Several poop, hydration questions.

[td30]

Well we have had Sandy for 5 weeks now and no poo. Not knowing how long it was been since she went before she was in our possession, it was time for a soak. After soaking for ~10 min here it comes. Rock hard Urates and a little while later the poo. I keep the humidity in the low 50's. Were the hard urates due to dehydration? A couple of weeks ago she had a perfect shed. I don't get it. One thing I have noticed is that she hardly ever moves. She stays in one hide or the other all the time. Any ideas? I guess I will see how goes now that the obvious blockage is out...

[Myenia]

Not an expert....but all that sounds perfectly normal to me. As long as its being offered clean water, I wouldn't be concerned.

[td30]

Not an expert....but all that sounds perfectly normal to me. As long as its being offered clean water, I wouldn't be concerned.

Passing ROCK HARD urates only after soaking is normal???

[frankykeno]

No it's not normal. The snake should be able to pass it's wastes, whether that's feces, urates or urine without soaking. It may be that your snake wasn't as well cared for as it should have been prior to your owning it so it's body isn't in top shape quite yet. It may be that you need to make sure it's getting the right size food, enough to drink and a bit more exercise so it can get it's insides moving along better. Just keep an eye on the situation and if the snake continues to have problems passing it's wastes, then I'd suggest a visit to the vet or a reassessment of it's husbandry to try and find out what's causing the backup.

[td30]

No it's not normal. The snake should be able to pass it's wastes, whether that's feces, urates or urine without soaking. It may be that your snake wasn't as well cared for as it should have been prior to your owning it so it's body isn't in top shape quite yet. It may be that you need to make sure it's getting the right size food, enough to drink and a bit more exercise so it can get it's insides moving along better. Just keep an eye on the situation and if the snake continues to have problems passing it's wastes, then I'd suggest a visit to the vet or a reassessment of it's husbandry to try and find out what's causing the backup.

I know she is eating the right size food which in this case is rat pups. I don't know for sure if she is drinking enough though. I have only seen her drinking from her bowl once. As far as the husbandry goes its 82/92 with humidity in the low 50's. A hide on each side which I never see her leave except to eat. I know she is not moving around enough, but don't know how to remedy that. I have even considered removing her hides, but I don't want her to lose that security.

[starmom]

Remember, boas are not ball pythons and I have found that not one of my three boas become stressed as a ball python will! However, if your boa likes the hides right now, then leave them in there, but take her out

Since you're feeding rat pups, am I correct in thinking that this is just a little '08 boa? If so, it is really important to take the snake out of the enclosure and handle her. You want to give Sandy exercise and also allow for her to get to 'know' you and vice-versa. This will help considerably when Sandy grows to 6 feet or more!!

EDIT: Hold the phone!!! I just read another post and discovered that you have a Suriname Bcc and not a Bci which was my stupid assumption when I was reading your temps. I have no Bcc's but am wondering about their husbandry requirements since I know that they are a little different from the needs of a Bci. Also, have you been in touch with the breeder to ask for advice?

[littleindiangirl]

This may or may not help, but I would try giving her fresh water everday to promote her drinking more often. Some snakes are just picky like that.

Also, I have read that BCC's prefer cooler temps than BCI's. If that's correct, it may be a clue into her hard urates and dehydration issues.

Hope that helps a bit.

[starmom]

That's just what I was thinking Connie~ about the lower temps that Bcc's like and maybe the higher temps of the environment is what caused the drying. I pm'd the OP a couple of hours ago and gave link to a terrific care sheet for Bcc's.

Great minds think alike

[blackcrystal22]

Wow, I feel REALLY dumb for asking this..
I'm pretty sure I have a BCC from Jimi, but how do you tell the difference between a BCC and a BCI?

Edit: Also, starmom, terrific caresheet where? Please share! :]

[td30]

Remember, boas are not ball pythons and I have found that not one of my three boas become stressed as a ball python will! However, if your boa likes the hides right now, then leave them in there, but take her out

Since you're feeding rat pups, am I correct in thinking that this is just a little '08 boa? If so, it is really important to take the snake out of the enclosure and handle her. You want to give Sandy exercise and also allow for her to get to 'know' you and vice-versa. This will help considerably when Sandy grows to 6 feet or more!!

EDIT: Hold the phone!!! I just read another post and discovered that you have a Suriname Bcc and not a Bci which was my stupid assumption when I was reading your temps. I have no Bcc's but am wondering about their husbandry requirements since I know that they are a little different from the needs of a Bci. Also, have you been in touch with the breeder to ask for advice?

Thanks for the help. I have read The Rio Bravo care sheet before and I thought I was following it...

"An example for a daytime Summer set-up would be an 80-84deg room with a heat-strip adjusted to 95. This allows for the animal to seek an optimum temperature, rather than you deciding what is best. "

This baby was born in Oct of 07 and currently weighs 280 grams (prior to the big poop). So rat pups it is for now.

I have been taking her out about 3 times per week, but I think I am going to increase that. Could only help

This may or may not help, but I would try giving her fresh water everday to promote her drinking more often. Some snakes are just picky like that.

I will try this. Thanks. I am also trying to increase the humidity to closer to 60%.

Wow, I feel REALLY dumb for asking this..
I'm pretty sure I have a BCC from Jimi, but how do you tell the difference between a BCC and a BCI?

Edit: Also, starmom, terrific caresheet where? Please share! :]

Don't feel dump. That is a very common question. It has to do with saddle counts, saddle shape, head shape, among other things. Don't know when you got your baby from Jimi, but he did not have any available Suri's (not the only type of BCC) available as of a couple of months ago. I think Jimi has a brekdown of the different types of boas he has on his site as well.