Can anyone help us help Beethoven!

We recently rescued our first ball python approx 4-6 months old, from an abusive home (his sibling didn't make it). He was taken over with belly rot to the extent that no one thought he'd recover, and no one could tell us when or if he had eaten ever! But his has healed beautifully and we are so in love with him. He has eaten several small meals in the seven weeks that we have had him and has shed two times. Our concern is that he has not 'pooped' yet. We can not find out what we can do to help him, and we can't find any information on what is or is not 'normal'. We have raised and bred corns for some time, but this is our first ball python. We don't want to see our Beethoven suffer! Can anyone help us through this.

Some snakes poop once a week some poop once a month. It all depends on the snake. Most will go when they are ready. I wouldn't worry to much.

Sometimes they can become impacted and could benefit from a good soak. If you think you have good cause to worry or are unsure of the severity of the problem, seek the advice of a good herp vet.

I would encourage you to see a vet if for nothing else than a general wellness check and either a fecal float (if he does poop) or the vet can do a vent wash and check for internal parasites. With a snake that's been so badly abused/neglected it's good to have a vet go over them and see what's really up. It may be that the snake isn't pooping because it's so starved that it's absorbing all it can from it's food. It could also be still dehydrated and every creature needs water intake in order to produce feces properly. It really could be a lot of things and none of them can be figured out online really. Best to see your vet when it comes to any creature that's had a long history of such poor treatment.

Your replies have been so fast and have helped us sooth our panic. Thanks to all, and we look forward to all the fantastic support. Thank you!

That's so nice of you to save that poor BP! It takes them a little while to poop sometimes, but I would reccommend making a trip to the vet's just to make sure he is all better. Good luck!