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Regurge - Temp Issue?????

S

ssmith_1187

In the land of Cheeeeeese
I’ve searched the FAQ and will certainly try what it recommends. I am just wondering if it’s a temperature issue and how best to deal with it. Needless to say I’m getting a little concerned.

I had my first regurge either late last night (12/10) or early this morning (12/11).

I got my Okeetee corn on Wednesday, November 29th. I waited until the afternoon of Saturday, December 2nd to feed him a pinkie (1.48 grams), he was not interested. On Sunday, December 3rd I put him in his shipping cup and left him there overnight with another pinkie (1.51 grams) on Monday morning the pinkie was still there.

I waited until last Thursday (12/7) at about 5:00pm in the afternoon to feed him again, I did not slit the mouse but he quickly took it tail first.

The temperature of the glass under the substrate on the warm side is 85 degree.

I keep a 25 watt white incandescent light on during the day from 6:00am until 6:00pm which gives me an ambient air temperature in his viv of about 71 degrees. I know the ambient air temperature cools (66 degrees) at night though.

Would you recommend running the white light from 6:00am until 6:00pm and then having a red light go from 6:00pm until 6:00am just to keep the ambient air temperature higher?

FYI……at no point have I handled him other than for his feedings.

Any ideas?

Regards,
Steve
 
sorry i cant really help you with this, but if i remember correctly there was someone else on these forums that had a problem like this, and the problem was the snake couldnt digest it correctly or something when it took it tail first. the fix was make sure your snake takes the mouse head first. thats the only real advice i can offer.


imo, its easier to leave a red heat lamp on 24/7 and let the snake get indirect, natural light from windows/such. which is also easier, and more presice when breeding comes along.
 
I just have UTH at ~83-85 in all five vivs, with no supplemental heat or light. The ambient temp in the house is 78-80 on a warm sunny day, 70 on a cold day, and we don't let it get below 65F at night (for the snakes). Everyone varies about whether they prefer to digest on the warm side or cool side- most stick to cool, most of the time.

There was just another thread about a new snake who regurged after spending four days? on the cool side 70F, (Regurgitation Problem) in which Meg stated her snakes digest on the cool side quite often, with temps in the upper 60s.

Nanci
 
grdn1014 said:
sorry i cant really help you with this, but if i remember correctly there was someone else on these forums that had a problem like this, and the problem was the snake couldnt digest it correctly or something when it took it tail first. the fix was make sure your snake takes the mouse head first. thats the only real advice i can offer.


imo, its easier to leave a red heat lamp on 24/7 and let the snake get indirect, natural light from windows/such. which is also easier, and more presice when breeding comes along.
Click to expand...


I don't know where you are getting your information, Grdn, but it's not anything that is in the major cornsnakes books. I don't know of any of our breeders who leave a red heat lamp on 24/7 for their corns. Most don't use a lamp at all.

And eating a prey item doesn't cause reguration. And once they start eating them butt first, trying to stop them could cause some major damage. My five year old just ate a small rat butt first. Took awhile longer than normal, but he got it down.

My hatchling always eats her butt first and no problem.

Not sure what the problem was here, everything seems normal except the cool temps. I would up the ambient temp in at least that room at night. Once I got my Herpstat NDs, which include a temp probe, I moved my digital therometer probe to the cool side and my tanks tend to stay 2 - 5 degrees cooler than the room. So I'm not sure that those tanks aren't dropping lower than 66 at night.
 
Um, if you fed the snake Thursday, and the "regurge" appeared Sunday night/Monday morning, are you _positive_ it's not just a poo with some undigested skin?

Nanci
 
That's within a 3 day window so it very well could be a regurge. Your temps appear to be fine and I wouldn't worry about a heat lamp to warm the air. As long as they have a warm place to lie, they will choose where they want to be. It could be one of those things. As I stated on another thread, I had one regurge over the years, and I never could explain what caused it and it's never happened again. Eating butt first has never caused a regurge in any of my animals and one or another will take one butt first from time to time. I would take out the substrate, put in paper towel and make sure there are plenty of hides. I would feed in the viv for the next few feedings, covering with a towel afterwards to avoid any distractions or stressors. Make sure to wait the 10 days, and feed a smaller than normal food item for at least three feedings. I would also make cuts in the backs to aid in digestion. Dust with nutribac and perhaps add some Grapefruit seed extract to the water for a while. Hope things improve for you.
 
Meg, what's the time limit for regurge vs. poo? I have read that it can happen in the three to four day range, but isn't the norm more immediate?

Nanci
 
Within 3 days is within the norm. Probably more often than immediately. With pinkies it's not often you see more than three days unless it's a low temp issue. The temps sound well within the normal range here though. If in doubt, I'd treat it like a regurge. It's within the time space for it although it conceivably could be a poop with some skin. Just the fact that this snake refused food numerous times makes me think more in line with regurge than anything.
 
i said it was in my opinion that having a 24/7 red heat lamp was easier. in chicago the winters are nasty, and the house temps stay about 68 degrees. i only use the lamp in the winter, and a UTH year round.

Kathy Love makes mention of letting your snake use natural light during breeding season to recognize the winter with the shortening of daylight. it works the same as adjusting your timer, just easier. :)

Weebonilass said:
I don't know where you are getting your information, Grdn, but it's not anything that is in the major cornsnakes books. I don't know of any of our breeders who leave a red heat lamp on 24/7 for their corns. Most don't use a lamp at all.

And eating a prey item doesn't cause reguration. And once they start eating them butt first, trying to stop them could cause some major damage. My five year old just ate a small rat butt first. Took awhile longer than normal, but he got it down.

My hatchling always eats her butt first and no problem.

Not sure what the problem was here, everything seems normal except the cool temps. I would up the ambient temp in at least that room at night. Once I got my Herpstat NDs, which include a temp probe, I moved my digital therometer probe to the cool side and my tanks tend to stay 2 - 5 degrees cooler than the room. So I'm not sure that those tanks aren't dropping lower than 66 at night.
Click to expand...
 
I'm in Chicago and my corn snakes do just fine with just UTHs on thermostats. Occasionally the cool side dips down to 68 or so but that's not a problem in the winter. It's usually about 70-71 on the cool side inside the tank, and I keep the room temp at 68.
 
Thank you for all of the replies.

Last night I went to the pet store and purchased a 60 Watt Exo-Terra Ceramic Heat Emitter. I hooked it up to my rheostat, my UTH is on a Big Apple Herp Thermostat. I kind of liked this option a little better since it will allow for a more natural circadian rhythm.

I got the ambient air temperature up to right around 75 degrees last night and when I checked it this morning, it was 72.4 degrees, much better than the ~66 degrees or less it was falling to before.

I've got a long and anxious ridden wait in front of me......EEEKKK!!!

Thank you again.

Regards,
Steve
 
Well, after waiting the requisite 8-10 days, today was feeding day. Before I tried to feed him, I emptied, rinsed and filled his water dish with fresh, clean distilled water.

I found him under his hide on the warm side of the tank. Though he might have looked a liiiiiittle bit thinner, he certainly was not lethargic which was a nice surprise.

After brushing the side of his body a few times with one .54 gram pinkie head and after 3 or 4 strikes, he took it without a problem.

He then proceeded to check out his viv and then went back under his hide on the warm side.

I won’t try to feed him again until December 30th when I get back in town. I certainly hope he digests this meal.

Merry Christmas!!!!!

Regards,
Steve
 
regurge

Hi I have a 5 ft corn about 6yrs old sometimes he will regurge if something disturbs him soon after eating ( like my kids being loud and running through house past his tank, or dogs barking like crazy at the door etc.) I try to feed now when kids are settled or not home. if he eats butt first 5 times out of 10 it comes back up. he also likes to digest in the cool side now that its winter he will only come out of cool side to eat when hungry sometimes goes 3 weeks if last feed was big. Also poops about 3 days after eating sometimes tail comes out in poop can be mistaken for regurge... hope this helps
 
If your corn is regurging that much, it is a serious issue. Have you had him checked for internal parasites?
 
ssmith_1187 said:
Before I tried to feed him, I emptied, rinsed and filled his water dish with fresh, clean distilled water.
Click to expand...

Distilled water as drinking water is HORRIBLE for any animal. Please switch to anything but distilled.
 
Good morning Joe!!!!

I have read the additives (fluoride and especially chlorine) and the trace amounts of heavy metals found in normal tap water would be more harmful.

What would be your suggestion???

Regards,
Steve
 
You can leave a gallon jug of tap water opened for 24 hours or more and the chlorine will evaporate off. Or buy purified drinking water, not distilled.
 
Thanks Flagg!!!

I'll try that. I'll change out his water on Saturday when I try to feed him another pinkie head.

Regards,
Steve
 
What I've read about distilled water is that since it contains no minerals itself, it will leach minerals out of your snake's body--or whatever drinks it. I use tap water treated with Repti-Safe. There is also bottled spring water.
 
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