Why did my snake throw up its food

Question

i just got my albino california kingsnake two days ago and it got fed at the store but it was a few days earlier than it should have been. today it threw the fuzzie up. can this be a result oof the early feeding or stress.also what can i do to reduce the stress levels for the snakew

Answer 1

you didnt let it acclimate to its new surroundings. your supposed to wait a week before feeding or handling your new snake. you couldve also held it too early after feeding. assuming you feed him outside his cage (which is advised) pick him up by the head and tail when you go to put him back in his cage, avoiding his whole middle body. wait a week then try to feed him again. also, make sure your temps are right.

good luck!

Answer 2

if you were by the cage while he was eating the food the snake will through up the food and try to escape if it thinks its in danger or you have to feed it the right size because some pet stores say to just feed it lab rat's but you have to have the right size like a mouse not a rat

Answer 3

I use to raise california king snakes and they are a very timid snake. at least until they get to know you. Since you just bought the snake I would say it was just frightened. Don't worry it is just stress from the move into new surroundings. Give it a few days, handle the snake as much as possible to make it comfortable. then introduce the food. If it is a young snake 16 inches or under try feeding it pinkies. If it is a little bigger than that feed it fuzzes up to about 20 inches after that size feed small mice. remember they sense vibrations so any thing over walking on the floor will scare them. Good luck king snakes to me are the best snake a person can keep. Depending on the variety you have they can get to 6 feet long and they will get friendlier with maturity.  

Answer 4

Well, that is weird because most king snakes are wonderful eaters.

Well I would think it is fine as for now. Just let him be and don't hold him yet. Wait for a week before you start picking him up again and feeding him. It might just be stress out from the trip of the pet store to your home. Just make sure the king snake has the perfect temp. and everything. Also try removing somethings out of the cage and just leave the hide out, and water bowl. After a week your snake should be settled down a little bit.

Also if anything you might want to do some research on diseases snakes could have just in case if anything....you know like signs of them. Better to have some knowlegde then to be clueless. =]

Well to me it is weird that your king snake throw up but not that uncommon....the first time I brought my king snake home(2 hour car ride) the next day, he ate =] and he was doing just fine.

So basically just let him be for about a week or so then try feeding him again. He is just probably stress so don't handle him to much either...it's your best bet. But it shouldn't be a result of early feeding...not that I know of at least.

And if you still have any other questions, just email me and I would be more then glad to help you out! =]

Hope this could help some what a bit

Answer 5

i would guess stress you should really leave snakes for a week only going to there cage to change the water so they can get used to the new environment

also snakes shouldnt be handled till 2 days after feeding

Answer 6

were you handling it before it threw it up? that can cause puking, or possibly the prey was a little too big. i've seen pet stores that have inexperienced people in the reptile department. very few snakes will eat if they just fed. not hungry-- won't necessarily eat-- unless you catch it outside like a rat snake or something-- those may eat whenevr you put something in there because that is what they were accustomed to.  

Answer 7

Here are the main reasons a healthy snake can regurgitate its food:

-Prey item too large

-Prey item wrong temperature (such as a frozen mouse not fully thawed)

-Being handled too soon after eating.

Feeding it at the store, and then transporting it home, was the likely cause of the problem.

Regurgitation itself is stressful, and weakens the digestive system, making the animal prone to doing it again. Wait a week before you try feeding it again.