Regurgitating

[bigdhilltopper]

I have had my corn snake for a few months now and every time i feed it (every sunday) a pinky, 2 or 3 days later it regurgitates the food. I've tried multiple things like leaving it alone for those few days, I've tried different lighting environments, ive cleaned out the cage, i dont really know what else to do. Any suggestions?

 

[medusacoils]

You need to stop feeding that snake for a while. Actually for about ten days. I'm not sure what is causing the regurges, but if you don't stop what you are doing, it may die.

First thing you have to do is determine if what you are seeing is in fact a regurge. Sometimes this can be determined just by smell. Poop doesn't smell close to as bad as a regurge. The other reason you need to check this is because you are saying that it's regurging 2-3 days after you feed. Usually snakes digest in that amount of time. The mere fact that you keep feeding may be what's causing the problem. Your not giving the snake enough time to rebuild the stomach flora needed to digest.

If it is a regurge, like I said, stop feeding. Wait approximately ten days. I then want you to try to feed only the head of the pinkie. The ten days is to allow enough time for the stomach flora to rebuild and to allow the snake to settle.

Then you are going to wait an additional ten days. If the snake keeps that down, you are going to repeat. Feed only the pinkies head. Do this for 3-4 feedings.

If things go well, then you can slowly begin to step things up. Try feeding half a pinkie, waiting the ten days and repeat. If this goes well, then begin increasing the days between feedings.

Keep increasing slowly until you get the snake back on track. Also go to Kathy Loves site ( Cornutopia.com) and look for Nutribac. This is a probiotic and may help your snake gets its GI track back in order. Use this while going through post regurge protocol.

Also, make sure you are changing the water daily. Check your temps. They should be between 70-90F. If you could get them closer to 75F on the cool side and 85F on the warm side, that would be better.

Good Luck and keep us posted!

Wayne

 

[bigdhilltopper]

they are in fact regurges. i have witnessed the snake regurgitating the half-digested pinky. the weird thing is, i have two corns and the smaller corn eats the same diet and seems to do fine with it. the water is changed daily and the temperatures are right. are you sure that the head of a pinky will be enough for the snake to eat? my corn isnt that big but its about 3-4 months old so its not tiny either.

 

[medusacoils]

they are in fact regurges. i have witnessed the snake regurgitating the half-digested pinky. the weird thing is, i have two corns and the smaller corn eats the same diet and seems to do fine with it. the water is changed daily and the temperatures are right. are you sure that the head of a pinky will be enough for the snake to eat? my corn isnt that big but its about 3-4 months old so its not tiny either.

Yes. It's not about providing sustenance. Snakes can go for long periods without food. It's about allowing enough time for it to recover from the regurge events. Think of it this way, how much nutrition is the snake getting from the meals that it is regurgitating? Actually, all that is happening is the snake is getting weaker and dehydrating.

As I mentioned, give it time. Follow the protocol and keep your fingers crossed. It seems like a long time, but it's not. In the long run it will do more good than harm.

Wayne

 

[bigdhilltopper]

Thanks a lot.

 

[Sweetseraph]

Are the snakes in the same cage or in separate cages?

 

[bigdhilltopper]

The same tank. They are both removed and separated in their own containers for feeding.

 

[Floof]

Good question, Seraph, I was thinking the same thing...

bigdhilltopper, you need to separate them. Permanently. Get a separate enclosure/set-up, and move one of the snakes into it. It's VERY possible (in fact, I would go so far as to say "likely") that the stress from being in the same tank as another snake is what is causing the one to regurge.

Snakes are NOT social creatures. They don't seek each other out in the wild except for breeding. They do not enjoy each others' company... For that matter, they're such solitary creatures that being around other snakes stresses them out. Sometimes, that stress can be enough to cause extreme health issues--as in your case, with the regurges. Please do a search here for "cohabitation" to see some previous discussions on the subject.

In the mean time, please separate your snakes and follow strict regurge protocol for the one with the issues.

 

[medusacoils]

Good question, Seraph, I was thinking the same thing...

bigdhilltopper, you need to separate them. Permanently. Get a separate enclosure/set-up, and move one of the snakes into it. It's VERY possible (in fact, I would go so far as to say "likely") that the stress from being in the same tank as another snake is what is causing the one to regurge.

Snakes are NOT social creatures. They don't seek each other out in the wild except for breeding. They do not enjoy each others' company... For that matter, they're such solitary creatures that being around other snakes stresses them out. Sometimes, that stress can be enough to cause extreme health issues--as in your case, with the regurges. Please do a search here for "cohabitation" to see some previous discussions on the subject.

In the mean time, please separate your snakes and follow strict regurge protocol for the one with the issues.

Good Advice! :cheers: I didn't realize he was cohabing. I missed that bit of information.

Wayne

 

[ceduke]

Yes, the cohabbing may be what stressed the snake enough to cause the regurges to start. Separate them and follow the regurge protocol carefully, and hopefully he'll survive. Good luck!