Impacted carpet python

I had similar concern with my jungle girl after her last meal of the year. Hadn’t defecated for probably close to a month if not more (2-3 feedings?).
Eventually she left the largest bowel movement I’ve ever seen from an animal that size. Rockhampton female also held on to a bowel movement for about a month after her last feeding this year as well. Both I could palpate and feel semi hard urates just before their vent. Vet visit is never a terrible idea, but hopefully it’s nothing.


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Update

Went to the vet today and she's constipated/impacted. They did x-rays to confirm. The vet gave her a liquid laxative via tube down her throat (can't remember for the life of me what she called the stuff). She had some sort of reaction to either the laxative or the tube because she was producing really thick mucous afterwards that they were worried about and couldn't get to stop for 30-45 minutes but she kept the medicine down, most of it anyway.

I was sent home with syringes and antibiotics just in case it was an allergic reaction the antibiotics will fight it before it becomes a problem. Now I get to give a shot to a 5 1/2 - 6 foot python. Yay me! The vet said to keep trying to soak her and hopefully it'll pass on it's own since it's not big enough to require surgery unless it just doesn't pass at all and in that case surgery will be a last resort. Poor girl had a rough day and now she's resting and relaxing.

Hope she hangs in there and comes through well.

Keep us posted!

A vet gave me the suggestion of using a length of pvc pipe or sturdy cardboard shipping tube slightly larger than the girth of the snake with a hole cut in it for administering injections. Certainly provided at least some assistance when I was administering antibiotics unassisted to an uncooperative 10’ retic a few years back.


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I actually do have a piece of PVC I was going to try to use to keep the bitey end occupied lol. If that doesn't work I'm sure I can find someone to help hold her while I poke her. I just hope she passes the poop and doesn't require surgery!

You want to use tubing that is only just a little bigger than the widest diameter of the snake- otherwise, they might turn around inside it. Have a ventilated cap for the one end, so they don't keep going, lol. I haven't used this process for giving injections, only for avoiding injections, lol. (I tube-fed a rattlesnake for a while, until she recovered fully).

*update*

The lump is now uniform with the rest of her body so I'm hoping that means it's broken up a bit. And it's moved down next to the cloaca so now it really does resemble sausage butt. I'm going to continue to soak her and hope she just pushes the rest out since it's literally right next to the exit!

Fingers well-crossed for her success. :gj: