My new cornsnake vomited

[Otacon13]

Hello.

I recently just got my first pet snake about 2 months ago. He was about 18 inches long at that time(not sure how much he weighed, or even weighs now). For the first 6 weeks I had him I fed him fuzzies, like the seller suggested. After I think was a combination of a new home and handling a bit much he had a rough first shed. For the past several weeks he has been eating small mice, ever since the fuzzies were going down very quickly and not leaving a lump in him. Anyway, last Wednesday he shed again and it was PERFECT. That was first thing in the morning, that evening I fed him. I let him sit his usual two days before handling him. Ever since he has been acting kind of sketchy, uncomfortable. Yesterday I handled him for maybe 10 minutes and after being put back he vomited a half digested mouse. The half digested part confuses me because he was supposed to eat again Tuesday(I feed him every 6 days). The only causes I can think of after researching are too big of meals too often, water not being changed often enough(I add to it when it and replace about once a week), too much handling(which hasn't been as issue in the past and I've actually cut back), or he is actually sick.

Any advice is much appreciated. I thought I was being a good pet parent, but now I'm worried.

[Otacon13]

Also I feel that maybe he is feeling he is exposed. He has two identical hides on each side that are good sized, but the opening are a bit small for when he has just eaten, so he hangs out in the middle under his big log.

[jagodzinski]

Hi Otacon13 and welcome to the forum! For regurges, we have a really good resource written by a very experienced member.LINK (http://www.cornsnakes.com/forums/showthread.php?t=28342)

I have no experience with regurges so I can't really offer too much assistance other than providing you information you can get already from the post I linked you to.

One tip would be to change the water more often. I change every other day and I don't just dump and refill, I clean out the bowl and rinse extremely well.

Do you have a UTH? Ideally your snake should be resting over that part of the tank after eating as the belly heat aids digestion. I know my snake goes right to her warm hide after eating. I would definitely make sure he has access to his warm side hide after eating.

I hope everything is okay with your snakey :)

[sian.kelly]

You should try and weigh him to make sure he's eating the correct size of mice - weigh the mice as well. A lot of people use a modified version of The Munson Feeding - I say modified as it's very aggressive so people are more conservative when feeding. There's a great thread called 'thoughts on the Munson Feeding Plan' that you should read. It also tells you how often to feed. Every six days seems a bit much for small mice, I feed my guy 10 - 15g mice once a week. As prey size increased, the length of time between feeding should increase [emoji4]

For now, leave him totally along for at least ten days to two weeks. No feeding or handling, just make sure he has clean water every day. Check that the temperatures on the hot and cold side are correct as well. Maybe you should look into bigger hides if that's the case? They do like to feel secure! Hope this helps a bit [emoji4]


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[Otacon13]

Thanks so much! I mostly needed confirmation from someone who knows more than I. Considering the average scale doesn't go by grams, what's the best way to weigh them?

Would it be wise to feed him a fuzzy next time around?

[sian.kelly]

I can't help much with scales since I'm UK based, all the ones over here work on a gram scale.

Yeah, feed a smaller meal for the first couple times before moving it up, just to make sure he's doing okay [emoji4]


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[Otacon13]

Thank you.

[Karl_Mcknight]

actually there are a lot of scales that go by grams. Target and Walmart sell kitchen scales that weigh in grams. For reference, 1 oz is 28 grams. I have a pretty nice scale I got at Target for 30 bucks. It's digital and will weigh in ounces or grams.

Also, the heat in the tank is important. If your tank is too hot or cold the snake can not properly digest his food.

You should have an "Under Tank Heater" with a thermostat or rheostat hooked up to it. The temperature directly on the glass over the heater should be 85 degrees.

[Otacon13]

I'll weigh him ASAP then. I think I have a food scale at the house. I have an under tank heater, but as my tank bottom is metal I have it setting a few inches below it. It does stay around 85 though. That being said I put a bit thicker layer of substrate down this time and maybe that it making it cooler.

[Karl_Mcknight]

the thickness of the substrate does not matter. The snake can and will burrow in the substrate. He will go to where he is most comfortable. The temperature on the bottom of your tank right over the heat pad should be about 85 degrees regardless of the thickness of the substrate.

You stated: "..... Also I feel that maybe he is feeling he is exposed. He has two identical hides on each side that are good sized, but the opening are a bit small for when he has just eaten, so he hangs out in the middle under his big log....."

Something is wrong here. He's obviously not comfortable on the "Hot Side." And if the Openings in the hides are too small for him to enter, then make them bigger for him.

[Otacon13]

The hides are little mini tree stumps made from stone. Here is a picture.

http://www.petco.com/assets/product_images/8/810695014240C.jpg

Would it be smart to file out the openings?

[jagodzinski]

You could try that. While you want the hides to be secure, you definitely want them to have enough room to get in and out easily.

If you do file, make sure the edges are very smooth when you are done and also wash them well after.

[Otacon13]

I'm also just thinking of buying a new one for the warm side as well. Considering I have a while before I can feed him again.

[Jessicat]

It sounds like he was handled a little too soon after eating and hadn't fully digested his meal yet. The stress probably caused the regurge. It takes snakes awhile to digest.

I usually wait until I see poop to handle my snakes. It's good for more reasons than one.. I've been pooped on a few times when I handled too soon! :toiletgra

I agree with all of the suggestions to leave your snake alone for 10+ days. You do NOT want to offer a meal too soon after a regurge. The snake needs time to regenerate its stomach lining.

Here's a link to a great product.. Nutribac that helps restore the probiotics in a snake's stomach lining and lessens the chance of a second regurge. I highly recommend it.
http://www.mzrproducts.com/#!