Help! Regurg Problem.(New Owner)

[bildo69]

I am brand new to corn snakes and reptiles as a whole and I am doing this to further my knowledge in the area in order to become a better owner. So please keep the non-constructive comments to a minimal.

here is the run down:

I purchased my corn snake from petco about 3 weeks ago. here is a schedule of feedings, regurges etc...

Feb. 1 -- Purchased from Petco
Feb. 2 --
Feb. 3 --
Feb. 4 --
Feb. 5 --
Feb. 6 --
Feb. 7 --
Feb. 8 --Fed 1 pinkie
Feb. 9 --
Feb. 10 --Fed 1 Pinkie
Feb. 11 --(regurg)(handled snake too soon)(realize I fed too soon as well)
Feb. 12 --
Feb. 13 --
Feb. 14 --
Feb. 15 --
Feb. 16 --Fed 1 Pinkie
Feb. 17 --(regurg)
Feb. 18 --
Feb. 19 -- Tried another feeding but was rejected, (also used seperate container to feed as well)
Feb. 20 --
Feb. 21 --
Feb. 22 --


When I purchased my corn snake at petco I asked how often they had fed him and they told me twice a week so originally my plan was to sick to their feeding plan. As you can see that did not work out so well. After asking around to the other pet stores I now have decided to go with once a week at most, maybe even every other week.

Having a 7 month old in the house i was told to help with agressiveness to handle the snake as much as possible and to feed in a seperate container.

I know realize not to handle the snake at least 48 hours after feeding.

current set up is......

tank: ten gallon
Substrate: Exxo Terro Jungle Earth
Have a hide away on one side of tank as well as water dish on the other.
Heating pad underneath side with hide away
Also have heating lamp with 50w infared bulb for cold winter nights.

temp is anywhere from 80-90
Humidity is around 30 percent with light misting everyday on tank sides

Please let me know what I should do from here or whats going on. And any advice from some experienced members to a new owner would be much appreciated.

[beautifullywild77]

First, you need some nutribac and search on here for the regurge protocal. Follow that to a T.
Was the snake in blue or going in blue? He might of regurged the first time because there wasnt enough days between feeding. The second on might of been a cause from the first but you never know.

all a corn snake needs in belly heat. The heat lamp might be getting the viv too hot which could cause a regurge as well. Temps on hot side should be 80- 85 max and on the cold side 70-75. How are you measuring heat? The best way is to get a digital thermometer and have the probe directly on the UTH. Also you will need a thermostat for the UTH so that it wont get to hot and burn your snake.

[bitsy]

This is the FAQ with the detailed Regurge Protocol about a third of the way down:

http://www.cornsnakes.com/forums/showthread.php?t=28342

I agree that temps might need looking at as a regurge risk. 90 is a danger point for Corns. If the temp is staying at 90 for any length of time and they have no way of escaping it, they risk neurological damage. Corns are pretty bombproof when it comes to their ideal temp range, but they seem more sensitive to overheating than underheating.

[bildo69]

This is the FAQ with the detailed Regurge Protocol about a third of the way down:

http://www.cornsnakes.com/forums/showthread.php?t=28342

I agree that temps might need looking at as a regurge risk. 90 is a danger point for Corns. If the temp is staying at 90 for any length of time and they have no way of escaping it, they risk neurological damage. Corns are pretty bombproof when it comes to their ideal temp range, but they seem more sensitive to overheating than underheating.

i have stopped using the heat lamp and now only use the heating pad and the temps seems to be staying around 80-85. as far as what i should do at the moment though....when should i try to feed him next?

[bitsy]

A ten day wait is usually what we advise. Read through the FAQ that I linked to above - it'll tell you all you need to know.

[bildo69]

A ten day wait is usually what we advise. Read through the FAQ that I linked to above - it'll tell you all you need to know.

and as far as using a seperate container for feeding... should i just continue to feed inside its living tank while i gets its eating cycle back on track or should i use a different form of container and if so....what kindof containerwould you suggest and should i put substrate in it?

[Lyion]

It's important to do full research on any animal before taking them into your home, especially with reptiles. If you plan on getting more reptiles, I suggest you buy a few books and read through them before buy :). Be an expert before you buy!

Also, I think I know a useful site for you! It's called Iherp.com. You can upload pics and most importantly, it has a section where you record and track the care of them. http://www.iherp.com/HerpTrack/Tracking/Default.aspx?AnimalID=80199 To show you what the tracking looks like.

By the way, it's important weigh your little guy in grams before each feed! It's important to know growth rate, as my weekly weigh ins suggest


lLastly after the ten day wait start off with pink heads. Snakes don't have much digestive acid after a regurge. After two feeds or so move to half pinks and then to whole pinks.

[bitsy]

and as far as using a seperate container for feeding... should i just continue to feed inside its living tank while i gets its eating cycle back on track
I'd stick to what the snake's been used to, as it's eating readily.

or should i use a different form of container and if so....what kindof containerwould you suggest and should i put substrate in it?
It's up to you. There seems to be about a 50/50 split here between folks who feed in the living quarters and those who feed in a separate container. There are pros and cons to each. Personally, I feed in a separate container.

With a hatchling, I'd feed in the tub that it arrived in (as long as it's escape-proof). Failing that, any kind of plastic sandwich-type box, with air holes punched in it. If you choose to do that, then don't put substrate in it. One of the benefits of a separate container is that you don't have the risk of them accidentally swallowing whatever you're using as a substrate.

[bildo69]

It's important to do full research on any animal before taking them into your home, especially with reptiles. If you plan on getting more reptiles, I suggest you buy a few books and read through them before buy :). Be an expert before you buy!

Also, I think I know a useful site for you! It's called Iherp.com. You can upload pics and most importantly, it has a section where you record and track the care of them. http://www.iherp.com/HerpTrack/Tracking/Default.aspx?AnimalID=80199 To show you what the tracking looks like.

By the way, it's important weigh your little guy in grams before each feed! It's important to know growth rate, as my weekly weigh ins suggest


lLastly after the ten day wait start off with pink heads. Snakes don't have much digestive acid after a regurge. After two feeds or so move to half pinks and then to whole pinks.

I actually purchased a daily planner/calendar which I keep in the closet that i have converted into the room for my corn snake. I use it for daily updates and feedings which is why i had its feeding dates so readily available I did not think to record its weight every week before feeding to measure its progress/growth by weight, thank you for the idea. I will definitely use my digi to check its weight every week.

[bildo69]

so the current plan is going to be.....
-- wait ten days from the last regurge
-- thaw out pinkie
-- cut off head to use for feeding
-- sprinkle some nutribac on it to help the digestion

side tasks:

--purchase better thermometer(one with probe)
--weigh out snake every week before feeding

let me know what ya think..........

[Lyion]

Seems good to me!

[AliCat37]

Is your heat mat on a thermostat? If not it's most likely still running too hot, despite the 85 reading.

[beautifullywild77]

so the current plan is going to be.....
-- wait ten days from the last regurge
-- thaw out pinkie
-- cut off head to use for feeding
-- sprinkle some nutribac on it to help the digestion

side tasks:

--purchase better thermometer(one with probe)
--weigh out snake every week before feeding

let me know what ya think..........

Sounds good! Just fyi, its easier to cut the head off the pink when still frozen.

[beautifullywild77]

Oh, I dont weigh my snakes before each feeding I do it atleast once a month, even the ones that have regurged.

[Outcast]

Is your heat mat on a thermostat? If not it's most likely still running too hot, despite the 85 reading.

I have to second this question... I thought my heat mat was at 85 for a long time and then got a probe thermometer, I soon found out that it was actually 135.

[bildo69]

I have to second this question... I thought my heat mat was at 85 for a long time and then got a probe thermometer, I soon found out that it was actually 135.

now does the subtrate reduce this temp by the time the heat gets to the actual snake? or did your 135 degree temp come right from the substrate because i believe there is a recommended amount of thickness for the substrate to do just this. But once again i am new and im not sure on the matter, just curious

[bildo69]

Sounds good! Just fyi, its easier to cut the head off the pink when still frozen.

thanks for the advice, everything helps

[Outcast]

now does the subtrate reduce this temp by the time the heat gets to the actual snake? or did your 135 degree temp come right from the substrate because i believe there is a recommended amount of thickness for the substrate to do just this. But once again i am new and im not sure on the matter, just curious

Substrate does not matter, your snake will burrow down to the bottom of the tank, that is where your thermometer should be anyways. You need the temp of the glass directly above the heat mat. I am sure that there is a recommended depth of substrate, but the simple fact is that the heat of the glass is what you need to be worried about. Not the top of the substrate.

[AliCat37]

Just like Outcast said, no amount of substrate will matter. Corns are burrowers, so the glass temp is all that matters.

I would just like to add that I've never weighed my snakes except for maybe once a year? *maybe* once a year. The only time I'll be concerned about weights is before breeding season.

[bildo69]

so yesturday i tried feeding my snake a pinkie head, i heated up a cup of water and dethawed my pinkie(in plastic bag) and he would not take it. i also tried feeding him again today with dethawing the pinkie using my heat lamp. still nothing he doesnt even seem to be interested in it.

WHAT IS GOING ON?!?!

[beautifullywild77]

His stomach might still be upset.

[AliCat37]

You never answered the question of if your heat mat is on a thermostat.

As for not eating, did you get nutribac to treat him? He should have had a few days of nutribac in the water before offering him food.

[bildo69]

You never answered the question of if your heat mat is on a thermostat.

As for not eating, did you get nutribac to treat him? He should have had a few days of nutribac in the water before offering him food.

i have not gotten ahold of any nurtibac yet, its currently shipping to my house but there was none in the area stores. i did however buy another two thermostats. one with a probe and one to "point and click" so to speak. andyes the heating mat was tooo hot, from the probe thermostat the heating pad read over 90 so i immediately unplugged the heating mat and now the whole tank seems to be between 80-85 tops mostly averaging around 83.5. this was discoverered yesturday and i tried to feed a pinkie today and same thing, wont even look at it, even seems to try and ignore it. But my snake is starting to get thin and its worrying me immensely

[bitsy]

Ah. You've bought thermometers rather than thermostats. It's good that you now know the right temperature (you're measuring the floor temperature, right?), but you need a thermoSTAT to control the heat source.

There's now no heat gradient in the tank, which your snake needs in order to digest properly. It's called thermoregulation and is the most basic requirement of most reptiles.

One third of the tank floor needs to be in the mid-80s constantly and the other end needs to be in the low-mid 70s.

Whatever you're now using to heat the tank, needs to be moved to one end of the tank, and then controlled with a thermostat to make sure that the temps stay constant.

If the temps are wrong, too hot OR too cold, then this can put the snake off eating. It's probably only part of the problem now, but it's the most basic one to get right before you go to the next step.

[kathylove]

After multiple regurges, your snake may already be past the point of wanting to eat. As soon as the Nutri Bac arrives, I would suggest a heavy dose via syringe or eyedropper. Put as much of the powder into 1 cc of water (for a baby corn) as you can, while still keeping it liquid. Then hold the snake upright and gently give the 1cc of liquid. Continue to hold upright for a minute or so. Repeat every 2 or 3 days for a total of 3 times. Then try another pink head. If he still doesn't eat, you should repeat the 3 doses of NB every 2 or 3 days, but use some egg yolk or ground up ferret food in the syringe to provide a little nutrition to get the digestive juices working again.

Some people don't feel comfortable using the feeding syringe or eyedropper, and put it in the water instead. But the water will go bad in 24 hours once NB is added, and will have to be replaced. And you have no way to know how much NB was ingested during that 24 hours - and it is very wasteful. But it is better than nothing, and might save your snake.

Good luck!

[Lady Serpentus]

I agree with what everyone has advised.temps need to be controlled.you also need to give your snake time to digest and get used to its new home. Also before buying any animal,you should do alot of research.:dgrin:

[bildo69]

Hey guys sorry for the late update, classes have been a little chaotic. the nutribac worked great i had him on it for about a week and he is now eating pinkies just fine and seems to be regaining most of the weight he had lost during this whole situation.

I also have a thermostat set up now to control the temp in the tank i also switched substrates which seemed to help. He now is able to burrow into the substrate quite easily and go everywhere in the tank. This morning however my heat lamp started making buzzing noises when it switches on and off and also flickers. this is the second week i have had a thermostat hooked up to the lamp and i have had no problems so far and i am just wondering what is going on with the combo?

[bildo69]

EDIT:

It seems to be the thermostat that is def making the loud buzzing noises when it goes to switch on the heat lamp. I can hear it from the across the house. Is there any way to fix this problem?

[bitsy]

Sorry you're having so much trouble. I promise this gets easier once the setup is sorted!

Could you tell us what make and model of thermostat you're using? Maybe someone else has experienced this.

[Naagas]

I noticed this with a cheaper thermostat (I think the ZooMed brand).

How about just not using the lamp? You have an under tank heater, right?

I fixed the buzzing by only plugging one thing into that thermostat. I think it just isn't rated high enough for multiple devices to be plugged in. Or some lamps.

You could get a separate thermostat for your lamp if you really want to use it... Even though it isn't needed.