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Matt Chandler   SammySnake   JackAsp   Greatballzofire  
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 #1965490


Matt Chandler
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 Keeps throwing up

I have 4 pits in the same aquarium probably a 50 gallon tank, short and wide one. I would feed them a rat and 2 to 3 days later it gets thrown up half digested. I have decreased the size of the food to prevent this with the male and he only eats small rats. the temps are at 80 degrees do you think I should just seperate them which I will try without your answer?
03/09/09  01:25pm

 #1966485


SammySnake
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   Message To: Matt Chandler   In reference to Message Id: 1965490


 Keeps throwing up

Separating the pits would be a start.
From the sounds of it, the snake/s is/are getting stressed by the presence of the other snakes.
03/10/09  10:49pm

 #1966531


JackAsp
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   Message To: SammySnake   In reference to Message Id: 1966485


 Keeps throwing up

Could be competition for the right temperature. Seperate them into cheap tubs (the 50 looks huge, but most of that is just empty space above their heads anyway- you can get just as much floospace at target or walmart for maybe ten dollars) each with heat tape or UTH. And if you haven’t had stool checks done, find out if there’s any bugs in there.

With a couple of exceptions for very specific medical situations with older snakes, I have never seen food come back up that didn’t prove to be caused by cold or parasites.

Also, always, no matter how mean it makes you feel, wait a week before feeding again after a regurge. One more week won’t hurt them, but a whole sries of "one more week"s PLUS the stress of getting sick again is a lot rougher on them. Very shallow (just enough to cover the bottom of the container you soak them in, so the cloaca is submerged but they do not have to swim or hold their head up) pedialyte baths help too. It’ll replenish and maintain electrolytes.
03/11/09  01:14am

 #1967259


Greatballzofire
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   Message To: Matt Chandler   In reference to Message Id: 1965490


 Keeps throwing up


One of my 105 quart sterilite tubs with a Zoomed mini UTH under one end, to provide a hot spot of about 85 degrees Fahrenheit. They like the hot spot and will burrow down to it and sleep there comfortably when the rest of the cabin is rather chilly at night (heating with wood stove in backwoods setting!) The thermometer is an indoor outdoor type with the outdoor probe attached to directly over the UTH spot. The ambient temperature in the cabin averages between 55 and 70 in the winter, but with the hot spot they always have a warm place to coil up on and be happy. This tub thing is also handy as I can take them outdoors in nice weather and let them have some natural sunlight, which they love.
I have three gopher snakes. I like to keep them separate so as to know what is going on with who in case of any health problems.
It sounds like the half digested food thing means someone is not getting to have a hot spot to digest his food, but is being relegated to a colder part of the tank by the more dominant individuals.
Also gopher snakes will do better with smaller food items, not too big. They seem more sensitive than other species of snakes to prey size, and although will eat anything presented to them, do best on smaller sizes.
03/12/09  10:59am


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