He just ate a bark chip!

Hi everyone,

I'm concerned about my 1 1/2 year old ball python, he is a picky eater and just came off a fast, missed his meal last week so I tried to feed him in his viv (I usually take him out and use a separate box).

I have just fed him, I use bark chips and I heard that it could be dangerous if they ate some. So to avoid this I took out his water bowl and placed a towel down and held the F/T wiener rat with tongs. He eventually came out his cave (some of his body was still inside) and struck the prey and constricted it. He then reversed all the way back into his cave and ate it in there.

I saw him poke his head out the cave to finish the last bit and I saw he had a bark chip in his mouth and he swallowed that too.

Is this dangerous or will his digestive system break it down?

Thanks

Small chip should be no problem, remember these guys have no problem digesting bone. That said I avoid the whole thing by keeping my animals on paper.

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Originally Posted by JodanOrNoDan

Small chip should be no problem, remember these guys have no problem digesting bone. That said I avoid the whole thing by keeping my animals on paper.

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I used to use lignocel but my house is not very humid and I could not keep it up so switched to bark chips about a month or two ago. First time I had ever fed a snake in its viv (I have 3 royals and a corn).

Snakes in the wild don't have clean surfaces. If it's small, like said, should be fine.