corn snake frequently pooping

[harry crisp]

Hi guys , over the last 3 weeks my corn snake has been pooping nearly everyday and is really active ! The poo looks normal and he is eating fine. I was thinking he was active maybe because of breeding season but that wouldn't explain the pooping ? He started this behaviour after coming out of a shed and i fed him two mice in 1 week to get him back on feeding schedule. He is usually fed every 7 days and eats like a champ. Any ideas or experience on why he might be frequently pooping ?

[Tsubaki]

How old is the corn snake? Feeding twice a week is a schedule only newborn cornsnakes should be on. (and once a week is too much for an adult too)

[prairiepanda]

If you fed him twice as much as usual, then I would expect twice as much poop. In the future; you don't need to feed extra after a shed. Even if he stops eating for 2 or 3 weeks because he's in shed, he'll be fine if you just feed him like normal after. Feeding double his normal amount, especially on an empty stomach, is hard on the digestive system.

[harry crisp]

Ok , i only fed him because of the shedding
Thanks for replies , ill keep you updated but he seems to have slowed down in pooping so im not feeding him this week. Thanks again:)

[harry crisp]

ok thanks guys

[harry crisp]

Hi guys , my snake is still poo quite often. Although it has slown down to about 1 poo every 2 days instead of 1. I didn't feed hi this week to see if it would help , which it kind of did. I think his displaying breeding behaviour , does breeding behaviour cause them to poo more often ? And should i leave another feed this week ? Many thanks

[reptiledude987]

Is it actual black/brown poops youre seeing? Or is the white urea that youre finding. It should only poop when theres a meal to be passed but you will tend to see the white "pees" more frequently.

[prairiepanda]

Another question that has come to mind as well; is this excessive pooping in the enclosure or while being handled? Some snakes like to poop defensively.

Also, how do his current poops compare in size to his normal poops? Are they quite small?

[harry crisp]

It poops inside the enclosure , not when being handled. And the poop varys in colour , sometimes its just white but when i feed him its obvoiusly brown. I just dont know whats making him poop so often

[harry crisp]

The poops are also quite small compared to when he use to go once a week.

[prairiepanda]

The little white poops are urates, which do tend to appear more often than the real brown poop you see when you feed him. I haven't seen urates appear every day, though, except in a friend's snake who liked to pee on people. Since this just started after a shed, I wonder if there might be a partial blockage(of stuck shed) of the cloaca that he's trying to clear out? Just speculation... as long as he continues to improve and doesn't show any signs of poor health, I wouldn't worry about it too much.

[harry crisp]

Ok thanks for reply. His also very active but i think that's because his looking for a mate. Other than that , he acts normal.

[harry crisp]

Hi again, my snake pooped white urinates yesterday , do you guys think i should leave feeding him for another week ? It has gotten a little better since i stopped feeding him , so should i leave it another week ?

[reptiledude987]

No it should be fine to feed. the white urates are basically like us going pee. Just means its drinking. No cause for concern there.

[harry crisp]

well i left it a bit too late to feed now , going to sleep soon. Im sure leaving him one more week wont harm him ? I just wanted to give his digestive system a rest.

[harry crisp]

Hi again , i just thought id update on my snakes problem. I left him for two weeks without feeding him and he started to get better , less poop. Then i fed him after two weeks , he ate fine and then went into shed. No poop for two weeks because his in shed. Then after he shed , he does one large poop , i know this is pretty normal after shed. Then i fed him again last week , and his gone back to pooping everyday. Sundays poop was just white urinates , mondays look runny and weird , brown liquid. And todays look perfect , brown and white normal poo. Something is stimulating him to poo , but it cant be urgent because he wouldn't of stopped pooping for a bit. I thought his mating behaviour could stimulate him to poo , could i be correct ? Im sure if he had a dangerous infection , he wouldn't keep eating and his vent looks healthy. What could it be guys , its been lasting i think 5 weeks now.

Many thanks :)

[Albert Clark]

5 weeks of defecating and now a episode of diahrrea makes me think of intestinal parasites (worst case scenario). More serious is the continuing fluid loss is causing a dehydration issue for the snake. Make a vet appointment and get the fecal test done to start ruling out possibilities. Stay in peace and not pieces.

[harry crisp]

Ok , thanks very much for the help. I will try and get an examination done.

[harry crisp]

Hi everyone , i thought id do an update on my situation. Ive sent off three poo samples to my vet, they said they have to send them off to a laboratory for testing. I should get the results Monday or Tuesday , ill let you know the results when i get them. Many thanks again :)

[harry crisp]

Hi everyone , i got my snakes faeces results back and they said his all good. No parasites and his poo had correct levels of nutrients in it. The said i can take him in for a check up but i can feel no lumps and his vent looks fine , so i feel theres no point. My question now is , if his seems healthy to the vet then whats wrong with him. The vet said older snakes can have hormone changes causing them to break down foods faster etc. Do you guys think should feed him larger food ? His currently being fed on medium mice once a week. I need your guys help because im lost on what to do now and its so annoying cleaning poo out every morning and it makes me late for college etc. Many thanks

[prairiepanda]

How old is he?

[harry crisp]

His 11 years old

[Albert Clark]

Do you feed live? If you do there is a possibility he has a endoparasitic condition. Usually a snake with parasites wont eat. Yours is still feeding correct? Maybe his gut flora and fauna is disrupted. Sometimes sprinkling a little acidophilus on his next meal may help as well. I would consider calling a vet if he continues with the frequent defecation bc he can become dehydrated. Keep a close eye on him.

[harry crisp]

Ive fed him frozen mice for his whole life , he feeds every single time i offer food. I tested him for parasites , the vet said he was all good. What does this acidophilus stuff do ?

[prairiepanda]

It's a gut bacteria supplement. Helps restore gut flora when it's been reduced due to illness, drug use, etc.

[harry crisp]

Is it safe for snakes ? How to you give the drug to the snake ?

[Albert Clark]

Oh, I see now. Good. So the parasitic condition is non existent. We ruled that out. The hormonal idea is something I know nothing about. The acidophilus just replaces the good bacteria in the snakes intestinal tract and definitely cant hurt. It gets sprinkled onto the feeder mouse typically toward the rear end. Hope this helped.

[harry crisp]

Im going to try feeding him a larger mouse tomorrow to see if it takes him longer to break down , maybe his pooping loads because his not being fed large enough mice. And yes , its good that his parasite free :)

[Pareeeee]

I wouldn't worry too much if he's eating, active and the fecal results came back good. An 11 year old corn snake should be eating adult mice, not sure what size you're feeding him right now, perhaps I missed that.

[harry crisp]

Im feeding him adult mice , i am feeding him a mouse in a few hours from now. It looks a little huge though , if its too big will he just regurgitate it ? It looks around 3-4 inches long and maybe 2-3 inches wide.

[harry crisp]

I fed him the mouse saturday and he is doing fine. It looked well to big though , although he never reguritated it. Does this mean its safe to feed him the large size mice?