RE: She keeps throwing up.....ahhhh

[Taxiballbreeder]

Well thought I would ask a quick question about a newer Hypo RTB I picked up a few mo. ago, I will begin by saying she has been a wonderful feeder and has never refused a meal. I have been feeding her a crawler mouse every 4 days or so since I picked her up. Like I said a wonderful feeder. Now last week she took a f/t crawler like a champ, again she fed very agressive. She finished it with no prob. then the next pm she threw it up. This has happened 2 more times since then. I feel the lower part of her may be swollen a bit (like there is a residual meal is still in her), Is this a sign of her maybe being constipated. Also a thought of poss. ingestion of some bedding, I currently use aspen for all my snakes. Any sugestions. Please help I am geeting a bit nervous about this and dont want her to lose too much weight. If it truely is constipation or ingested bedding does this resolve on its own or what should I do. Thanks to all who reply......

[PitOnTheProwl]

Give her a couple weeks without feeding to let her stomach get back on track.
Are you sure the f/ts were up to temp??
Crawler mice seem a bit small for a boa, how small is she??

[Pals BP]

I have never heard of a Colombian boa taking that small of a meal...they usually start on hoppers. Anyway, this "throwing up" is called a regurgitation (regurge) in snakes. Stop all feeding for at least a couple weeks to let her digestive track settle down. It sound like you were feeding smaller meals much too often. Make sure her hotspot is around 92, ambient temps 78-80 and humidity above 55%. You may want to try a soak in some room temp to luke warm water, this combined with keeping temps and humidity up will probably resolve a constipation problem...if that is what's going on.

After a couple weeks, try to feed the same size meal you have been. If she keeps it down, wait another two weeks and then try to feed a hopper. If all is well, feed an appropriately sized meal (leaves a small lump) no more than once a week. I always wait at least two weeks between feedings and all my boas are healthy and growing fine. However, if these steps do not fully resolve the problem, a vet check by a qualified herp veterinarian is in order.

Good luck

[Skittles1101]

I agree that crawler mice are very small, even for a boa, especially after a few months. I also agree that you should wait a few weeks to let her recuperate from the regurgitation. Usually after one regurge, you should wait 2 weeks before feeding again, but since there has been multiple I'd wait at least 3 weeks. Also, with her next defecation, I'd take the sample to a vet to have it tested for parasites. Good luck.

[Pals BP]

Sorry, double post. I was just going to edit my post to say that I feed all my young boas every two weeks, but will back off to every three once they are taking medium rats.

Again,
Good Luck

[Evenstar]

I tend to disagree that a mouse crawler is too small for a boa - it totally depends on the size/age of the boa. My baby was only 6 weeks old when we got her and she most certainly should not have been eating anything bigger than a crawler. She ate those at 1 a week for about 2 months and then we upped her meal to 2 per week. She is now 8 months old and eating 2 hoppers per week. She will go up to weanlings in January. She is thriving and getting very big.

BUT that's really neither here nor there at the moment. Sorry about that. To the OP, you should not be feeding every 4 days. Feed only once a week no matter what size prey item you are offering. Definitely wait about 2 weeks before feeding again. Boas can sometimes have a tendancy to regurge and can become chronic so we certainly want to stop this asap. Do what others have suggested: double check your temps and wait the 2 weeks, then offer 1 crawler. If she keeps that down, I would offer a crawler again once per week for the next couple weeks too. Keep her meals at the same size for awhile until she is consistantly keeping them down. Then you can safely up her to hoppers. A few more crawler-sized meals will not hurt her. Regurging again could.

This is just my .02 cents, but it's what I've been told by several very honest and reputable boa breeders and hobbyists. Good luck and keep us posted!

[Taxiballbreeder]

Sorry, double post. I was just going to edit my post to say that I feed all my young boas every two weeks, but will back off to every three once they are taking medium rats.

Again,
Good Luck

Thanks, Should have told you a weight she is really small, I would say the breeder I got her from wasn't feeding her correctly so I thought i would try some smaller meals a little more often. Also she was a bit on the dehydrated side. She is around 80 grams now and would you say that a rat pup is too big for her. Or try in a few wks. what I have fed, then work up from there over the next few feedings, Thanks again I really appriciate the help......

[Taxiballbreeder]

I tend to disagree that a mouse crawler is too small for a boa - it totally depends on the size/age of the boa. My baby was only 6 weeks old when we got her and she most certainly should not have been eating anything bigger than a crawler. She ate those at 1 a week for about 2 months and then we upped her meal to 2 per week. She is now 8 months old and eating 2 hoppers per week. She will go up to weanlings in January. She is thriving and getting very big.

BUT that's really neither here nor there at the moment. Sorry about that. To the OP, you should not be feeding every 4 days. Feed only once a week no matter what size prey item you are offering. Definitely wait about 2 weeks before feeding again. Boas can sometimes have a tendancy to regurge and can become chronic so we certainly want to stop this asap. Do what others have suggested: double check your temps and wait the 2 weeks, then offer 1 crawler. If she keeps that down, I would offer a crawler again once per week for the next couple weeks too. Keep her meals at the same size for awhile until she is consistantly keeping them down. Then you can safely up her to hoppers. A few more crawler-sized meals will not hurt her. Regurging again could.

This is just my .02 cents, but it's what I've been told by several very honest and reputable boa breeders and hobbyists. Good luck and keep us posted!

Thank you so much, I really appriciate all the help, She is about 80 grams now and then she was what I considered a bit small when I picked her up and was a bit dehidrated then also. I was thinking that a rat pup would be good soon also.

[Skittles1101]

Thanks, Should have told you a weight she is really small, I would say the breeder I got her from wasn't feeding her correctly so I thought i would try some smaller meals a little more often. Also she was a bit on the dehydrated side. She is around 80 grams now and would you say that a rat pup is too big for her. Or try in a few wks. what I have fed, then work up from there over the next few feedings, Thanks again I really appriciate the help......

I'd say at 80 grams you could at least upgrade to hopper mice (smaller meal), or adult mice (larger meal). If you prefer rats a rat fuzzie would be fine too.

[Maixx]

With any snake that has a regurge you need to wait a good couple weeks for them to heal, they can hurt muscles and the digestive fluids can burn their throats. When you start feeding again feed a smaller sized prey for the next meal, if they regurge this, then a vet trip should be the next move. There might be some under lying cause, and you shouldn't wait.