Peeing/Pooing A Lot?

Wow, sorry for posting so much...I feel like I'm being kind of annoying...hope y'all don't mind.

Anyway, I was holding my snake for the past three days, and all three days she either peed or pooed on me. Is it normal for them to do this that much? I've had her for about a month and a half and she hasn't been like this before.

You probably know that the general rule is not to handle for 48 hours after feeding. This rule is to prevent you from interfering with the startup of the snakes digestive process. This does not mean that the snake stops digesting after 48 hours. Depending on various factors digestion can be ongoing for more than a week. Since handling applies movement and pressure to the snakes internal organs-it is very common for a snake to excrete waste during manipulation.

I personally won't handle my snakes more than the minimal required for husbandry unless I think they are 'empty'. :)

Yes, I don't handle her until 48 hours after she eats, but that makes sense...she might still be digesting. Thank you for your help!

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Originally Posted by Dragonslayer

Yes, I don't handle her until 48 hours after she eats, but that makes sense...she might still be digesting. Thank you for your help!

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Some snakes (young king or milk snakes- typical example) also defecate in self-defense; handling scares them & by "tasting bad" they reduce the chance of a predator eating them & just letting them go. ;)

So keep in mind that you just might be scaring the "pee & poo" out of your snake, that's why it's so frequent. Take the hint...slow down, handle less while your snake learns to trust you as "safe", not a predator.

She seems calm when doing it and it's not immediately after picking her up (I kind of imagine picking her up and she poos quickly to escape? idk how that works). She's also not young, probably about 5-6. I'll slow down on the handling, though, anyway, even if it's just the digestion thing. Thank you for the tip!