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2 yr old corn regurgitating

kakabekabunny

kakabekabunny

New member
Hi everyone. I've been a browser on this site for several months & have read some very good advice on here, so I'm hoping you can help me with a concern I have with my 2 year old male corn. He has always been a poor eater (only eating once every 4 to 6 weeks) and only weighs 53 gms. In July he regurgitated a hopper and since then has regurg'd 5 times. He will only eat pinkies now but was eating hoppers back in May. I've been feeding him a pinkie every 4 days. Sometimes he eats, sometimes he refuses. I tried feeding a fuzzy cut in half on Dec 21 & today (Dec 27) he regurg'd 1/2 of the fuzzy. The temps in his viv are 87 on the warm side & 69 on the cool side. I admit I am guilty of co-hab'ing him with the female corn that we acquired at the same time, but they have always gotten along well, but now she has outgrown him by more than 200 gms & is more than a foot longer. We don't have any reptile vets where I live, so don't know what to do. Any advice is greatly appreciated.
 
Your conditions seem fine aside from the co-hab.Try splitting them up. Who knows, it could be some kind of chronic stress. It would at least remove one of the variables.
 
kakabekabunny said:
Hi everyone. I've been a browser on this site for several months & have read some very good advice on here, so I'm hoping you can help me with a concern I have with my 2 year old male corn. He has always been a poor eater (only eating once every 4 to 6 weeks) and only weighs 53 gms. In July he regurgitated a hopper and since then has regurg'd 5 times. He will only eat pinkies now but was eating hoppers back in May. I've been feeding him a pinkie every 4 days. Sometimes he eats, sometimes he refuses. I tried feeding a fuzzy cut in half on Dec 21 & today (Dec 27) he regurg'd 1/2 of the fuzzy. The temps in his viv are 87 on the warm side & 69 on the cool side. I admit I am guilty of co-hab'ing him with the female corn that we acquired at the same time, but they have always gotten along well, but now she has outgrown him by more than 200 gms & is more than a foot longer. We don't have any reptile vets where I live, so don't know what to do. Any advice is greatly appreciated.
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I think part of the problem is likely the stress of being cohabbed.
I think there's another factor involved.
I think you are offering food too often as well.

*Especially after a regurge*
The protocol for a regurge is to with hold food for 10 days to 2 weeks, then start again with really small meals, and preferably with something like NutriBAC
 
Thanks for the advice. I suspected it might be the co-hab thing because she has gotten so much bigger than him, but friends that have been in snakes longer than me said that since they have been together since they were babies, that they should be ok, but I will take your advice & separate them & see how things go.
 
kakabekabunny said:
Thanks for the advice. I suspected it might be the co-hab thing because she has gotten so much bigger than him, but friends that have been in snakes longer than me said that since they have been together since they were babies, that they should be ok, but I will take your advice & separate them & see how things go.
Click to expand...

I second the separation and regurge protocol advice.

Also when you get him in his new home I would get the temp gradient up around minimum 78 cold side to 84 max hot side.
If you haven't already, I would search this site for proper vivarium set up.
Good luck with the little guy :)
 
As others have mentioned, house separately.
What IF it turns out to be something other than a lack of "gut flora & fauna" (digestive enzymes)
- reduce risk of cross-contamination, please don't co-hab

I never touch the pinkies or any prey item. I wear disposo gloves.

Try Slitting the Pinkies

Best accomplished while they are still frozen, about 4 slits crosswise just through the skin , down the back. Allows digestive juices to penetrate the leather/skin faster into the calcium of the spine.

When using NutriBac,I dump a little in a dish, and then using the forceps,
get a hot wet pinkie, then dip just the back section into the powder.
Instant HeavyLoad of NutriBac is not a good idea. Ramp it up slowly.

I have a problem feeder male, he needs to be put in "jail" so he won't ignore the food.
Jail is a feeding tub with a lid, small enough in size so he cannot ignore the food.
Large enough so he can maneuver around and consume the prey.
If you get sidetracked your pet could asphyxiate without air holes in the jail walls.

Keep on the warm side. 82-86F for awhile.
hope your snakepal does better.
dave
 
Thanks everyone. I went today and bought Skye his own viv. He has been exploring his new home for hours. I will also follow the regurge protocol. I will have to order the Nutribac online. Any suggestions for an Ontario Canada supplier?
 
Since he has already regurged 5 times, it is possible that he is close to, or has passed, the point of no return. So I would probably just tube / syringe feed him a few times with just NB in water, and then liquid food (such as ground up ferret food in water) plus NB for at least several feedings until his gut heals from whatever is ailing him. If he is able to recover, it will be several months before he can eat normal sized food items again.

I am not sure who sells NB in Canada. Maybe check in with one of the Canadian subforums here and ask them if they have a source.

For anyone else reading this (for future reference), be sure to separate cohabbed snakes at the very first sign of a problem. Not only will separation lower stress levels in the affected snake, but it may avoid contaminating the healthy snake, if that is the problem. Also, be sure to do whatever it takes to avoid more than a couple of regurges, even if that means Nutri Bac, tube feeding liquids, a vet, or whatever is needed. Too many regurges are a death sentence.

Hope he will recover for you - good luck!
 
Thanks Kathy Have ordered nb online from theUS I live about an hour from the border, so can ship it there. I will post how things go with him.
 
Update

Thank you for the advice. Thanks to you all, Skye is doing great. No more regurg since putting him in his own viv, and with the Neutrobac I got from LathyLove, his appetite is improving and he had gained 7 gms. I am now a happy herper.
 
Nice! 5 regurges is a beast to overcome. You must have done everything perfectly.
 
So glad that the NB helped! Just remember to go easy on meal size for about 2 months or he could regurge again. After that, he is hopefully healed up inside and ready to eat normally sized meals again.

Good luck!
 
kathylove said:
Since he has already regurged 5 times, it is possible that he is close to, or has passed, the point of no return. So I would probably just tube / syringe feed him a few times with just NB in water, and then liquid food (such as ground up ferret food in water) plus NB for at least several feedings until his gut heals from whatever is ailing him. If he is able to recover, it will be several months before he can eat normal sized food items again.

I am not sure who sells NB in Canada. Maybe check in with one of the Canadian subforums here and ask them if they have a source.

For anyone else reading this (for future reference), be sure to separate cohabbed snakes at the very first sign of a problem. Not only will separation lower stress levels in the affected snake, but it may avoid contaminating the healthy snake, if that is the problem. Also, be sure to do whatever it takes to avoid more than a couple of regurges, even if that means Nutri Bac, tube feeding liquids, a vet, or whatever is needed. Too many regurges are a death sentence.

Hope he will recover for you - good luck!
Click to expand...
VERY good info here!!

I am glad you were able to get some NB from Kathy!!

For future reference, The Bean Farm (in Seattle, WA) doe ship to Canada
 
I also mail it to Canada. But the international postal rates are awful for small orders! I am surprised some Canadian reptile business doesn't order a wholesale lot to sell within Canada. I am sure the postal rates would be much more reasonable within the country.
 
Wow, congrats on such a good result. I hope he continues to do well for you.

I can't imagine the panic of going through five regurges - I still look in the tank with something akin to paranoia just in case I get one :S
 
kathylove said:
I also mail it to Canada. But the international postal rates are awful for small orders! I am surprised some Canadian reptile business doesn't order a wholesale lot to sell within Canada. I am sure the postal rates would be much more reasonable within the country.
Click to expand...
Sorry, Kathy, I misunderstood when you said you were surprised no one sold it in Canada.
 
Yay! So good to hear, and glad Kathy could help you. I am glad you were honest about the cohabbing, it probably saved his life.
 
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