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Regurge issues

Christichicc

Christichicc

New member
Hi all! Just wanted to ask for some advice on a regurge issue. A friend of mine has a yearling okeetee that has been having regurge issues the last 3 feedings. She had a few regurge issues earlier on in life, but she seemed to be past it till recently. She said she fed her some mushed up ferret food (assuming the soft diet kind, and because ferrets are obligate carnivores so its high protein and calcium diet) and the snake was able to keep some of that down. Anywho, I'll be taking the snake this weekend since all of her females this year unexpectedly double clutched so she's swamped with babies right now, and I've got a lot more time to give to this little girl right now. My plan so far is to get her settle in, make sure her viv is nice and warm so things will be easier to digest and let her stomach settle for awhile before I try feeding her again. And I'm planning on starting with a half a pinkie (since she's already on pinkies) and kinda see where to go from there. My question is, how long of a break should I give her before I try feeding again? I've heard anywhere from 10 days to a full month. But what have some of you had luck with? Right now I'm leaning more towards the 2-3 week mark, but if a full 4 weeks is better than we can do that too. Any thoughts or advice is appreciated! Thanks all :)
 
I'd go with 10 days. What size mice would this snake be on if she was eating normal meals? Can you get a weight on her? Do you have any idea what set off the regurge cycle to begin with? It is CRITICAL that you get her on Nutribac. You can order it from Kathy Love or Carolina Pet Supply, to name a couple places. I would not feed her until you have Nutribac. I see you plan to start her on half a pink. In fact, as you very gradually increase her meal size, you can still feed pinks cut into thirds and then halves, and I've even fed peach fuzzies cut in half or thirds, just to make them more digestible.

In addition, I would keep this snake in VERY strict isolation. If you are doing anything with your other snakes, always do this one last. Keep her in a completely separate room. Obtain an antiseptic soap and scrub your hands thoroughly after handling her, her viv, her water bowl, anything. In fact, it wouldn't hurt to wear disposable gloves when you handle her. Of course do not share anything of hers with other snakes, such as feeding container, water bowl, whatever you scrub her bowl with, food items, etc. I would recommend maintaining this strict isolation for a MINIMUM of six months. If it was me, I'd keep her in isolation for a year, or have a vet run a PCR crypto test on her (which costs about $100).
 
Take a look over this:

Kathy Love FAQ's

FAQ from Kathy Love on Regurgitation Treatment

THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT - once a snake has regurged, especially twice or more, it is more likely to keep on regurging until it dies, unless something is changed about its care and feeding. It is very important NOT to let this continue. PLEASE FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS BELOW VERY CAREFULLY. This is from my FAQ on regurges:

I suspect your problem is probably not bad mice, but about handling too soon, feeding too soon or too large of a meal, a stomach "bug", or improper temps. If you make these mistakes once, or even twice, it is not usually a problem if you FOLLOW MY INSTRUCTIONS EXACTLY. But remember, each time it regurges, the stomach acids are depleted, and the whole electrolyte balance is thrown off more and more each time, and it makes it MORE likely that it will continue to throw up until it dies. (those consequences are just my opinions - I do not know if science backs up my conclusions, but my experience certainly does!) That is why it is so important to NOT ALLOW another regurge.

The next month or two is crucial. DO NOT feed it for AT LEAST 8 days since the last regurge. NOT ANYTHING AT ALL! Then get a newborn frozen pinky and cut it in half (or cut off just the head) If she eats it, leave her alone for a whole week. (no handling). Repeat the partial pinkie feeding the following week. Then feed a whole newborn pinkie a week after that, if there has been no regurge. Leave alone for a whole week. If she regurges, wait a week and repeat 1/2 pinkie. If she keeps it down, wait a week and repeat whole pinkie. If she holds down a couple of meals, DO NOT rush back into larger meals and more handling. Treat this seriously. Go very slowly. After 3 successful meals, go to a newborn pink every 5 days. Go back to normal feedings only after 6 successful meals. Always wait to handle until after 3 or 4 days, but only AFTER 6 successful meals. No handling until then (causes stress, need to keep stress down). And NEVER feed again right after a regurge - ALWAYS wait AT LEAST 7 or 8 days, maybe even up to 10 days, and then only feed something that was about 1/2 the size (or less) of what she regurged..

Also, be sure that temps are not too warm or cool. Try to give an area of low to mid 80s on one side and 70s on the other. Too hot or cold will cause regurges.

Grapefruit seed extract can sometimes help if the snake has some sort of "stomach bug" (any microbial problem) as it is a natural remedy that is good against many kinds of pathogens, but not as strong as an antibiotic prescribed by a doctor. This product has been used in agriculture for many years and seems to be very safe, as long as you dilute it with enough water that the acidity does not burn the tissues. A vet has told me he feels that it may somewhat alter the pH of the animal and thus change the way medicines are absorbed. So if you use this product and then take the snake to a vet, mention the treatment so it can be taken into account if the vet decides to change the prescription because of it. It is best to mix it in a glass and taste it to make sure it is not so bitter that the snake refuses to drink it. I have used it on myself and so has my husband. I find it works better on stomach problems than for other symptoms (such as respiratory - I didn't have any luck treating colds or other respiratory problems).You can buy it at a local health food store or online. Please refer to the following website for more background info:
http://www.nutriteam.com/index2.html

I have also had success with a probiotic called Nutri Bac, a fine powder containing seven different microflora that should be inhabiting the gut of reptiles, but may be absent due to stress, disease, antibiotic treatments, etc. Using the powder as a supplement will sometimes allow the reptile to get back the natural balance of microbes in its digestive tract, and then its own immune system can take over. See my website for more details, or go here:
http://www.cornutopia.com/Corn Ut...information.htm

The number of days and amounts of food, etc, suggested above are not set in stone. Other people may have success with slightly different formulas, but this is what I found works for me and many of my customers. If this protocol does not work when carefully followed, it is likely that the snake has some severe problems. Your only hope is a QUALIFIED herp vet, who may or may not be able to save your pet.

Please follow my care sheet for the first month or so when starting with new acquisitions (posted on my website for the first month's care of new corns).. The first month is crucial in getting the baby established. It is worth a little extra "coddling" for the first month in order to have a trouble free pet for the next 10 or 15 years or more.

Good luck!
Kathy Love
Click to expand...
 
Ok great, thanks! I actually think I have some nutri-bac already here at home. They sell it in the pet stores and I've gotten it before for my gerbils and hamsters when they were sick. So I'll give that a try. I figured the only time I'd handle her until she gets better is when she comes out for feeding. And I'll make sure to keep her isolated and away from everyone else, and make sure everyone washes their hands and anything she touches or I touch after handling her or her tank. She's been regurging pinkies apparently, so I'll start out with just feeding the head at first and then go from there if she holds it down. And I'll cover her tank and such to help prevent more stress. I don't have a weight on her yet, since I'm not actually getting her until Sat. But I'll weigh her when I get her and then weigh her right before feeding time so I can keep an eye on her. Hoping she will be alright! It could just be that she's more easily stressed or something and her stomach acids werent back to where they needed to be the last few times she tried eating. Thanks for the advice!
 
Ya, thanks. Sorry, was thinking benne-bac at first. I found the reptile stuff. Though when I googled it I saw some stuff that said there were things in it that arent so good for reptiles? Have you heard anything about that? I've also got reptaid already, so will prolly give her that too.
 
UPDATE: turns out I wont be taking in this little one after all. I just had to put down one of my ferrets enexpectedly, due to an inoperable tumor, and its hit me pretty hard. So I don't think that I'm the right person to care for this little girl right now. But wanted to say thank you all for your help and great advice, and I'll make sure to keep this in mind if I ever come across a similar situation. So again, I really appreciate everyones input. Thank you!
 
Thanks. Me too :( He was a special little guy and I'm really going to miss him. Furbaby heaven got a good boy there today.
 
A lot of good advice here already, but I wanted to add my condolences about your ferret. I keep ferrets as well.
It is hard when you lose them.
 
nwheather said:
A lot of good advice here already, but I wanted to add my condolences about your ferret. I keep ferrets as well.
It is hard when you lose them.
Click to expand...

Thanks, really appreciate it. I've got, well had I guess now, 4, and this is my first time owning them. He was less than a year old and we only had a few months with him. Was hoping I was gonna have a few more years before I had to deal with this stuff, but luck of the draw I guess. But I'm glad I at least got a few months with him. He was the one I was closest to. He'd wake up and come out when he'd hear my voice and crawl up into my lap and go back to sleep. He was a little angel. Lol well most if the time, you know how they are, gotta get into everything lol. Thanks again.
 
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