View Full Version : my snake wont poop!
ballpython1717
10-10-12, 12:58 PM
after a bad shed i was so excited to be able to play with my snake again that i took it out for to long and after i fed it a week ago it still wont poop! i think hes just stressed but im not sure. any advice?
Lankyrob
10-10-12, 01:00 PM
What is it eating?? Small/hairless prey dont leave much "waste" to get rid off.
If it is eating larger hairier prey - how many times had it eaten since its last poop and when was the last poop?
Snakes don't always poop after every meal. They poop on their schedule, not yours.
ballpython1717
10-10-12, 01:05 PM
oscar is eating fuzzy mice and its last poop was before the shed, which finished 2 weeks ago. he has only eaten twice since then.
Gungirl
10-10-12, 01:16 PM
Fuzzy mice is nothing for a snake.. Your not feeding him large enough prey.
ballpython1717
10-10-12, 01:19 PM
well hes a sub-adult at about 1.5 feet long so i think its an appropiate size mouse for him. and im not sure about his age exactly but i would guess that hes around 2 ish
rmfsnakes32
10-10-12, 01:21 PM
I beleive he is a pretty young bp! I think we mentioned feeding larger prey before
ballpython1717
10-10-12, 01:22 PM
yeah. i would post a picture but im not sure how (still somewhat new to the snake forum)
Gungirl
10-10-12, 01:42 PM
If you have a photobucket account just copy and paste the IMG code of the picture here..
MoreliAddict
10-10-12, 01:48 PM
He can probably handle a large mouse. Can you post a photo of Oscar?
ballpython1717
10-10-12, 01:50 PM
i dont have a photobucket account so that might be a problem
MoreliAddict
10-10-12, 01:52 PM
i dont have a photobucket account so that might be a problem
You can create one for free.
It's up to you if you want a real accurate opinion of what size prey to feed your snake...
ballpython1717
10-10-12, 01:54 PM
im pretty confident that the size of my prey is ok. i just wanna know how to make my snake less stressed out
You can "think" whatever you like, but you're wrong:
If he is 1.5 ft long, (babies are 12-14 inches at birth) he is MAYBE 6 months old and should be eating food items twice the size you're offering. He's not pooping because you are essentially starving him to death very slowly.
MoreliAddict
10-10-12, 02:04 PM
im pretty confident that the size of my prey is ok. i just wanna know how to make my snake less stressed out
This being your first reptile, your personal opinion and confidence in prey size not valuable.
Judging by the amount of problems going on with this snake that you've posted about, there is likely something off about your enclosure. The problem could be a number of things. If you'd post pictures of the enclosure, along with the temps and humidity, along with how you're measuring the temps and humidity we would probably be able to give you a few pointers.
A picture of the snake would at least let us confirm that you're feeding the right size prey, which would allow us to move on and speculate what else may be wrong...
rmfsnakes32
10-10-12, 02:05 PM
A 2 year old bp should be able to eat much larger than a fuzzy
MoreliAddict
10-10-12, 02:07 PM
A 2 year old bp should be able to eat much larger than a fuzzy
My ball python who is less than 2 years could handle a small rat, probably a medium at this point no problem.
ballpython1717
10-10-12, 02:08 PM
like i said im not sure how old he is im probally WAY off
Lankyrob
10-10-12, 02:56 PM
I also have a two year old - he is around 3-3.5 foot long and approximately the girth of a coke can at his widest point - he eats rats that are just larger than his girthiest point.
He also NEVER ate mice from the day he was hatched, rat pups from birth and then appropriate sized rats from that day onwards, there is no need for a royal to be eating mice as they are just too small.
rmfsnakes32
10-10-12, 03:00 PM
If you want help we need to have basic info that is correct! Age,size,weight as of today! But I can assure you a bp that is almost 2 feet long should at least be on rat pups or weaners without any difficulty
ballpython1717 people here know what they are talking about if u sit down and dont take everything they say to heart and hear out what they say they will be able to help you they have helped me 100%! just hear out what they have to say and you will be able to fix the things that are troubling u with your snake they can really help u! take your time and read all the post!
rmfsnakes32
10-10-12, 04:27 PM
Where is mykee on this he is a bp expert maybe he can straighten this out as to what it should be eating
shaunyboy
10-10-12, 04:32 PM
You can "think" whatever you like, but you're wrong:
If he is 1.5 ft long, (babies are 12-14 inches at birth) he is MAYBE 6 months old and should be eating food items twice the size you're offering. He's not pooping because you are essentially starving him to death very slowly.
^^^^^
Where is mykee on this he is a bp expert maybe he can straighten this out as to what it should be eating
Mykee already said on the first page of this thread mate.....
i agree entirely with what Mykee said
fuzzy mice are way too small a prey item for a 1.5ft ball python...
it should be on at least small rats
cheers shaun
shaunyboy
10-10-12, 04:35 PM
well hes a sub-adult at about 1.5 feet long so i think its an appropiate size mouse for him. and im not sure about his age exactly but i would guess that hes around 2 ish
im pretty confident that the size of my prey is ok. i just wanna know how to make my snake less stressed out
your prey size is way too SMALL for a python that age mate
you need to up your prey size.....
if you could post pictures of your snake,next to say a tv remote to give us a size refference,it will give us an idea of what size prey he should be on
i'm NOT being cheeky,but your starving your snake with prey that size
cheers shaun
Wyldrose
10-10-12, 04:46 PM
Once he's eating bigger prey and still wont poo put him somewhere you dont want him to poop. Ie your couch, bed, carpet etc. Because it never fails!!! My couch is the place to poo in my house, so thankful I have a little green steam machine!
Wanka2012
10-10-12, 05:28 PM
Ballpython1717- Be careful what people are telling you to feed him!!! I listened to Mykee and others who were telling me I was feeding my snake too little of a mouse. Mykee explained to me that his baby ball python's eat small adult mice out of the egg, and that a 3 month old should be eating large adult mice. I followed his and other people agreeing with him's advice, which turned out to be disastrous. I'm not trying to slam anyone on here, but these are the facts. I had to take my snake to the vet today because he was acting unusual. The vet told me word for word "The size prey you fed your snake is EXTREMELY too large" and she proceeded to force regurgitate the mouse. I fed my snake a medium adult mouse- He's not a new born so I didn't go with small adult mice, but large adult mice looked far to big. Use your OWN judgement ballpython1717!!!! I feel awful for my snake, he could have DIED.
rmfsnakes32
10-10-12, 05:29 PM
Once he's eating bigger prey and still wont poo put him somewhere you dont want him to poop. Ie your couch, bed, carpet etc. Because it never fails!!! My couch is the place to poo in my house, so thankful I have a little green steam machine!
Haha isnt that the truth! Lol
Wanka2012
10-10-12, 05:34 PM
let me clarify, unusual: continuously opening his mouth as if he is "yawning" adjusting his jaw. He was lying upside down when I found him this morning. Rapid breathing. Strange crackling noises from the site of the medium mouse inside his body. And he had not moved from the same spot since yesterday morning.
Ivalynfyre
10-10-12, 05:36 PM
Ballpython1717- Be careful what people are telling you to feed him!!! I listened to Mykee and others who were telling me I was feeding my snake too little of a mouse. Mykee explained to me that his baby ball python's eat small adult mice out of the egg, and that a 3 month old should be eating large adult mice. I followed his and other people agreeing with him's advice, which turned out to be disastrous. I'm not trying to slam anyone on here, but these are the facts. I had to take my snake to the vet today because he was acting unusual. The vet told me word for word "The size prey you fed your snake is EXTREMELY too large" and she proceeded to force regurgitate the mouse. I fed my snake a medium adult mouse- He's not a new born so I didn't go with small adult mice, but large adult mice looked far to big. Use your OWN judgement ballpython1717!!!! I feel awful for my snake, he could have DIED.
I'm sorry, but.. seriously? Your vet forced your snake to regurge? That's extremely stressful on the snake.. he could have digested it just fine.
How was your snake acting unusual? After a big meal, all of my animals retreat to the warmest place in their tubs, and stay in there for a while. Usually, after a meal, I don't see my snakes out at all, day or night.. they're digesting.
I know boas and balls are not the same thing, BUT
http://i1154.photobucket.com/albums/p526/Ivalynfyre/Hikari%20the%20Boa/DSCF2582.jpg
That is a bump in my boa's middle from a small rat. Whilst she had trouble getting into her hide, the meal was digested completely, without an issue.
Wanka2012
10-10-12, 05:39 PM
i clarified unusual, and he was at the coolest place of my terrarium. And Ivalynfyre, that picture doesnt even compare to what my snake looked like, not to mention my snake is only 15 inches long. Think of a basketball in a garden hose for comparison
Wyldrose
10-10-12, 05:41 PM
I would NEVER ever let anyone force a snake to reguritate! Don't feed him or handle him for 10 days now. Now that he has regurgitated you have to get his stomach going again. Which means a smaller then normal meal ie rat pinky add some slices into its skin to make it easier to digest.
From the way he was acting I would check the temps your keeping your snake at. Something is not right for him to react that way. Basically if they can get it down they usually can digest them.
Wanka2012
10-10-12, 05:47 PM
And Ivalynfyre saying "He could have digested it just fine" is exactly what got me into trouble in the first place. And thanks for the advice Wyldrose! I have a whole list of instructions to follow that the veterinarian gave me also. Keep Wanka in your prayers!
shaunyboy
10-10-12, 05:50 PM
Ballpython1717- Be careful what people are telling you to feed him!!! I listened to Mykee and others who were telling me I was feeding my snake too little of a mouse. Mykee explained to me that his baby ball python's eat small adult mice out of the egg, and that a 3 month old should be eating large adult mice. I followed his and other people agreeing with him's advice, which turned out to be disastrous. I'm not trying to slam anyone on here, but these are the facts. I had to take my snake to the vet today because he was acting unusual. The vet told me word for word "The size prey you fed your snake is EXTREMELY too large" and she proceeded to force regurgitate the mouse. I fed my snake a medium adult mouse- He's not a new born so I didn't go with small adult mice, but large adult mice looked far to big. Use your OWN judgement ballpython1717!!!! I feel awful for my snake, he could have DIED.
you really need to CHANGE your vet mate
NOT all vets have good reptile experience
what do you mean by your snake was acting unusual ?
how many days passed before you took him to the vet AFTER he fed ?
a 3 month old ball python will easily eat a medium mouse.imo its your VET who has given wrong advice mate not Mykee,ANY vet worth their title would know NOT to make a snake regurge
cheers shaun
Ivalynfyre
10-10-12, 05:55 PM
Nope, we aren't vets, but not all vets know how to treat reptiles. Honestly, flipping over on its belly and constantly yawning don't sound like something that would happen because of an oversized meal.
shaunyboy
10-10-12, 05:56 PM
let me clarify, unusual: continuously opening his mouth as if he is "yawning" adjusting his jaw. He was lying upside down when I found him this morning. Rapid breathing. Strange crackling noises from the site of the medium mouse inside his body. And he had not moved from the same spot since yesterday morning.
is there excess mucas in your snakers mouth ?
is his throat puffed up ?
could the strange crackling noises be coming from his mouth/nostrils ?
a snake lying upside down may be a cause for concern...
your vet may have broke some ribs,it depends on how rough they were with the snake,when they induced a regurge
what are your hot end temperatures ?
cheers shaun
Wanka2012
10-10-12, 06:01 PM
let me clarify, unusual: continuously opening his mouth as if he is "yawning" adjusting his jaw. He was lying upside down when I found him this morning. Rapid breathing. Strange crackling noises from the site of the medium mouse inside his body. And he had not moved from the same spot since yesterday morning.
For people asking me to clarify unusual- I did it on the second page. Anyways guys, as I said, I'm not doing this to be accusatory or to slam anyone. I'm saying this because it's what happened. I almost didn't want to post this, but I felt it needed to be addressed.
I fed him Monday Night, I took him to the vet Tuesday afternoon. My snake is 15 inches long. I did not know the age of my snake, but I assumed it was 3 months (I even put that info in my original thread). I also posted a picture of my snake. Regardless, I was told that baby balll pythons out of the egg should be eating small adult mice and that 3 month old ball pythons should be eating large adult mice, so I went with medium adult mice. Hot temps are 90, cool side is around 82, the humidity is 65. I cannot see his throat, and I do believe that crackling noises were coming from his body, not his mouth, maybe extra bones breaking??? The mouse is out now, and he is no longer showing those symptoms. The snake was lying upside down Before the vet, after the vet he seems to be doing okay, but it's only been a day.
Anyways, Now I'm getting it from two ends, the vet basically calls me stupid for feeding a snake prey that size and from this forum people think I did something wrong by taking him to the vet.... In the end, I want what's best for my snake.
Gungirl
10-10-12, 06:02 PM
Ballpython1717- Be careful what people are telling you to feed him!!! I listened to Mykee and others who were telling me I was feeding my snake too little of a mouse. Mykee explained to me that his baby ball python's eat small adult mice out of the egg, and that a 3 month old should be eating large adult mice. I followed his and other people agreeing with him's advice, which turned out to be disastrous. I'm not trying to slam anyone on here, but these are the facts. I had to take my snake to the vet today because he was acting unusual. The vet told me word for word "The size prey you fed your snake is EXTREMELY too large" and she proceeded to force regurgitate the mouse. I fed my snake a medium adult mouse- He's not a new born so I didn't go with small adult mice, but large adult mice looked far to big. Use your OWN judgement ballpython1717!!!! I feel awful for my snake, he could have DIED.
You and your vet is the only reason your snake could have died. Forcing your snake to regurgitate was a really stupid choice.
If you want what is best for your snake then feed it and leave it alone. Do not take a snake that has just been fed to the vets and stress it out for no reason. Most vets don't know the head from the arse of a snake never mind what size prey to feed it.
shaunyboy
10-10-12, 06:06 PM
heres some examples of a snakes ability to consume LARGE prey
http://static.environmentalgraffiti.com/sites/default/files/images/800px-DiamondPythonaroundringtailpossumjpg.img_assist_cu stom-600x400.jpg
http://static.environmentalgraffiti.com/sites/default/files/images/pythonjpg
http://static.environmentalgraffiti.com/sites/default/files/images/362439607dd497eb46fojpg_0.img_assist_custom-600x455.jpg
http://static.environmentalgraffiti.com/sites/default/files/images/34229130059ac5bc94e3zjpg.img_assist_custom-600x401.jpg
Wanka2012
10-10-12, 06:15 PM
You and your vet is the only reason your snake could have died. Forcing your snake to regurgitate was a really stupid choice.
If you want what is best for your snake then feed it and leave it alone. Do not take a snake that has just been fed to the vets and stress it out for no reason. Most vets don't know the head from the arse of a snake never mind what size prey to feed it.
Thanks for your support. You are the exact reason why I'm not coming back to this forum. To everyone that was kind to me, thanks so much!Gungirl, You are going to kill someones snake with that attitude.
NO REASON?? I took my snake to the vet for no reason??? It lying upside in his terrarium is no reason???? Okay. Go kill someone elses snake.
shaunyboy
10-10-12, 06:15 PM
http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/1854/275/200/Snake%20eats%20wallaby%2003.jpghttp://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/1854/275/200/Snake%20eats%20wallaby%2004.jpg
http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/1854/275/200/Snake%20eats%20wallaby%2005.jpg
http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/1854/275/200/Snake%20eats%20wallaby%2007.jpg
http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/1854/275/200/Snake%20eats%20wallaby%2009.jpg
http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/1854/275/200/Snake%20eats%20wallaby%2011.jpghttp://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/1854/275/200/Snake%20eats%20wallaby%2012.jpg
http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/1854/275/200/Snake%20eats%20wallaby%2013.jpg
as you can see,snakes can take much larger prey than you would think possible mate
your vet was WRONG to force a regurge
cheers shaun
Wanka2012
10-10-12, 06:20 PM
it was lying upside down, constantly opening it's mouth, making crackling noises from the site, sitting on the cool side of the terrarium- Might I add, in the open. And other activities, and someones going to tell me I took my snake to the vet for no reason. Ridiculous. The vet may have acted wrong, but I DIDN'T.
What happened is that people shouted out instructions without knowing anything about my snake and it could have been very deadly. People (like Mykee) need to watch out before they give these instructions, or they are going to get someone in a lot of trouble.
shaunyboy
10-10-12, 06:20 PM
For people asking me to clarify unusual- I did it on the second page. Anyways guys, as I said, I'm not doing this to be accusatory or to slam anyone. I'm saying this because it's what happened. I almost didn't want to post this, but I felt it needed to be addressed.
I fed him Monday Night, I took him to the vet Tuesday afternoon. My snake is 15 inches long. I did not know the age of my snake, but I assumed it was 3 months (I even put that info in my original thread). I also posted a picture of my snake. Regardless, I was told that baby balll pythons out of the egg should be eating small adult mice and that 3 month old ball pythons should be eating large adult mice, so I went with medium adult mice. Hot temps are 90, cool side is around 82, the humidity is 65. I cannot see his throat, and I do believe that crackling noises were coming from his body, not his mouth, maybe extra bones breaking??? The mouse is out now, and he is no longer showing those symptoms. The snake was lying upside down Before the vet, after the vet he seems to be doing okay, but it's only been a day.
Anyways, Now I'm getting it from two ends, the vet basically calls me stupid for feeding a snake prey that size and from this forum people think I did something wrong by taking him to the vet.... In the end, I want what's best for my snake.
re crackling noises
my carpets sometimes makes a russtling/crackling sound when they are just about to shed,its from the old dry skin thats about to shed off
cheers shaun
Kavyrie
10-10-12, 06:25 PM
I'm gonna butt in and say that you were right to bring your snake to the vet, but Shaun makes a good point that "crackling" noises can actually the skin about to shed off. Snakes will open and unhinge their jaws to loosen the skin on their face/head, and I've seen my snakes do some funky things right before shedding. I think you should look into finding a new vet, unless its an ABSOLUTE emergency there is no reason to force a snake to regurge. If it needs to it will. Snakes will regurge prey that is too large.
Gungirl
10-10-12, 06:27 PM
I thought you where not coming back to the forum?
Hrmm.. all the things you stated tell me your snake was ill prior to feeding it. You had a sick snake due to something weather it be how you kept it or who you bought it from. It had NOTHING to do with the size of food you fed it. Do not blame your snake being ill on Mykee or anyone's advice cause that is false. The truth is your snake got sick in your care or was sick when you bought it and you wish to blame someone else.
shaunyboy
10-10-12, 06:35 PM
it was lying upside down, constantly opening it's mouth, making crackling noises from the site, sitting on the cool side of the terrarium- Might I add, in the open. And other activities, and someones going to tell me I took my snake to the vet for no reason. Ridiculous. The vet may have acted wrong, but I DIDN'T.
What happened is that people shouted out instructions without knowing anything about my snake and it could have been very deadly. People (like Mykee) need to watch out before they give these instructions, or they are going to get someone in a lot of trouble.
you took the words right out my mouth.....
i was just about to write,that YOU did nothing wrong,no one is condeming you mate,we're condeming your vet,they were wrong and should really research reptiles,before working with them
all Kat was saying is it's NEVER a good idea,to transport snakes directly after a meal
Mykee gave you 100% the CORRECT advice mate,it's your VET who gave you terrible advice and treatment.....!!!
so IMO it's WRONG to critisize Mykee,Kat also knows this,hence her vigirous defense of Mkee and harsh critisism for your VET
you are right to be concerned about a snake lying on its back,its usually a sign of neurological issues
i hope you get to the bottom of it and the snake gets back to full health
cheers shaun
cheers shaun
Aaron_S
10-10-12, 07:10 PM
Ballpython1717- Be careful what people are telling you to feed him!!! I listened to Mykee and others who were telling me I was feeding my snake too little of a mouse. Mykee explained to me that his baby ball python's eat small adult mice out of the egg, and that a 3 month old should be eating large adult mice. I followed his and other people agreeing with him's advice, which turned out to be disastrous. I'm not trying to slam anyone on here, but these are the facts. I had to take my snake to the vet today because he was acting unusual. The vet told me word for word "The size prey you fed your snake is EXTREMELY too large" and she proceeded to force regurgitate the mouse. I fed my snake a medium adult mouse- He's not a new born so I didn't go with small adult mice, but large adult mice looked far to big. Use your OWN judgement ballpython1717!!!! I feel awful for my snake, he could have DIED.
You're literally like the dumbest person I've ever seen on a forum.
Post pics of your snake. You don't feed it enough. 15 inches? I'll snap a pic of my 3 month old tomorrow. Also his weight.
Lankyrob
10-11-12, 04:59 AM
For the first year of its life i fed my BP RATS that were AT LEAST TWICE his girth, he never had an issue eating or digesting them, never regurged at all.
Whilst i am not a vet i would say that there was something wrong with you snake BEFORE you fed it and your vet is an ***!!
Thanks guys for coming to my defense but Mykee is a big boy and can fight his own (stupid) battles, even if they are with a halfwit vet who has about the same amount of experience with snakes that I did 12 years ago.
Wanka; to start, I will keep you in my prayers, but not for the reasons you want.
I'll start with the most rudimentary of information because clearly, being the twitchy newbie you are, thats where we need to start: a snake will only take down a meal that it knows it can handle, to explain further (because I think you need it) a snake will only eat a meal large enough that it knows it can handle, if the meal size was too large, the snake would just have left it alone and not eaten it. Simple enough, right?
The only damage that was done was done by your dumba$$ vet (and you for paying him) to manually regurg the meal.
Assuming this is your first snake, you better have a small fortune set aside for vet visits because I'm guessing you're going to need it.
Just to clarify, because some peoples children lack the most common of common sense; I feed my two week old newborn babies (55-65g) their first meal of a medium adult mouse (12-15g). If I were to count, I've probably fed 1500 meals this size this year alone and I've been doing this for over a dozen years without a single issue.
Best of luck.
Sorry to see you leave this forum.
Bye.
Aaron_S
10-11-12, 12:50 PM
Here are my two three month-ish old ball pythons. On a scale. Both eat rat pups galore. I took these real quick as I'm busy today but it gives you an idea of true size, and properly fed snakes should be nice and robust.
http://www.reptilescanada.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=568&pictureid=2886
http://www.reptilescanada.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=568&pictureid=2885
MoreliAddict
10-11-12, 01:06 PM
Aaron in for his second picture fail of the day...
Wildside
10-11-12, 01:09 PM
:rolleyes:
Gungirl
10-11-12, 01:46 PM
Arron they are good looking..
ummmm..... ?
ballpython1717
10-12-12, 03:16 PM
i dont think any of you are understanding the problem! he is stressed and after i fed him a week ago he wouldnt poop! i only want to know how to make him less stressed.
Gungirl
10-12-12, 03:27 PM
How is the snake stressed? If you are housing it properly and not handling it, it will be fine. Even if stressed the snake will poop when it has to poop. Snakes don't poop every time you feed them either.
Aaron_S
10-12-12, 03:34 PM
Don't touch it. Don't touch the tank. Just don't worry. It's not like a dog that eats and then several hours laters needs to poop. You need to do more basic research on snakes as pets and in captivity.
Wildside
10-12-12, 05:09 PM
Don't touch it. Don't touch the tank. Just don't worry. It's not like a dog that eats and then several hours laters needs to poop. You need to do more basic research on snakes as pets and in captivity.
Where's dem pics?
rmfsnakes32
10-12-12, 06:49 PM
i dont think any of you are understanding the problem! he is stressed and after i fed him a week ago he wouldnt poop! i only want to know how to make him less stressed.
I have a snake that is 4 years old and only poops once a month this is very normal for snakes! The only thing stressed is you calm down do a little reading on snakes pooping habits and just how everyone has said he will poop when he has larger meals small fuzzy meals cause very little waste as he gets older his poops will be larger and still only be a few times a month
Aaron_S
10-12-12, 07:17 PM
Wait no one can see the pics of the potion and mystic above?
alessia55
10-12-12, 07:29 PM
Wait no one can see the pics of the potion and mystic above?
Aaron when I click to edit your post, I can see the links to the pics...but if I open the links on my computer, the photos don't show up either, which is why they aren't showing up on your post. It might be because of the settings of the album aren't set to public?
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