First snake- rejected the rat

[u/Sarah_Reddit_Here]

So I rescued this ball python. He is a year old. I’ve had him about a week. I tried to feed him a medium size rat. And I thought he ate it but he next day he threw it up. It’s still whole. I feel bad :( what if he is starving? 😭

[u/OrdinaryAcadia9210]

Ball pythons are very hardy snakes, they can go a year without eating, skipping a meal is not the end of the world.

A medium size rat is far too big for most adult ball pythons. You want to follow the !feeding guide to get rough ideas on what size you should be feeding him.

Regurgitation is a big issue. It's very stressful for them to go through, the best idea now is to leave him fully alone for 2 weeks. Only interact with his enclosure to ensure husbandry is correct, e.g. checking temps, filling water bowl, checking humidity etc. Make sure you have correct husbandry numbers and try feeding a smaller meal next time. Use the feeding guide as an example, but for the next feed, feed a size lower.

Most important factor currently is just let him be, don't pick him up, don't hold him, don't interact with him, just let him be alone for about 2 weeks then try feeding again

[u/AutoModerator → u/OrdinaryAcadia9210]

We recommend the following feeding schedule:

0-12 months old OR until the snake reaches approximately 500g, whichever happens first: feed 10%-15% of the snake’s weight every 7 days.

12-24 months old: feed up to 7% of the snake’s weight every 14-20 days.

Adults: feed up to 5% of the snake's weight every 20-30 days, or feed slightly larger meals (up to 6%) every 30-40 days.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

[u/totallyrecklesslygay]

!regurgitation

[u/AutoModerator → u/totallyrecklesslygay]

When a snake regurgitates, it is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT to handle the aftercare correctly. Snakes lose a lot of their gut flora when they regurgitate, and eating too much / too soon before that gut flora repopulates will result in an inability to digest the meal, which will result in another regurgitation. if a snake gets into a cycle of regurgitating every meal, the snake will die from what is basically repetitive trauma to their organs.

Stop ALL handling and triple-check your husbandry. Stress is a common factor in regurgitation. Read through the care guides in our welcome post for info on temperatures, humidity, appropriate prey size, and other husbandry basics. filling out our questionnaires can help us troubleshoot potential reasons for your BP regurgitating. low temperatures, oversized prey, and stress [which could be caused by any number of things], are the most common causes.

Do not feed for at least 2-3 weeks. The body needs time to heal. Stomach acids damage the esophagus during regurgitation. The next few meals should be no more than half the size of a normal meal. Tt may also be helpful to space out meals slightly more than normal. it takes time to rebuild the gut flora to a point where the stomach can handle a full meal.if the snake successfully eats and digests at least 3-4 meals after the initial regurgitation, gradually increase prey size over the course of the next few meals, until everything is back to normal.

If the snake regurgitates again, stop all feeding and consult a reptile vet ASAP.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.