My first regurge!!

Fed my red tailed boa a large rat. I was a little nervous about it but when I showed her to the gal at the pet store, she reassured me she could handle the rat. She got it down and has held it down for 1 1/2 weeks. I moved her into her new custom built cage. She has a huge soaking bin in there and I noticed it had quite a bit of poo and urates floating in the water. Then I looked into her cage and saw this huge slimy thing. If I didn't know better I would have thought she has a baby puppy or kitten in a sac in there. I figured it was a regurge, but it didn 't smell bad or anything. I had a guy tell me once that if I ever had a snake regurge, I would smell it right away. Then I got to thinking maybe it was a huge bowel movement. I went to clean it out and once i got my head in the cage to get it.....OH MY FRIGGIN GOD!!!!! The smell was horrible. I know I now have to wait 2 weeks to feed her again so she can rebuild the stomach acid and enzymes and such. I hope I never go through that again. Next time I will not listen to the pet store and go with my instinct. I'd rather feed smaller more frequently than large less frequently anyway. Could it have been her moving? Could it have been my fault or was it more likely too big? Like I said she sat for 1 1/2 weeks before being touched.

Thanks!!

Sounds like she didnt have adequate heat to digest her food properly if it was still there 1 1/2 weeks after feeding.

What are the temps on the hot end, and what are the temps on the cool end?

Basking area is 93 taking by digital thermometer and basic cage is set at 85. At night it goes to between 75-78. I believe these to be acceptable. She has never had any problems until now, nothing has changed except the size of the rodent.

Originally Posted by breoj01

Basking area is 93 taking by digital thermometer and basic cage is set at 85. At night it goes to between 75-78. I believe these to be acceptable. She has never had any problems until now, nothing has changed except the size of the rodent.

Its possible internal parasites could be the cause of the problem then. have you had a fecal exam done by your vet? are you planning on one?

You say a large rat was fed, so i ask, how large was the meal in relation to the snake? Same size around? A little smaller? 2X's as big around?

Fecal was done when she first arrived and was fine. Was repeated last month. Rat was bigger then her body around but not 1 1/2 times. Maybe between 1 1/8 and 1 1/4. I usually use med rats but the store was all out.

Seems like the problem may have been discovered, use a smaller rat next time and see if she keeps it down.

Small meals are better for them in the long run. Feed more frequently with smaller meals. This allows them to properly digest the prey without becoming overweight for their size.

Originally Posted by breoj01

Fed my red tailed boa a large rat. I was a little nervous about it but when I showed her to the gal at the pet store, she reassured me she could handle the rat. She got it down and has held it down for 1 1/2 weeks. I moved her into her new custom built cage. She has a huge soaking bin in there and I noticed it had quite a bit of poo and urates floating in the water. Then I looked into her cage and saw this huge slimy thing. If I didn't know better I would have thought she has a baby puppy or kitten in a sac in there. I figured it was a regurge, but it didn 't smell bad or anything. I had a guy tell me once that if I ever had a snake regurge, I would smell it right away. Then I got to thinking maybe it was a huge bowel movement. I went to clean it out and once i got my head in the cage to get it.....OH MY FRIGGIN GOD!!!!! The smell was horrible. I know I now have to wait 2 weeks to feed her again so she can rebuild the stomach acid and enzymes and such. I hope I never go through that again. Next time I will not listen to the pet store and go with my instinct. I'd rather feed smaller more frequently than large less frequently anyway. Could it have been her moving? Could it have been my fault or was it more likely too big? Like I said she sat for 1 1/2 weeks before being touched.

Thanks!!

You nailed it. Large rat combined with the stress of moving her to a new enclosure before she finished digesting.