Regurge.. What to do?

So, you got a new baby, and it seems healthy and spritely.
You enjoy it for a few days as it settles in, and then you feed it.
Maybe you feed it a mouse hopper, maybe a rat pup.

No surprise, it takes it, wraps it up, wham-bam-thank you ma'am.
You go on your merry way, happy that your new baby is eating well for you.

A few days go by, and you go and check on your baby... Something is not right.
Something smells like old rotting cheese barf...
OH NO!!!

You rush to the tub, checking frantically to make sure none of your snakes are dead...
To your relief, none are...

But there is a disgustingly misshapen semi-furry wad of BLECH sitting on the bottom of your new babies tub.

What is it?
Well, its not fecal matter... that would be browner and less furry.
It must be snake puke.
Regurgitation, my friends.
NOT a pretty sight, nor smell.


What causes regurge and how do you prevent it, and what do you DO???

1) Regurge is caused by stress, the inability to digest the prey item, or illness.

2) To prevent it from happening, make sure your critter is happy and safe and sound in its new surroundings. Give it a few days to relax in its tub, and then feed a SMALL prey item. If it normally eats large mice, offer it a hopper. And only one... Do not overfeed your critter, as this is another reason (IE inability to digest) for regurge.

3) If your critter does regurge, do not be dismayed... it happens. Give it at least 5 days off. A full feeding cycle or two. Make sure it has water, and a safe place to hide should it need one. When in doubt, give it more time off.

Then, offer ONE SMALL prey item. If it eats it, rejoice!!! AND DO NOT GIVE IT ANOTHER ONE. Let your critter digest the prey item. If there is no additional regurge after the smaller prey item, and no other issues come up, give it a normal prey item the next go around. There should be no problems after this, and the feeding cycle should be continued as normal.

IF THERE IS ANOTHER REGURGE, give the animal another at least 5-7 days , if not two weeks off. Water, clean tub, etc... NO FOOD. NO STRESS. Try and give it some time off.

And begin again at the beginning of Number 3.

I hope that helps, and know that occasionally, this happens. If it happens often enough, I would take your animal to a veterinarian.

Know that it happens, but frequent regurge is a bad sign.

So with that, live, learn and have a fantastic day, my friends.