Getting Discouraged

My little bloodred baby regurged again. This is the third time.

I've only had her for just over a month. She is 8 months old, but is still very small. She was eating f/t pinkies just fine for the first several feedings. A couple of weeks ago, I bumped her up to two pinkies, to try to get her transitioned to fuzzies. She took the first feeding just fine, but when I fed her two pinkies the second time, she regurged one of them. I was sure it was because of the size of the meal, because her temps are fine and I don't handle her after eating. I promptly ordered some Nutribac from Kathy Love. I waited the requisite 10 days to feed her again, and as soon as the Nutribac arrived, began putting it into her drinking water.

She seems active and normal in every other way, and even shed during the first 10 day wait. I removed her shed, checked her over and measured her. She'd grown an inch and a half since I got her. Before she started regurging, that is. Other than when she shed, I didn't bother her at all, except to change her water daily.

After 10 days, I fed her a single small pinky rolled in Nutribac. The next day, she regurged the partially digested pinky. I waited 10 more days, continued to add Nutribac to her water, and fed her just a pinky head rolled in Nutribac. Just the head left such a huge lump in her. That was yesterday. Today, she regurged the partially digested pinky head.

Tomorrow, I am going to call the vet, but I don't hold much hope that they would know anything about snakes. This is a farming community. They know dogs and cats and horses and cows. I can't imagine them knowing anything about an exotic pet. I guess I'm pretty much resigned to the idea that she will die.

I've read through the FAQ several times, but is there anything else I can be doing for her?

Sorry to hear that, Becky. It sounds like you're doing everything you can. I hope you can find a competent herp vet. I guess the fact that she is not refusing food outright can be seen as a positive thing. Before I gave up all hope, I would try a different batch of f/t, or maybe the tiniest, newest, newborn live pink I could find. I've heard people say that they had fewer regurges on live than f/t. I sure hope you can turn her around somehow. Keep us posted.

Thanks Dean.

She eats eagerly when I feed her, so I take some hope from that. She just can't keep what she eats down. She also partially digests what she eats, so maybe she's getting a little nutrition from it, as well. I'll see what the vet has to say tomorrow. One of them has an iguana and some spiny tail lizards, so I'm hoping he'll be in when I go. I figure he'll know more than the ones who are scared of snakes. I'll also try to see if I can find a live pink for her. I know the PetCo won't have them, but maybe the mom and pop pet store over in Oxford will.


I see Onyx is out and about, so I'm going to go cuddle with him for a while. Maybe that'll make me feel better.

well, not sure if this is true or not but my pet store says not to feed 2 mice at the same time? well you could try just one and see if he/she still regurges.

Thank you Cornsnakefan99, but I already did that. After the first regurge, I cut back to a single pinky and she still regurged. Then I cut back to a pinky head and she even regurged that. But I appreciate you trying to help.

BTW, it is ok to feed two mice on a temporary basis when transitioning to the next size up, which is what I was trying to do. But I wouldn't do it all the time.

She still seems active and alert, and even now is out cruising her viv. She just can't hold her meals down.

Could internal parasites be causing this?

It could, but if you're feeding f/t, it's not likely. She could have picked up a bacterial infection from her water. I'd make sure you change it daily right now. You might try putting some Grapefruit seed extract in the water too, and use the Nutribac when feeding the mouse. Check out this link and see if there is a reptile vet near you who can give you more assistance. www.anapsid.org/vets/#vetlist It lists all registered reptile vets by state. Good luck to you. Sounds like you're doing everything right. The only thing I would do, is check one more time to make sure that your warm side is not too warm or cool.

Originally Posted by cornsnakefan999

well, not sure if this is true or not but my pet store says not to feed 2 mice at the same time?

I've fed up to three adult mice to my adult cornsankes without a single regurge issue.

So I'm sure it couldn't be from that if you've attempted single and heads. My heart goes out to you, Becky. Good luck!

becky,

i'm having a similar problem with my bloodred too. when i was at the breeders on friday picking up a new hog island boa he told me that bloodreds often have problems with regurge. as a matter of fact when i said to him that my corn had regurged and i was concerned (i was asking him for a live pinkie from his stock) he immediately said, "is it a bloodred?"

i know that doesn't make it better... but perhaps it is something within them...

Well, we are back from the vet. He said she was still very healthy looking, very active, and still has good muscle tone. He didn't think it was a bacterial infection, and he checked her mouth for stomatitis and didn't find any. He questioned me thoroughly about her temps and hides and if I held her after feeding her, which gave me a bit more confidence that he might know what he is doing. He said there are some parasites that could cause regurges, so he gave her a dose of Ivermectin. I had to hold her while he gave her that because none of the vet assistants would come into the room. I said, "What are you going to do if I have to bring one of my grown ones in?", and they replied, "we're going to stand at the door and watch!"

He gave me another liquid medicine that is supposed to strengthen her digestive system and help her not to vomit. I'm supposed to inject it under the skin of her pinkies before feeding her, and hopefully she will absorb enough to do her some good.

He also put in a call to the herpetologist at the veterinary college in Jackson, but got his voice mail. He asked him to call back, and will discuss this case with him. The vet said if they come up with anything different, he'd call me and let me know.

Maybe we'll get this under control. Thanks for the help everyone.

BTW, Meg, I've been looking for grapefruit seed extract all over town since she started regurging, and haven't found any. The closest thing we have to a health food store is a GNC, and they don't have it. I'll look online next.

I have been changing her water daily, and adding Nutribac to it since she started regurging, and the warm side temps are 82-83.

Originally Posted by BeckyG

Well, we are back from the vet. He said she was still very healthy looking, very active, and still has good muscle tone...

That's good news. The vet sounds like he knows his stuff, and it's great that he's seeking answers from other qualified people too. His assessment must be reassuring to you as well. I imagine that in your situation, I would always be wondering if my own assessment was clouded by wishful thinking. Nice to have an objective professional opinion. Keep us posted.