Potential Impaction

[Gorgon]

Hey guys -- you helped me out with feeding my Jungle Carpet many months ago and, from the bottom of my heart, I deeply thank you for that. Everything worked out and my ~1.5yr old female has been eating consistently ever since.

Question I have now regards constipation: it's almost certainly too early to be worrying about this but she didn't poop/pee with her shed late last night (4/20) like she usually does. But there's a caveat to this:

She had a *perfect* shed but it was over *really* fast. I mean, her eyes were only blued-out for maybe 5 days. A process that has usually taken her 2 weeks was lessened to just 1.

The only thing I can think of that's enabled this is that I've put an infrared basking spot (50W) under her hide... and she loves it. It's her favorite place to be now. I mean, she perches among the high branches at night but boy does she love to just be in her hide now.

The basking spot is about 1' below the glass and velcroed to the underside of the glass is a hand towel covering that entire area. Then, she has 6 layers of paper towels between her and the glass. Hence, it never gets too warm (believe me, I've felt this area obsessively) and she seems perfectly content.

Also, her appetite recently has been positively ravenous. Long story short, it feels to me like this underside basking spot is accelerating her metabolism.

My question to you fine folks is: is this ok? Have you ever heard of someone doing this? Her bowel movements have been very regular just right up to this point where I expected to see feces in her shed and didn't find any. Hence, could the basking spot be causing any kind of impaction?

As always, any feedback and/or further questions would be profoundly appreciated. She is my only snake and she is my life.

EDIT: Her last poop was ~ 1.5 to 2 weeks ago just before she went into shed. The underside basking spot has been under her enclosure for exactly 2 months.

[chairman]

You need to get an infrared thermometer. Also called non-contact thermometers. Here's an example:

https://zoomed.com/reptitemp-digital-infrared-thermometer/

There are a lot of options for these, I bought mine from Harbor Freight for $10 years ago.

This type of thermometer is used for checking the surface temperature of things. You can aim it at your new hot spot and see just how hot it is. Your hand is a poor judge, it'll only detect temperatures in the neighborhood of 100 F +, which is a bit on the warm side for a normal hot spot for carpets.

You also need to get yourself a thermostat to regulate that new hot spot. Another example:

https://zoomed.com/reptitemp-digital-thermostat/

(Note, I just happened to have ZooMed's site pulled up. Other companies make these things too. For example, among the thermostats I use is an InkBird unit that cost under $20 that I am very satisfied with.)

Between those two pieces of equipment you will be able to know what temperature your hot spot is and keep it at that temperature.

If you think your snake it constipated then gently massage the snake starting at the vent and moving toward the head. There shouldn't be any hard spots, the snake's body should feel consistent all the way up. There also shouldn't be any discoloration in the belly scales down there.

If everything is in the clear then the most likely issues are: 1) dehydration and 2)you're feeding too small of meals.

Dehydration is possible as your snake is spending a lot of time in a new hot spot. You might want to keep that area somewhat moist, maybe by keeping moist moss in the hide. (Research humid hides.)

The lack of food is another possibility, as snakes won't poop if they are using virtually all of their food as energy (i.e. no waste). You could possibly increase your prey size, especially if the prey is not leaving a lump in the snake's belly.

[Gorgon]

Excellent recommendations, all of these. Thank you Chairman. I was holding her a good deal this morning and she felt great but next chance I get, I'll do the massage.

You hit one particular aspect right on the head: most of the mice I feed her are smalls, hence a bit too little for her. So what I've been doing is I'll feed her a medium just so her jaw gets exercised, then a bunch of smalls.

What you're saying about that is that she may be using all of her prey as energy with little to excrete, correct? If so, is there anything else -- besides lack of jaw exercise -- that is bad about feeding too-small prey? (I feed frozen-thawed, of course, not live.)

Not trying to be immodest, but she looks phenomenally beautiful: scales all perfectly in-place, eyes bright, cloaca perfect, strong body, alert, pissed off at me like usual, etc. This also leads me to think there's no impaction - not yet, anyway. (I was sorta kidding about the pissed-off thing: she's tolerating me as much as she always has. But her name ain't Medusa for nothing.)

Thank you greatly for replying so soon. This forum is by far the best serpent-related live resource I've yet found anywhere.

[chairman]

Yes, you are correct that your snake is likely using all of the energy/nutrients from its prey so there isn't anything left to excrete.

I have eight carpets at home about the age of your snake. They are feeding on weaned rats, if you're looking for a size reference for prey to try.

[Gorgon]

Understood and thank you again, Chairman. You really have been a ton of help. Tremendously appreciated!