Help! Baby ball python hasn't gone to bathroom.

[Jrhc824]

I have a 8 week old ball python. The last time i fed her was about 10 days ago and she hasn't gone to the bathroom since. She just ate again. Whenever i get her out she moves around and seems to be healthy but in the enclosure she always stays in her hide...its about mid enclosure and the temperature is normally around 80F...i am having some trouble with humidity though, i can't get it to stay up. I have a glass enclosure with a metal screen top and i usually have to soak the entire cage with mist from a water bottle for it to get to 50%...any advice?

[David VB]

Get another hygrometer coz 50% is easily reached in normal environment. And read about ball pythons before purchasing one. They can have it dryer, only need to mist more when they're gonna shed. I mist once a week or sometimes even 10 days. And they do not poop that frequently, but if you're unsure, you can always wait with feeding until it has pooped so its belly is empty again.

[CosmicOwl]

I would suggest you cover up most of the screen with plastic wrap or foil. It will be a quick fix for holding humidity.

[FWK]

Hello and welcome. You've come to the right place, there are a lot of keepers far more experienced than me here. But here is what jumps out at me.

Originally Posted by Jrhc824

The last time i fed her was about 10 days ago and she hasn't gone to the bathroom since.

Not uncommon for BPs to go a couple weeks between bowel movements. What size prey item are you feeding her?

Originally Posted by Jrhc824

Whenever i get her out she moves around and seems to be healthy but in the enclosure she always stays in her hide...

BPs are very shy by nature, especially as babies. They are also nocturnal and spend most of the day sleeping in a hide.

Originally Posted by Jrhc824

i am having some trouble with humidity though, i can't get it to stay up. I have a glass enclosure with a metal screen top and i usually have to soak the entire cage with mist from a water bottle for it to get to 50%.

This is the big one to me, my first BP came with an aquarium and I fought with that thing for months before I gave up and put the snake in a little plastic tub. Not only is humidity much easier to maintain, I never mist any of my BPs and sheds are perfect every time, but the snakes are much happier in a little tub. In the wild BPs spend the majority of their life in holes in the ground, a plastic tub mimics their natural environment much better than any big glass aquarium can. That's not to say BPs can not be kept in glass, many people successfully keep BPs in aquariums, tubs are just much easier and better suited for the job. If you are going to stick with the glass enclosure cover as much of the screen top as you can. Tin foil works well. A large water bowl helps too, the more water surface area you have the more water can evaporate and increase humidity. The ideal humidity for BPs is around 80%, most care sheets list 60% as a minimum. If you pull up weather reports from areas BPs are native you'll see the relative humidity is around 80% year round. I'll attach a humidity chart for Ghana. Note that the substrate should always be dry, wet substrate can lead to skin issues.

[Aaron_S]

Here's a few quick tips...

have multiple hides. Not just one. The snake should have the option of being secure on the hot side or the cool side. I'm glad she's eating but this will help make her even more comfortable.

No, snakes do not need to go to the washroom after every feeding. My ball pythons quite frequently will go without for some time.
This is a product of their natural habitat. They normally live in termite mounds or abandoned rodent burrows. They will stay put in these places for long periods of time waiting for food to walk by or what have you. The only way food won't come by for them is due to smell so they will at times hold it in for periods of time then release one giant amount. Then they'd move on to a new burrow/mound what have you.
So the point of my story is that you're fine

As has been suggested. Covering the top of the enclosure will increase the humidity.

[aaron_cg]

What both of them said! As far as keeping a ball in a fish tank, I would switch over to a tub. Pending the size of your BP, less than $5 at Walmart. Keeps humidity up around 65% on cypress without even trying.