Just pretend it's chicken.... (lol plz help)

[Jenni2126]

Ok. I am still new at this. I have always wanted a snake and made sure to set up the viv before getting it and do plenty of research. I was so proud of myself last week when I thawed my first pinky and fed my snake.(I'm such a girl sometimes.) Hubby didn't think I could do it. Prooved him wrong! What I was not prepared for was the regurge the next day and now having to cut up a frozen pinky. uke01: Can someone offer me some advice on how to do this? I'm sure that I'll do it no problem, but still a little nervous about the whole thing lol. :awcrap:

 

[Maize411]

Okay well since your snake has regurged it's meal first I would say wait about five days..when heating up the next pinkie I would say not to cut it to deeply..only like less then half way through the body..just enough to open it up a bit..this will help with digestion and you should have no more regurges..if you do..I would say to try and order some nutri-bac...I think that's what it's called..not exactly sure where to find it but I do know it does work to stop repetative regurges..my snake kept regurging his meals..so I first went back to a smaller meal, also cut slits in the mouse and put a tiny bit of the nutri-bac in the slits I cut..this really helped and he hasn't regurged since...but before looking into all that..just try to cut some slits in the pinkie..make sure it's small enough so that he is not struggling to eat it..and make sure it's thoroughly warmed...best of luck to you...

Also make sure the temps in your snake's tank's warm side is good..snake's need a temp of about 84 to digest their food...so make sure your snake has the option to have that temp for digesting..also do not handle the snake after it eats..leave it alone for 48 hours at the least..

 

[akki_neko]

I'd say to wait at least 10 days, that's Kathy Love's advice. Check out the FAQ here, it has a big section specifically about regurgitation.

 

[Jenni2126]

Thanks so much for your response. She actually regurged last Sunday. I was going to wait until Monday to feed her again about 8 days from last feeding. I feed her while she was getting ready to shed so that may have been the problem. I had read to attempt to fed while she was in shed and see if she will eat. She did and regurged the next day. The day after the regurge we came home from work and there was a perfect shed in the viv. Should I just give her half a pinky or slit a whole one?

We have an UTH heater and that's where one hide is. The other is on the cool side of the tank (20 gallon). Even with the UTH the temp was not getting high enough so we have supplemented with a dark light in the evenings when it gets cooler in the house. We have it set up where it provides a little bit of heat but not the full force of the heat. I'll try and find the nutri-bac. I looked everywhere for the GSE but couldn't find any.

I do have a smaller critter keeper that I feed her in. Should I just set it down in the viv (with the door open) afer she's done eating and let her crawl out of it herself? lol I'm so new to this, but I am eager to learn. It's like having a new baby for the first time. Thanks again for the help!!!!

 

[Jenni2126]

What I really need to know is how one cuts a pinky. Do you just cut it with a knife. Do you do it when it is frozen or after it is thawed? (Goosebumps from heeby jeebies) lol

 

[tom e]

I have a special pair of scissors that I use just for that. I do it thawed. It's really not that big a deal, seems like it would be grosser than it is. Snip it at the back of the ribs, you'll see some blood cause the livers there, but if you snip lower than that you'll see the intestines and that's my least favorite view lol.
Once you do it a couple times, really it is just like chicken.
You could try it the way Nanci does, cut them in half lengthwise.. I can see where there would be more benefit that way for a regurger, more surface area without skin= easier digestion..

 

[Jevard]

it may be easier to cut thawed but its not as um..... gushy.. as it would be frozen... but for the part youll really love.. its called braining for a reason uke02: you gotta cut open the top of the skull to expose the brain to um make it more appetizing to the snake:eatpointe

 

[Jevard]

I have a special pair of scissors that I use just for that. I do it thawed. It's really not that big a deal, seems like it would be grosser than it is. Snip it at the back of the ribs, you'll see some blood cause the livers there, but if you snip lower than that you'll see the intestines and that's my least favorite view lol.
Once you do it a couple times, really it is just like chicken.
You could try it the way Nanci does, cut them in half lengthwise.. I can see where there would be more benefit that way for a regurger, more surface area without skin= easier digestion..

oh you want to cut it in half .... hell i just take a butcher knife to a frozen one...one good whack will do :devil01: haha im kidding ive never had to do that one

 

[Jevard]

We have an UTH heater and that's where one hide is. The other is on the cool side of the tank (20 gallon). Even with the UTH the temp was not getting high enough so we have supplemented with a dark light in the evenings when it gets cooler in the house. We have it set up where it provides a little bit of heat but not the full force of the heat. I'll try and find the nutri-bac. I looked everywhere for the GSE but couldn't find any.

I do have a smaller critter keeper that I feed her in. Should I just set it down in the viv (with the door open) afer she's done eating and let her crawl out of it herself? lol I'm so new to this, but I am eager to learn. It's like having a new baby for the first time. Thanks again for the help!!!!

how cold do you get it in your house at night ( in effort to penny pinch so to speak i have my thermostat for the house set 79 which is in there night time comfort zone i think if its under 75 your getting too cold

yes thats the best bet its good that your feeding outside the viv. and i would definitely recommend letting it find its way out of the keeper into the viv. i would get pissy if i was picked up after eating something whole that with all logic shouldnt even fit in my mouth whole... ask my wife she tried to once after i had a big meal :cheers::-offtopic

 

[Jenni2126]

Thank you soo much for all the advice. I think I'll start with half a pinky on Monday. :bowdown:

We've not been running the air at night because it has been getting down to 60 degrees at night. It's probably about 70-75 degrees in the house at night. I don't run the light at night all the time or ever full force into the viv. I try and gauge it by the temp in the viv.

Thank you soo much for your help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Jevard]

Thank you soo much for all the advice. I think I'll start with half a pinky on Monday. :bowdown:

We've not been running the air at night because it has been getting down to 60 degrees at night. It's probably about 70-75 degrees in the house at night. I don't run the light at night all the time or ever full force into the viv. I try and gauge it by the temp in the viv.

Thank you soo much for your help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

see thats where i luck out im in arizona and a 60 degree night is heaven to us.... so i dont have to do much for heat thermo is set to 85 when not home during day 79 when at home during the night .. as for emergancy heat spot i got a minny under tank heater and placed it (where else under the tank) and over the bedding i have a rock directly over it... did it as a trial just to see it stays a perfect 84-87 degrees on that rock .... but yes its hard to regulate the temp in your viv without spending a fortune on reptile thermostats for in the tank

 

[Nanci]

I'd feed her half a pink. If it was me, for the first two meals I'd split the pink in half lengthwise and thaw one half. You can cut it, frozen, with a cleaver or other sharp knife. Thaw wrapped in plastic wrap. It's messy. She won't care. Then I'd go to a whole very tiny pink, cut in thirds after thawing, feeding all three thirds. You can cut a thawed pink with small scissors like fingernail scissors. I'd still go ahead and order Nutribac from Kathy Love http://cornutopia.com and put that on all her meals for the next several months. I'd feed the cut in thirds pinks for a few meals, then go to cut in half, and I'd stay on cut in half till she gets to fuzzies, then go to very deeply slit, multiple times. I also would completely stop handling her in between feedings until you have at least two or three successful feedings, and I would never feed her in blue again. It may seem drastic, or overly cautious, but once you have a second regurge, a hatchling especially can really be in trouble.

 

[Jevard]

I'd feed her half a pink. If it was me, for the first two meals I'd split the pink in half lengthwise and thaw one half. You can cut it, frozen, with a cleaver or other sharp knife. Thaw wrapped in plastic wrap. It's messy. She won't care. Then I'd go to a whole very tiny pink, cut in thirds after thawing, feeding all three thirds. You can cut a thawed pink with small scissors like fingernail scissors. I'd still go ahead and order Nutribac from Kathy Love http://cornutopia.com and put that on all her meals for the next several months. I'd feed the cut in thirds pinks for a few meals, then go to cut in half, and I'd stay on cut in half till she gets to fuzzies, then go to very deeply slit, multiple times. I also would completely stop handling her in between feedings until you have at least two or three successful feedings, and I would never feed her in blue again. It may seem drastic, or overly cautious, but once you have a second regurge, a hatchling especially can really be in trouble.

see where i was joking makes sense use a cleaver ond good well placed whack

 

[Jevard]

see thats where i luck out im in arizona and a 60 degree night is heaven to us.... so i dont have to do much for heat thermo is set to 85 when not home during day 79 when at home during the night .. as for emergancy heat spot i got a minny under tank heater and placed it (where else under the tank) and over the bedding i have a rock directly over it... did it as a trial just to see it stays a perfect 84-87 degrees on that rock .... but yes its hard to regulate the temp in your viv without spending a fortune on reptile thermostats for in the tank

i must say though that my wife is pregnant so on ocaison to make her happy ive brought it down to 75 at night one of these nights was a feeding night and it was fine but i dsunno that was just the oned night it was back up the next night

 

[Widget]

Sorry about the regurge, but you've gotten your advise on that part. Better to go slow and icky then have another regurge.

I have a runt that gets 1/2 pinks. I cut them in 1/2 lengthwise while still frozen. Put one 1/2 back in the freezer for next time and thaw the other one. It's icky but not as bad as if it were an adult mouse. I was pretty worried about it when I did it the first time. Now it doesn't really bother me.

Good luck with your baby.