Regurge questions...???

[visceralrepulsion]

I've been reading up on regurges to prepare myself if it ever happens, and to prevent one if at all possible. I've read Kathy Love's regurge procedure, and saved it to my computer. I also read about different things that can cause a regurge like not following the 48 hour no handling rule after feeding, fluctuating temperatures, a shed coming on, and even a cooked pinkie. I had no clue you could actually cause a regurge by overheating a pinkie to the point its cooked. So now I'm even more curious....what are some other things that can cause a regurge? Any good ways to prevent one besides avoiding the listed above? How do you thoroughly and properly thaw a pinkie without cooking it, and how do you tell if it's heated to the point of being cooked? Thanks to anyone that can offer their input and experience.

[Dracoluna]

Kind of the rule of thumb I follow is anything that can stress a snake out (mentally or physically) can cause a regurge. On that note, however, there are some snakes that never have an issue despite handling, shedding, heat malfunctioning, etc. It is very dependent on the snake. Babies, I'm much more careful with than my 2 adults because I don't know how they may react to certain stressful situations. I do feed when they are in shed and if they eat, then I will keep doing it. Some snakes won't touch food while in shed and that's fine too. You just need to get to know your snake. Babies don't get handled for 48 hours after feeding. My adults have been handled by a class full of 1st graders before, during, and after eating and didn't care. Get to know your snake, what bothers it, what doesn't and if a regurge occurs, look back to see what may have been the trigger so you know for next time.
As for thawing, I use room temperature water in a glass to thaw the pinkies and then hold them under hot tap water once they have thawed out so that they are warm for the snakes. This way, they aren't being boiled but I don't have to wait all day for them to thaw either. If it gets cooked, it will be firmer. Think about pork and the difference between raw and cooked. A cooked pinky will also be whiter in color.

[ghosthousecorns]

I don't see "giving the snake a bigger food item than it is ready for" on the list, there. I would say feeding too frequently / too big of a food item is a common cause for regurges.
In trying to grow a snake up because it is a newer morph or something, an eager novice breeder may be aiming to get a smaller snake to breeding size and overdo it. In an unspoken way I have seen almost an expectation for a higher end snake to be ready to breed in 2 years. Growing them up too fast...

[beautifullywild77]

My Piglet regurged for the first time ever today... Always been a great eater.. Freaked me out. Come to find out he is about to shed. Unfortunatly its hard to tell when his eyes are cloudy. I felt so horrible... so I will follow the tips on here as what to do after a regure!

[bitsy]

I'm with Jen - the only regurges I've had, have been after the first feed of a larger mouse.

After the recommended recovery time/process, I go back to the smaller item for at least two months before trying again.

[Nanci]

I've never heard of a regurge being due to a cooked pinkie, and I'm sure I've fed lots of pretty well-done ones before!

Snake in blue but you can't tell yet is the number one reason I get regurges. Mostly with hatchlings. I don't know why, but I wonder if, because the snake is blue, it has been inactive, and the previous meal hasn't moved through, so there is less room for the new meal. I don't know, I just know it is a common cause and I don't feed when I know a snake is blue.

Second is an increase to a prey size that is too large, for me. Again, with hatchlings. Sometimes I don't have exactly the perfect size of pinks, and feed one that is just a bit too big (not even more than 1.5 times the snake's diameter- just maybe right at that size!).

Then there would be handling or improper temps, but that isn't really a problem for me.

[visceralrepulsion]

good points all. i shouldve mentioned the feeding too large of prey up there, but i forgot that one. thats something ive discussed with others since i have a yearling who's went through a few different prey now. thanks for the input so far!

[beautifullywild77]

You know, I did get a slightly larger fuzzy to feed him. It wasnt too much bigger than normal and still within the 1.5 body size! Ugh, I was devastated. I will follow the regurge menu for the next couple of months and supply him with fresh water every day.