regurgitations are all causing some obvious issues.


I like my Dubstep to go Wop Wop Wop Wop

[TexanLady]

Also, you seem very ill prepared to own that poor guy. Getting a snake should be the absolute last step in owning one! First you buy the enclosure, then you buy the substrate, then you buy the food and water bowls, then you buy the hide, then you buy the heat source, the thermostat, the humidity gage, and then you set everything up and run it for a few days to make sure the environment is stable ... AND THEN you get your snake. To me it sounds like you bought a snake, went home, dug out a plastic bin, threw some paper towels and a bowl in there, and then plopped your snake in it and expected it to thrive. That is a big problem. This is a very expensive hobby to have, and taking on the responsibility of another living creature is not to be done lightly.

[h20hunter]

Topic related question: Shouldn't the rat or prey item be well digested by the time the OP says it is getting regurgitated?

I don't have any advice that hasn't been said by others regarding husbandry. However, my understanding is with proper heat and humidity the food should be well digested within that many days.

[fishdip]

You may want to give this snake to some one who has the correct items to take care of it. After you do some reading on this site and acquire the correct items you need then get a new one. Unfortunately YOU may be what is killing the snake.

[200xth]

First i gave him a big meal
...
Lately, when i first give him the adult rat, he grabbed it immediately then ate it, after a few days he regurgitate it the after a week i offered him a juvie rat, he ate it then regurgitate it after a few days.

You need to get a thermometer and check the temps asap.

If temps are too low, it's most likely the cause of the regurges. They will regurge food if they can't digest it properly.

If the temps are okay, you said, "First i gave him a big meal,"...how big is big? Too big of a meal can cause a regurge as well, although I believe this is usually done earlier than 3 days after eating...but who knows. Could be a combo of meal size and low temps.

If the temps are good and the meal sized properly, are you positive it's regurge and not something else like poop or urates? I've seen people mistake a particularly nasty poop for regurge. The smell is usually a very good indicator...did the smell of what you saw make you want to throw up immediately? Poop stinks like poop...it's stinky and it's unpleasant, but you can deal with it...regurge will make you want to vomit immediately.

You should really also correct some of the other environment issues. If you're willing and able to correct them, people on this site will be willing to help you do it.