abnormal bowel movements/temp help?

[Sensei345]

I got my BP Link about 2 months ago now, and he seems to be really healthy and comfortable in his new place after have some time to settle in and get used to it. He is approximately 2 years old, not sure what weight he is at as I haven't had the chance to weigh him yet. During this time I had some adult mice given to me from the old owner but ended up changing from 3 adult mice (frozen/thawed) every 7-10 days to a 150g chicken (frozen/thawed) every 14-18 days. He transitioned seamlessly from the mice to the chicken and I haven't had any regurgitation since i started the chickens.

I'm a little concerned however because he has taken anywhere from 10-15 days to poop, yet i've found urates as soon as 2-3 days after a feeding. Right now I have a IR heat bulb and a ceramic space heater to keep the temps up for him (75-78 cool side 83-88 hot side), I change his water every 2 days, mist his tank as needed (just enough for the substrates to hold form but not drip). I have ordered a UTH and a rheostat to more accurately control his temps in the hopes of that making a difference but have yet to receive them.

Is it normal for a BP to go that long without a bowel movement or could there be something wrong with his digestive tract? His temps have dipped a little low one night (70-72 cool, 76-78 hot) but i had that corrected and brought the ambient room temp up with the above mentioned ceramic space heater.

He hasn't been as active as I have heard or read they should be after having digested his meal, usually just hanging out under his hide that's set in the middle of his enclosure. I rarely see him on the hot side of his tank and have only seen him balled up in the corner of his tank behind one of the fake plants on the cool side, not in his second hide on that side.

Is any of this abnormal behavior I should be worried about and if so what would be recommended to help him have a better quality of life?

[Albert Clark]

Nah, it seems as though you have the temps ok. However it would be good and helpful to get the uth and rheostat hooked up bc bp's require belly heat to really aid digestion. I didn't get your humidity number? Maybe I missed that. Snakes have a tendency to hold on to feces at times for various reasons. I wouldn't worry about that right now though.

[PitOnTheProwl]

Belly heat is NOT needed however I would work on raising the temps a little more.
I regulate feeding on poops, if they are going after every meal, that is wasted food but is they are not going or going very little then it is all used in energy to grow.
It will vary with breeding females and so on but I usually don't worry about it.

[Sensei345]

I didn't get your humidity number? Maybe I missed that.

No you didn't. I don't have an accurate way of measuring my humidity at this point and have just been checking daily by hand. Everything I have read has been saying to keep the substrates damp enough to hold form if squeezed but not wet enough to leak any water when squeezed.
I do have some digi thermo/hygrometers in the tank but they don't use any probes and being set at the top of the tank it wouldn't be accurate enough to go by. I do have an IR temp gun that im able to use to check the heat in the bottom of the tank at least though so that is much more accurate.

However it would be good and helpful to get the uth and rheostat hooked up bc bp's require belly heat to really aid digestion.

I'm just waiting on my rheostat to arrive and i'll be doing that. Should be arriving this week.

I regulate feeding on poops, if they are going after every meal, that is wasted food but is they are not going or going very little then it is all used in energy to grow.

Also, how many days do you usually wait after a poop to feed or is it safe to feed even though he hasn't pooped yet but its later than the normal wait period between feedings?

[PitOnTheProwl]

Also, how many days do you usually wait after a poop to feed or is it safe to feed even though he hasn't pooped yet but its later than the normal wait period between feedings?

I offer weekly.

A digital hydrometer in the enclosure will be accurate, it doesn't need a probe.
You also want to measure temperature UNDER the substrate not on top.

[Sensei345]

Got it, thanks guys.

[mainer12]

One of mine poops 3-4 days after eating. The other will go 3-4 weeks without pooping. I just co continuously offer food according to my schedule, when they have to go they will.