Corn Snake Eating Issuses

Discussion in 'Corns & Rat Snakes' started by Luthien, Feb 6, 2012.

  1. Luthien

    Luthien New Member

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    So my boyfriend just recently got his very first snake, a red corn snake. The breeder we got her from says she/he (we're calling it she for now :p ) is no more then 3 months old. Everything was going fine but lately she's started to throw up her food roughly 2-3 hours after eating it.

    She's being fed pinkie mice. I guess my main question is are we feeding her the wrong kind of food? What could be causing her to throw up after eating?

    When being fed she's put in a separate cage, fed and then not handled for about an hour before being picked up and put back in her normal cage to rest.
     
  2. JEFFREH

    JEFFREH Administrator

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  3. Cammy

    Cammy ReptileBoards Addict

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    Does the separate feeding bin have a heat source in it? What are the temps in the bin and what are the temps in the cage? How are you measuring those temps? Usually a snake regurgitating food is indicative of too low of temperatures, which inhibits the snake from being able to properly metabolize. It could be an internal parasite or gastrointestinal disorder, but check the temperatures first, as this is usually the issue.
     
  4. JEFFREH

    JEFFREH Administrator

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  5. Luthien

    Luthien New Member

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    The housing cage has a heat pad that the breeder sold to us with her. The temp over it (under her hide) is 80F.

    The feeding bin just runs at room temp, we don't have a heat source in that one.
     
  6. JEFFREH

    JEFFREH Administrator

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  7. Cammy

    Cammy ReptileBoards Addict

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    Sorry Luthien, I think I jumped into your question without reading it carefully enough; it's been a long day. When you say the snake has "started to" regurgitate, do you mean this has happened for more than one feeding? And were there previous feedings where he digested them without issue since you've had him?

    Also, just to be clear, we are talking regurgitation and NOT vomiting, correct? Both are serious issues, but vomiting is particularly bad and should really be dealt with by an experienced herp vet. Is the food being forced back up completely undigested? I just want to make sure on this.

    There are a couple things we can adjust here that may likely be the cause of the issues, but please do not try to feed the snake yet. He needs time to rest and it still may be advisable to see a vet if this has happened multiple times or if he is vomiting and not regurgitating.

    First: While 80 is an acceptable temperature for corn snakes to digest, a little warmer is more ideal, especially for very young snakes. Try to get it closer to 85 if you can. Second, definitely don't feed in a separate cage if there is not a consistent temperature provided in it. Leaving him for an hour with food in his belly but no heat means he is unable to digest that food for that entire hour. It would be better to just leave him in his regular cage rather than do that. If you use aspen bedding, cover it with a sheet of paper towel and offer food on top of that to prevent accidental bedding ingestion while feeding. Honestly, corn snakes are so docile that I highly doubt you will have an issue if you feed him in his regular cage. It's more of an issue with more food-aggressive species, or species large enough to do real damage to their keepers. Corns don't really fall into that category...

    I hope I covered everything I wanted to...get back to me on those couple questions when you can. Sorry if this is at all muddled or if I'm forgetting something--I'm starting to doze off here. Other members, feel free to jump in and correct me, maybe throw a rock at my head if necessary.
     
  8. JEFFREH

    JEFFREH Administrator

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  9. Luthien

    Luthien New Member

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    Hey Cammy! We've fed Rowan (the snake) 3 times now since we've gotten her. The first time went well, nothing came back to us, the next 2 times we fed her, put her back in her cage and the next day when we went to check on her there was the whole undigested mouse with her in her hide.
     
  10. JEFFREH

    JEFFREH Administrator

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  11. Cammy

    Cammy ReptileBoards Addict

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    Okay, now that I’m more awake…

    First and foremost I want to say that I would highly encourage you to at least get in contact with an experienced herp vet since this has happened more than once. Regurgitation is very draining on a snake and can be fatal if it persists. I actually had a coworker whose corn snake died from one single regurgitation caused by her husband feeding the snake too large of a mouse…not saying this is the norm, but I just want you to understand why I want to approach the situation with the utmost of caution. Professional advice from a more qualified source—one that can actually look over your snake in person if they feel it is necessary—may be essential to your snakes recovery.

    How is Rowan’s activity level? Is she still exploring at night? Does she seem clear eyed and alert?
    What kind of food are you feeding, frozen/thawed or live? If frozen, are you squeezing the mouse for a few solid seconds to make sure it is thawed all the way to the center? If live, where were they purchased from?

    Are there any other anomalies with the snake? Is her belly at all bloated or “full” looking? Was her stool from the initial feed normal and well formed?

    I know you said you waited for an hour to pick Rowan up to put back in her cage, but did you also avoid handling her after that as well (for at least a day or two if applicable)?

    The best advice I can give you (aside from contacting a vet) is to give Rowan a week or so to rest. Avoid handling or exposing her to undue stress during this time. This includes keeping it calm and quiet around her cage. When it comes time to feed her again, do make sure you make those minor adjustments to her feeding procedure and temperatures. It would also probably be best to feed her the absolute smallest pinky available to make digesting as easy as possible for her…If she regurgitates again, make sure you bag the sample (undigested mouse and all the nasty fluids) so your vet can run a culture on them to potentially pinpoint an internal issue as the cause.
     
  12. Luthien

    Luthien New Member

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    Her activity level has been very low since we first got her. When we take her out to hold her she's active and when we first put her back into her cage she explores for a few minutes and then seeks out her hide and we don't see her again until we take her out.

    Her eyes are clear and she is alert when we handle her though.

    We're feeding frozen/thawed pinkies. Yes before we feed them to her we make sure they are thawed through the whole body.

    She looks fine, no bloated stomach, glazed eyes, sluggish movements. She's going to the bathroom and will even drink from her bowl after we have handled her.

    Yes we leave 24 hours minimum between feeding and handling every time. With the first Pinkie we made sure that we couldn't see where the mouse was in her body before picking her up again. Which equalled 24 hours.

    Thanks for the help! We'll try boosting the temps like you suggested and feeding the smallest mouse we have on Thursday (next feeding day) and see what happens. If she brings it back up we'll take her to the vet for sure.
     
  13. Cammy

    Cammy ReptileBoards Addict

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    I would actually wait a full week from the day she regurgitated to give her enough time to recover fully, but other than that it sounds like a plan.

    She may still be adjusting to her new home, which would explain why she is hiding all the time day and night. Or she may be coming out at night when you guys have gone to sleep. "When the cats away, the corns come out to play..." or something like that. =P

    I know I alluded to this earlier and am probably being redundant from other posts with you, but make sure you are using either a digital thermometer with probe or a temp gun to record those temps. Air and surface temperature can greatly differ.

    Obviously keep us posted on how she is doing. Best of luck!
     
  14. Luthien

    Luthien New Member

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    She last regurgitated on Sunday (Feb 5th) so we'll wait till next Sunday to feed her then. With the breeder she was on the schedule of being fed every Sunday and Thursday so we kept her on that schedule when we bought her.

    We're using a temp gun to record the temps in her tank :)

    I'll defiantly keep you posted!

    Thanks again!
     
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  15. Luthien

    Luthien New Member

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    Ok guys I still need help. We're getting a little worried about our baby now. She won't eat period! We've upped her temp to 85F and are feeding her in her tank now so she will have the heat after eating but she won't even look at the mouse now. Jeffreh suggested thawing the mouse the night before in the fridge and beside her tank for awhile the day of feeding then pre-warming in water which we have done but nope she's not interested. She hasn't eaten in like 2 weeks now!! What can we do or should it just be vet time?
     
  16. Karlee

    Karlee Member

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    I would suggest a vet visit. Make sure it is a herp vet by calling before head. Ask if they treat corn snakes, where they got their degree from, and if those answers are good, look up what customers have to say about their service. ALWAYS call before hand.
    If she still won't eat, try to think outside the box. What did the breeder do that you dont. Did the breeder have problems with her? Jimmety Cricket wouldn't touch his food but I thought what Petsmart did that we didnt do and it hit me. I went out to Petco and bought another and he ate almost immeadiantly after. I am saying try to think outside the normal.
    She may just be sick as well. Is he basking a lot? Is she in the cooler side a few times a day or just will keep basking? If she will bask non stop, she is trying to raise her body temp to fight off infection. If this is happening, take her to a vet.
     
  17. Luthien

    Luthien New Member

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    Thanks Karlee!

    I was talking to Jeff and Cammy in the chat room the other night and they gave me some suggestions to try as well, I'll try those and if there's still no luck I think it will be vet time.

    As for your questions yes she was in her hide (on top of the heat pad) a lot but now she's starting to come out and venture around more, she has 2 new sleeping spots on the cooler side of the tank now. No we're not doing anything different then the pet store did, we went back and asked questions just to make sure. She's on her same feeding schedule (Every Thursday and Sunday) and she's eating the same food (Pinkie mice).
     
  18. originalrhino

    originalrhino Embryo

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    I'm having the same issue, copper (the snake) regurgitated the pinky half eaten. He hides under his water dish all the time, its been a week.
     
  19. Cammy

    Cammy ReptileBoards Addict

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    Hello, originalrhino, and welcome. Could you tell us the specifics of your cage? Most importantly:

    1.) What are the temperatures on each side of the cage, and what are you using to measure those temperatures (digital thermometer with probe, stick on thermometer, temp gun, etc.)?
    2.) What is the humidity in the cage?
    3.) How big is the snake and what size feeder are you using?
    4.) How long have you had the snake?
    5.) Did you handle the snake at all after feeding?

    And any other details about his behavior and setup that you can think of.
     

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