How soon after a regurgitation can I handle my snake?

[DVirginiana]

Again I apologize if I'm sounding snippy, by no means is that intended.

Is searching out of curiosity or fear? I would have to say it depends. If the snake is frantically trying to slither away quickly, it's probably fear. If it's slowly moving around, licking the air, periscoping, an occasional yawn, it's probably just cruising it's new surroundings. Correct me if I'm wrong.

Thanks for the the science!


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I'm not 100% sure on that. With a high-metabolism snake like my garters, I'd say the searching behavior is less an indicator of stress than with the BP since they spend more time in the wild out and about. I also think social behavior is a bit more advanced with them since they are one of the only species that seem to actually calm down with cagemates; they will actually follow me around (inside their tanks) to beg for food.
With the BP I tend to see the searching as more out of stress since she'd be spending all her time under a rock basically in the wild. Plus, they're solitary except for breeding.

I don't know with 100% confidence that those are the exact motivations behind the behaviors, but it's a pretty good educated guess.

[LivingwithBalls]

In species such as the dog, yawning is actually a sign of anxiety and/conflicting emotion/reasoning. Not including the wake up from a nap yawn of course.

Yes, t were talking snakes


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[LivingwithBalls]

I'm not 100% sure on that. With a high-metabolism snake like my garters, I'd say the searching behavior is less an indicator of stress than with the BP since they spend more time in the wild out and about. I also think social behavior is a bit more advanced with them since they are one of the only species that seem to actually calm down with cagemates; they will actually follow me around (inside their tanks) to beg for food.
With the BP I tend to see the searching as more out of stress since she'd be spending all her time under a rock basically in the wild. Plus, they're solitary except for breeding.

I don't know with 100% confidence that those are the exact motivations behind the behaviors, but it's a pretty good educated guess.

Yeah, we can't really know for sure, it really bothers me lol. Sometimes I go to handle him,and he is just not impressed. Other times he wraps around my hand and will stay that way. He lets me know when he's had enough, and I respect that and will put him away.


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[The Snakery]

Yes, t were talking snakes


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Not the point but I suppose being intentionally obtuse is your thing.

Again, good luck with your BP. Hopefully you find someone to give you the answers you want.

[LivingwithBalls]

Not the point but I suppose being intentionally obtuse is your thing.

Again, good luck with your BP. Hopefully you find someone to give you the answers you want.

Oh what was your point? And thanks


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[Skiploder]

Ok, Here's a few knowledgeable websites I like to use and I will get more for you in a bit:
Strictlyballs.ca
Reptileknowledge.com
Anaspid.org


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Anapsid?

No.

A couple of things:

Regurging is different than vomiting. Vomiting involves digestion, regurgitation does not. This is an important distinction when trying to diagnose what is wrong with your snake. A regurge is a less traumatic event.

Regurges are often caused by the snake reacting to a stressful situation....ie: a snake divesting itself of a recently consumed meal if a fight or flight instinct is triggered.

Vomiting happens when the prey is undergoing digestion...maybe a day or so into the process. The causes of this may be varied - from actual illness to improper husbandry practices. The biological imperatives of regurging and vomiting are vastly different. Regurges are of little physical consequence to the snake and provide an advantage when dealing with fight or flight situations. Vomiting is a physically traumatic event and is triggered by the inability to physically digest a meal... either because of reduced biological function or a physical issue with the animal.

As for the meal being too large....I don't think so. Balls can consume some very large prey with respect to the percentage of their body weight. It is a common misconception with a grain of truth that you can feed them too large a meal to digest. Balls can and sometimes do ingest meals that they cannot digest, but the meal you described was about 19% of his body weight...well within his wheel house.

What's wrong with your snake? I don't know. Add some Benebac to his water, wait at least two weeks and try feeding him a prey item that is about 8 to 10 percent of his body weight. Keep his stress levels low and make sure your husbandry parameters are spot on. If he cannot handle the next meal, then there are a whole host of issues that could cause it. A qualified reptile vet should be consulted at that point.

[200xth]

I know the cause, it was just too big

No, it wasn't.

I fed my 74 gram male ball python a 14 gram hopper mouse.

That is well within normal limits. I've fed a 20g mouse to a 69g snake once and it took it fine. You probably should look to other reasons besides size of food for the regurge.

[bcr229]

Add some Benebac to his water, wait at least two weeks and try feeding him a prey item that is about 8 to 10 percent of his body weight. Keep his stress levels low and make sure your husbandry parameters are spot on. If he cannot handle the next meal, then there are a whole host of issues that could cause it. A qualified reptile vet should be consulted at that point.

BeneBAC/NutriBAC: http://beanfarm.com/product_info.php...oducts_id=5933

It's supposed to be added to the water but I'll dust a bit on a damp feeder as well. It's a probiotic that helps reptiles replenish their gut flora after a regurge.

[LivingwithBalls]

BeneBAC/NutriBAC: http://beanfarm.com/product_info.php...oducts_id=5933

It's supposed to be added to the water but I'll dust a bit on a damp feeder as well. It's a probiotic that helps reptiles replenish their gut flora after a regurge.

Thanks I will look into it.


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