Blaine keeps pooping on me :( help?

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Originally Posted by Miss Brie

I did notice that the weeks that I gave him a bath, he tended to go in the bath and not on me. Maybe I should start bathing him more? (as it is, I do it maybe once a month, just to get off stray bits of skin and poo and pee)

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It's not generally recommended to bathe ball pythons as their skin loses their needed natural oils. Plus it can stress out, burn, chill the snake if done incorrectly. If the snake has bits of stuck shed, putting them in a damp towel or pillowcase works im told.

Unscented baby wipes work great for cleaning snakes

I had one that would pass urates a lot when I held him. I think it just has to do with the handling kind of massaging it out of them, as gross as that sounds. Or maybe something to do with human body heat, too.

As for remedies, the only thing I can think of is to make sure that he has gone to the bathroom before you hold him. Like others have said, they don't go that often and because of that it should be somewhat easy to predict when they are likely to go, so maybe try to work handling time around that accordingly?

How long do you usually have him out for, and does he do it EVERY time? Does he ever poop IN his cage?

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Originally Posted by Sunnyvale420

It's not generally recommended to bathe ball pythons as their skin loses their needed natural oils. Plus it can stress out, burn, chill the snake if done incorrectly. If the snake has bits of stuck shed, putting them in a damp towel or pillowcase works im told.

Unscented baby wipes work great for cleaning snakes

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I don't leave him in for very long, and the water is not too warm.

Is this widely agreed among python owners though? not to bathe them? They told me at the vivarium to every so often bathe him in luke warm water for about 5 minutes around shedding time to help with humidity levels :/ I have noticed it has helped him have more complete and successful sheds, but if bathing him is not the best way to continue getting this result I'll figure out something else.

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Originally Posted by alittleFREE

I had one that would pass urates a lot when I held him. I think it just has to do with the handling kind of massaging it out of them, as gross as that sounds. Or maybe something to do with human body heat, too.

As for remedies, the only thing I can think of is to make sure that he has gone to the bathroom before you hold him. Like others have said, they don't go that often and because of that it should be somewhat easy to predict when they are likely to go, so maybe try to work handling time around that accordingly?

How long do you usually have him out for, and does he do it EVERY time? Does he ever poop IN his cage?

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Its definitely not every single time, and he does go in his cage. But I guess its just, even if I get pooped on 3 times in a month, its still more than I'd like to have happen. Snake poo is quite smelly and a tough smell to get off of your clothes and couch. And more than I've noticed other snake owners :/

We joke that Blaine's just so chilled out and relaxed that he feels comfortable pooping on me :P (but I know its really not that deep).

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Miss Brie

I don't leave him in for very long, and the water is not too warm.

Is this widely agreed among python owners though? not to bathe them? They told me at the vivarium to every so often bathe him in luke warm water for about 5 minutes around shedding time to help with humidity levels :/ I have noticed it has helped him have more complete and successful sheds, but if bathing him is not the best way to continue getting this result I'll figure out something else.

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Yes, it's fairly common practice to NOT bathe snakes for no reason. Bathing before a shed actually is counter productive, as it removes all the essential oils under their skin that they are about to shed. Humidity issues in the enclosure should be corrected if humidity is an issue. Mine only get a bath if they smear poo everywhere or get blood on them from a rodent. It's not worth the stress to bathe them for no reason.

This is kinda scary, with my last ball python I used to take him out, and watch movies with him laying on my stomach.... I never even saw him poop in the 12 years I had him, it would just show up in his cage lol.

It sucks you have such bad luck

I had my ball poop all over me just the other day. Nothing like digested rat to clear the sinuses!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Miss Brie

I did notice that the weeks that I gave him a bath, he tended to go in the bath and not on me. Maybe I should start bathing him more? (as it is, I do it maybe once a month, just to get off stray bits of skin and poo and pee)

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Please don't bathe your bp. If he has been crawling through his poo, just use a non scented baby wipe to let him crawl through. Bathing strips them of their essential oils.

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If i feel 'in danger' of getting pooped on i just keep Perry in a towel. I have only beed a portable toilet once but that was enough for sure! Silver lining to this would definitely be- At least you know he has a healthy digestive tract!!!! :D:D:D