AboutEric Rovegno Expertise I can answer questions regarding Ball Pythons and other python and boa species. I can reply to questions about, their environment, health, deceases, breeding, and housing. I can also answer questions about other pythons and boas, but my expertise is in the Python Regius or Royal Python, better known as the Ball Python.
Experience My experience is as a snake owner and breeder. I have owned reptiles for nearly twelve years. My experience is more on Ball Pythons, but can usually answer questions about other reptile species.
Organizations The Maine Herpetology Society
Education/Credentials I believe that my at home experience as well as the hours of research I have done about the Ball Python is training enough. As mentioned before I can answer questions about Pythons and Boas, but my expertise lies within the Ball Pythons. This is why I created a website geared for ball python owners or future owners. www.ballpythonplanet.com
Expert: Eric Rovegno Date: 6/23/2008 Subject: snake died
Question We had a ball python that was 5 yrs old. She had been eating large mice and small rats. We fed her a rat, larger than usual. She ate it and seemed to swell up. Hours later, she threw up the rat and part of the rats stomach was hanging out. About an hour later she was laying on her back and lifeless! What happened? What did we do wrong??
Answer Hi Andrea,
I am sorry to here about your pet snake. A few things first. Did you feed live or frozen thawed? If frozen thawed there could have been a good possibility the prey was still frozen inside. Another thought is that if they prey item was live your snake did not kill it and swallowed it alive. I witnessed this with one of my snakes but caught it and killed the rat before she got it down. Snakes can eat a prey item that is equal to the girth of the mid body.
