WTF?????!!! Strangest snake poop I've ever seen... [Archive]

Will0W783

01-17-11, 07:33 PM

Ok, so as some of you know, I rescued an adult male albino Burmese back before Christmas. I know that he's been fed live and has a number of healing bite wounds, as well as bug eyes (probably due to a large head scar), he'd been bred heavily, and was underweight.
I got him December 22, and he ate January 8 (3 large f/t rats). He had not passed any waste for me until tonight...I went to check on him and I saw a very small stool with tons of what sure looks like STRAW in it. I've been keeping snakes for 6+ years and I've never ever seen anything like this- it smelled like horse manure and as far as I can tell it's straw or hay. It is round, tubular, some pieces were over an inch long, and thready. I am terrified that he may have damaged his intestines passing it. Is there anything else it could be? It's definitely not worms of any kind- very hard and brittle. I snapped some pictures as I was cleaning the cage and gave the Burm, Silas, a good long soak in the tub. Poor big old snake...I wonder what the heck he's gone through?

NennaMeerkat

01-17-11, 07:37 PM

Oh wow he passed that?!?!? Didn't even think snakes were capable of passing straw. Though it sure looks like straw. Hope the guy is okay, bet he feels better to...if it didn't hurt him along the way.

Will0W783

01-17-11, 07:39 PM

infernalis

01-17-11, 07:45 PM

If the snake was kept on straw or fed bunnies while on straw, the snake may have ingested it.

Seems as if it would have broke down, but the digestive tract of a snake is not the same as a cow.

I too hope none of it poked holes in your snakes insides, that would be a real pity.

NennaMeerkat

01-17-11, 07:46 PM

Yeah if they fed him a chicken I am pretty sure they digest them. I know at the zoo I worked for we fed ours stunned or live chickens and I never saw anything like that in their poo...I should know I cleaned plenty of it! Maybe he had gotten out and ate a hutch rabbit or a rat? Did the people that used to have him have a barn or any other animals bedding in straw?

Will0W783

01-17-11, 07:53 PM

I have no idea what they had. They told me they didn't use bedding of any kind so the snake "couldn't have mites"...in other words, they were pretty idiotic about the snake. Who knows what they let him get into?

infernalis

01-17-11, 08:06 PM

Keep an eye out for rectal bleeding or discharge.

Chances are the snake is fine, but careful is always better. ;)

marvelfreak

01-17-11, 08:11 PM

I am assuming it's straw...what else could it be? The only other possibility is if someone fed him a bird recently and it's feather quicks, but don't they digest those? At any rate, it looks nasty and I really hope it didn't damage his insides.
A friend of mine use to feed his ducks and it never had anything like that come out. It would digest the feather.

Damion930

01-18-11, 12:27 AM

Wow feathers were my first thought hope all is well

Will0W783

01-18-11, 08:41 AM

I am wondering if I should call my vet? I hate to drag the snake in for a visit if it's not necessary, but this is weird.

infernalis

01-18-11, 08:50 AM

I would just keep an eye on things, If the snake is not bleeding and eats for you again, then I'd say your doing OK.

Unnecessary vet trips are stressful to the snake and your bank account.

Will0W783

01-18-11, 10:42 AM

They definitely are stressful to my bank account! The animals' health comes first though. I had him out for a good long soak last night as he smelled like manure. I didn't notice any bleeding and he'll be due to eat again this coming weekend.

bighog85

01-18-11, 03:44 PM

I wouldn't be surprised if it was straw because I have seen people keep their snakes on it. Snakes have pretty tough digestive systems and though they are not designed to digest plant matter, that doesn't mean they can't pass it. If he was kept to cold or not fed much then that stuff could have been in there for a while. If it had caused problems you would most likely see blood or something in that poop. Keep an eye on him for sure but I would say a vet visit is unnecessary right now. Keep the heat and humidity up as well and that will aid his digestion in passing whatever else may be in there.

presspirate

01-18-11, 05:18 PM

I was wondering if it could have been fed a rabbit that had undigested straw in its stomach, but I have to think that Wayne might have the right idea, if there is no blood and he otherwise seems fine, why stress him out with a trip to the vet. Could you get a phone consultation?

Will0W783

01-18-11, 06:31 PM

I could probably get a phone consultation, but I'm going to check him out tonight as soon as I get home (working late) and see how he is. There was no blood or even what looked like blackened dried blood in his stool. I'm hoping he'll be ok. I guess if he ruptured an intestine at this point a vet couldn't really do anything anyway right?

infernalis

01-19-11, 01:44 PM

I guess if he ruptured an intestine at this point a vet couldn't really do anything anyway right?

I wouldn't be so sure of that, I have a friend who has had laser surgery done on two different garter snakes, So much smaller and more delicate than a Burm..

NennaMeerkat

01-19-11, 01:54 PM

Yeah they can do a lot more for "exotics" than most would think. Don't count off a vet if something bad does happen.

Will0W783

01-19-11, 02:21 PM

Wow. He seems ok anyway. Last night he peed again though. Usually in my experience, a snake will poop once and pee maybe twice during a cycle. Silas seems to urinate every single damn day- it's not the white urates (he only did that once), but instead it's yellow urine-smelling liquid. He also somehow tore off an upper lip scale behind his last heat pit on the left side and keeps rubbing that side of his face all along the sides of the cage now (guess it itches or hurts). Dang snake is apparently hazardous to himself! He's driving me nuts, lol. I'm going to have to put him in a padded cell so he can't hurt himself any more...

Reptile_Reptile

01-20-11, 12:48 AM

dang. sometimes snakes... gah lol i dont even know. how do they hurt themselves without even caring, and then continue to do it again and again.

Ch^4

01-20-11, 12:55 AM

Oh no, that's not good. Him being such a powerful snake, it's probably easy for him to scratch/hurt himself without him actually perceiving it (until it's too late). Hopefully that padded cell will help ;)

shaunyboy

01-20-11, 09:48 AM

i've never seen anything remotely like that its wierd stuff kimberley ?????

i would wait until he's ate and passed a few stools in your care

the good thing is there is NO blood present

i must admit i was thinking straw until you mentioned feathers

the larger parts do look like quills

i was thinking ingested substrate before that

the previous owners imo are an unreliable source of information who gave little or next to no care towards this poor big cute guy

i'm sure all thats gone for good now he's with you pal

let us know how it goes next time he passes stools

cheers shaun

Will0W783

01-20-11, 10:22 AM

shaunyboy

01-20-11, 10:44 AM

I will keep you guys all posted. I had to take the lock off of his cage last night, because I caught him mashing his nose against the adjusting screw and making his lip worse...grrrr. I'm ready to wring his neck out, the big bugger. I have him on Neosporin and Betadine application to the lip twice a day- that's sure fun, holding down a 9-foot snake and rubbing medicine he does not want all over his face....after this I'll be ready for a bronco ride!

you can buy little rubber wedges that you slide between the glass over here they work really well

i don't like the metal locks i've found they scratch the glass quite bad

looks like you got your hands full kimberley he sounds like he's got a huge charecter :yes:

you got me picturing you on the burms back doing the bucking broncho around your living room :yes:

i hope the treatment goes well

cheers shaun

Will0W783

01-20-11, 11:52 AM

He definitely keeps life interesting. I will have to look into the rubber wedges- I don't care about the glass being scratched so much, it's his poor face I am upset about. It looks like it hurts and it is all red and ugly. He also hates the ointment and tries to rub it off, but I need to keep putting it on to keep the wound clean. I wonder if one can get those cone-shaped Elizabethan collars for snakes?...

Jenn_06

01-20-11, 01:09 PM

i was told that most snakes that push needs more food or a bigger cage.

Will0W783

01-20-11, 06:37 PM

Jenn, he is on a steady diet recommended by my vet to put the needed weight back on him (he was underfed by his previous owners). He ate 3 large rats for his last meal with me and is scheduled to be fed again on Saturday. He is 9 feet and in a 4 foot x 3 foot cage. It's smaller than I would like, but it's only temporary until he is done with his quarantine. I take him out for a bit every night, but I can't wait until he's done with his quarantine and I can move him into a bigger cage in my snake room.

Steve'O

01-30-11, 10:30 AM

That cage should be fine. It is a misconception that these animals need large enclosures. Pushing to get out is not uncommon. Many snakes are explorers and will try to find a way out occasionally. Large enclosures will often stress a snake. Burms are semi aquatic and in the wild often live near large sources of water and are avid swimmers. Burms can even eat underwater without drowning. Burms, Retics and Anacondas all drink more than other snakes and will have more liquid urine than some other snakes. Although, I have a redtail that produces a fair amount of liquid urine as well. I agree the stool looks like straw. Snakes do not digest vegetable matter very well, but I would not worry too much about it since it passed, unless the animal displays some behavior that concerns you.

Will0W783

01-31-11, 09:01 AM

Thanks Steve'O. He's passed a normal poo since, along with white urates and lots of liquid pee. He seems to be doing fine now, and I still give him his baths every couple days. He ate a second meal with me (2 jumbo rats) and I'm waiting for him to pass that. His nose is starting to heal, but I think it will look nasty until he sheds again.

NennaMeerkat

01-31-11, 12:29 PM

Glad to hear the big guy is doing okay and it isn't something more serious than just so ill proper feeding habits before you got him. I also hope his nose will be getting better before his next shed...but I wouldn't be surprised if it looks bad until then.

Will0W783

01-31-11, 02:10 PM

Yeah, nose rub is not good. I've seen so many giant pythons with permanently disfigured mouth fronts and noses because of constant rubbing. He seems to have stopped now that the lock is removed, so hopefully it heals and he never does it again. But who knows? He's a stupid big old bugger.

NennaMeerkat

01-31-11, 02:37 PM

Some snakes are just bound and determined to get out I suppose. Its to bad you can't just give him the run of a room or your backyard like you might some other pets. I am sure though that he is settled and knows he isn't just going to be stuck in the tank without anything else going on you won't have any other problem with nose rubbing.

Will0W783

01-31-11, 02:54 PM

Giving a snake the run of a backyard would be a very bad idea. PA has a cold climate, and there's almost no way to make a yard secure enough. He also isn't nearly large enough to justify the run of a room. That would probably lead to him feeling exposed and insecure. I also don't have a free entire room to snake-proof and heat. He's calming down though quite a lot and in fact tonight I intend to let him out and interact with him. "Handling" him basically consists of me hauling his butt out of the cage and closing all the door upstairs so I can sit with him in the hallway and let him explore. He's a lot of snake to be actually holding up off of the ground and seems much calmer and happier on the ground. Come the warmer weather, I will take him outside to play in the grass for brief supervised spells like I did with Baby. She always enjoyed that so much.

NennaMeerkat

01-31-11, 03:23 PM

I didn't mean it in a serious way to giving him a room or a yard was more of a "to bad he can't have a large space" kind of thing even if you could make either a room or a backyard perfect. I wouldn't think of letting loose a non-native specie even in my own home for fear of it getting out. Sorry I couldn't have worded that a little better.

You are gonna have to take pics of him in the grass when you do take him out to have some fun in the warmer weather.

Will0W783

01-31-11, 08:27 PM

I know you didn't mean it in a harsh way..I hope I didn't come across too harsh in my reply. I've seen people in the warmer states set up zoo-like cage enclosures outside for giant pythons. It looks really cool, but I can't imagine it's as safe for the keeper as if the snake was in a smaller cage where you could see him/her clearly.

I will definitely get lots of pics of Silas when he goes outside. I love taking pictures of all my snakes, but only take the biggest and calmest outside. :)