Small green solid waste next to urate?

[JAGpenguin]

I got a new bp imported from europe. She is 3 months old and weighs 250 g. She eats very aggresively and is always alert. But behavior-wise very good for a snake that i have just owned for 1-2 months.

There is just 1 problem. When she pees, the urate is always accompanied with a much much smaller slimy solid next to it that is green and it sticks to the paper substrate. At first i thought it was a trace amount of green feces but i am not sure because when she poops for real it always comes out firm solid brown. So no i am confused. Should i be worried? Also, 1 thing i notice is that she poops every two weeks or so. Usually my other young snakes poop around 4-5 days after meal.

Husbandry is optimal and identical with my other snakes.

[Albert Clark]

That’s all normal buddy. If its what I think it is by your description and without a photo. Excreted from the gall bladder, its bile. Can you send us a picture when you can?

[JAGpenguin]

I took the paper substrate from the trash (from today's pee). The white urate has dropped off somewhere, but the green thing has solidified even more and is now stuck on the paper. Also, I took the pic without flash because of low batt, it is much greener in real life.

[Armiyana]

Agreeing with Albert. An occasionally green urate sounds pretty normal.

As long as it isn't slimy green 'poop' and it has more of a urate like consistency, it's not uncommon. Could be from a bit of shipping stress and the bile. Sometimes urates will even be almost a blue tint or bright orange. Unless this odd color urate is happening all the time and is the only urate, I wouldn't worry.


If it is more like a poop and the stools start getting runny as well, you may need a sample checked for parasites.

[Armiyana]

Just saw the photo on my phone. Posted while I was posting, hahah.

Looks like some of the normal poop crumbles from my small screen.

[JAGpenguin]

I havent had the snake for long, not even 2 months. So far, the pee has always been like this, BUT it is worth noting that the white chalky urate is always separate from the green slimy solid. They are always found next to each other but the green stuff is much much smaller. Real poop has always been solid brown logs with no green whatsoever.

[Albert Clark]

Yes, that’s pretty much what I expected to see. Still pretty sure it’s bile coming from the reptile’s gall bladder. It’s a normal excretory substance. Remember, these reptiles have exceedingly strong digestive enzymes and the gall bladder is a big part of that.

[Albert Clark]

[IMG]Digestive System of Snakes Class Reptilia Order Squamata Since reptiles were the first to inhabit dry land, several

evolutionary changes were required in the anatomy of reptiles. One aspect of these evolutionary changes includes the digestive

system. Many of these adaptations can be seen in the mouth of snakes. Since snakes are terrestrial, many changes occur in the

oral glands in the transition from amphibian to reptiles. These changes in oral glands and venom glands aid in the immobilizing

prey and swallowing prey. The salivary glands found in snakes include the palatine, lingual, sublingual and labial gland. These

glands help moisten the prey for swallowing. In venomous snakes, such as the Water Moccasin, poison glands are modifications

of the labial glands. These glands lie on either side of the head and neck and lead to ducts in the modified maxillary teeth. The

teeth of snakes also underwent evolutionary changes. Members of Squamata have pleurodont dentition. Venomous snakes have

grooved or tubular teeth for the injection of venom. Vipers have large retractable, tubular teeth (solenoglyphous). Directly inside

the mouth of snakes is the buccal cavity. This leads to the esophagus of the snake. In snakes, the esophagus is long and can

cover up to half the length of the body. The esophagus of snakes has more internal folds than other reptiles, which allows for the

swallowing of large, whole prey. Peristaltic movement within the esophagus moves the food downward towards the stomach.

The stomach is a j-shaped organ in which most of the digestion occurs in snakes. The cells of the stomach secrete digestive

enzymes and gastric juices that breakdown proteins. The food then passes through the pyloric valve and into the small

intestines. The small intestines is a long narrow coiled tube where absorbance of nutrients takes place. The small intestines is

divided into three regions: the duodenum, the ileum, and jejunum. The liver, which primarily functions in excreting nitrogenous

wastes, storing nutrients, and producing bile, excretes digestive enzymes into the duodenum of the small intestines. Also, the

pancreas, which produces insulin and glycogen as well, produces digestive enzymes such as lipases, proteases and

carbohydrases and secretes them into the duodenum. At the junction of the small intestines and large intestines is the caecum.

The large intestines is the least muscular and most thin-walled structure of the snake digestive system. It passes into the

cloacae chamber. This chamber is divided into a copradaeum for receiving feces and a urodaeum for urine and products of the

genital organs. The cloaca plays an important role in the reabsorption of water. The rate of digestion is dependent of body

temperature because they are cold-blooded animals.[/IMG]

[Albert Clark]

[IMG]Do snakes produce bile? C24 bile acids are the dominant bile acids in later evolving species including ray-finned fish,

snakes, many birds, and most mammals (23).[/IMG]


[IMG]It is a major endocrine organ. Among many things, it helps regulate the body's blood-glucose levels and produces

digestive enzymes. Interestingly, a snake's gall bladder is not associated with the liver like it is mammals, lizards and turtles.Dec 1, 2011[/IMG]