Poop is hanging out of snake.

We just adopted our 5 yr old ball python. She has what appears as rat feet sticking out of her poop shoot (sorry for not knowing a technical term)(also she eats live rats, she won't take dead ones). I am wondering if I should gently pull it out to help her pass it so that she will eat again (she hasn't been wanting to eat and we think this may be the reason). She is moving around fine, comfortable with her environment and with us, very docile. Please help, first time snake owner. Thank you.

I'll be the first. A pic would help determine what's up.

How large are the "rat feet"? Does they appear to be like a couple of toenails sticking out? Or is it a larger mass? Is the lower portion of her body swollen?

Yep we definitely need a pic. Sounds like spurs, but could be feet I guess. If it is feet, i definitely wouldn't pull on them. If it stays that way for a while, take it to a vet and have it removed. Pulling will only hurt the snake since it must be stuck on something.

I am going to 3rd that a pic would help out a lot. Google "Ball Python Spurs" and see if that is what you are seeing and make sure you are not mistaking them for rat feet.

I've never heard of a rat making it that far down the digestive track and still have recognizable body parts. Snake poop looks like...poop. If it's NOT the spurs you're seeing, but is indeed some portion of rat body sticking out, I would immediately seek out the help of a vet accomplished in treating reptiles/snakes, because there'd be something far more going on than a mere case of constipation.

(Technical term is cloaca, by the way, in case you were curious! ;) )

you sure its a female, if its a male could be a hemipeen {cant spell it } thats not retracted.

Their spurs DO kinda look like rat feet, now that you mention it... so I'm going with that possibility, at least until we see a picture of your snake. :oops:

Does it look something like this? :confuzd:

http://jenny.thegreenes.org/vestigal%20hips%20cindy.jpg

ok. it doesn't look like spurs at all. It's coming out of the middle of the spurs in the picture and it truly appears to be rats feet and looks like part of poop (BUT I am going to take a picture here in a lil while and I will post it because if I need to get her to a vet I'd like to do that soon). She is moving around fine, no pain. It reminds me of how our dog has to scoot along on her butt sometimes to get stuff that is hanging out in their due to hair & such. Doesn't appear to be swollen at all.

ok gotta get the kiddo to school and then i'll take a picture and post it. thank you for all the help, this forum is wonderful!!! :)

i gotta subscribe to this one, i have never heard anything like this. we will be waiting for that pic to help

oh and also, what state are u in, either someone can help you or atleast recommend a good vet

*Waits patiently for picture*

I realllly wanna see this!

Yeah me too - can't wait to see what could possibly be hanging out of this snake.

Could it be bedding that's gotten caught in the vent? It's got to be something other than feet. :confused:

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y25...k/DSC04749.jpg

I'm sorry it took so long, i wanted my husbands help with it all and yesterday was my bday. so anyways that is the picture. should i take her to the vet?! we are in kentucky, Louisville. She is really friendly and loves to be held even right now, seems healthy so its weird. Now that I see it in a picture it doesn't look like rat feet now or poop so any suggestions??? Thanks for all the help!

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y25...k/CIMG0079.jpg

ok so do we have a boy?! we are pretty convinced that's a hemipeen.....

wow thats all i can say im not this experienced and i have no idea wat that is but all i can say is WOW idk wat that is

I have no idea what that actually is, but I have a hunch. Regardless, I'd schedule a vet visit as soon as you can.

Is that carpeting the substrate the snake has always been on? It kind of looks like maybe there was a prolapse and dragging that around got some carpet fibers ground in there.

Or maybe it's a partially impacted poop? It's hard to tell without snake in hand whether that's poop/fur or necrotic tissue with carpet fibers stuck. It definitely looks irritated though, and it's doubtful that's going to get better without some medical intervention.

Ya i would defiantly schedule a vet visit. let us know what it turns out to be.

Hi,

Yes I think a vet visit would be the best idea - it looks like a prolapse or impaction?

A soak may help but the vet would be needed afterwards anyway to make sure it doesn't get infected from being exposed and dried out.


dr del

That definitely needs to be seen by a vet , and asap.

It looks like a prolapse that has since dried out. I would also get rid of that carpet inside the enclosure immediately. When we scoot on carpet, we almost burn ourself, as in rug burn. That can happen to the exposed tissue as well, and it does look like carpet fibers ground into whatever that is hanging out of her/him.

Clean paper towels or newspaper is in order, after a gentle soak i barely lukewarm water. Please take her/him to a reptile experienced vet asap, and let us know what happens...

yup, like the others have said it looks like a prolapse so u are going to need a vet asap.

It is a prolapsed of some kind that gotten all kinds of carpet fibers all in it I soak it in some warm water and see if you can't get the carpet off of there then take it to the vet or just take it to the vet..I'd prefer the latter..

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Shadera

I have no idea what that actually is, but I have a hunch. Regardless, I'd schedule a vet visit as soon as you can.

Is that carpeting the substrate the snake has always been on? It kind of looks like maybe there was a prolapse and dragging that around got some carpet fibers ground in there.

Or maybe it's a partially impacted poop? It's hard to tell without snake in hand whether that's poop/fur or necrotic tissue with carpet fibers stuck. It definitely looks irritated though, and it's doubtful that's going to get better without some medical intervention.

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I'm going to call a vet today and see what she can do. The snake actually was on the mulch time stuff when she developed this so I don't think its the carpet but I'm unsure when they changed to the "mulch". I'll let everyone know what i find out when i can. thanks.

I'd like to soak her to see if I can get the foreign stuff off of her.. but how long should I soak her? and should it be just luke-warm water?

I plan to take her to the vet but I'd like to see what all I can do by soaking her first, I don't have alot of money for a vet right now so the less they have to do the better off we all will be.

Also, I want to take out the carpeting in the bottom of the cage, but would you suggest newspaper or aspen bedding???

Thank you all for your minds... we love our animals and do not want to hurt them, we've always wanted snakes so this is exciting for us and we are ready to learn.

Paper towels or newspaper would be the best decision.

Soak to see what will happen. The water should feel neither warm nor cold to the touch...get the temp about as neutral as you can.

Based on the picture though, and the fact that its been this way for a few days, at least...I'm pretty certain that regardless of the soak, you will need a vet's immediate attention. It looks like prolapsed tissue that has died, which could cause a systemic infection if left untreated.

I concur wholeheartedly with the suggestion of either newspaper or paper towels as a new substrate. Don't worry about newspaper ink...it won't hurt the snake.

While I am not against a vet visit, I can tell you what I believe that is. It appears to me to be prolapsed hemipenes. It look as if both of them are prolapsed, and have been that way for at least 7 days or more. There does appear to be some carpet fibers in there, but the black coloration is normal for a hemipene that has been everted for a week. They look very dry, which is also normal for this situation, and I would bet they will fall off within a month. Because they are exposed, it is possibly for the cloaca to become infected, hence the reason for the vet visit, but I have had snakes loose one pene, and that is what it looks like after being exposed for a length of time. The black is very similar to a scab that you would develop on a wound, and more than likely if soaked, would be easily removed to show a very sensitive bloody pene.

All of that is what I can see from the picture, and based on my experience.

I hope that helps,

looks like a prolapsed rectum that got some other material on it (like perhaps carpet substrate, etc.)

My female had a prolapsed rectum late last year, it required vet treatment. I would try to get a recent fecal sample and take that and your snake into the vet. They will test it for any parasites which is more then likely what caused this. Although prolapse can come from force probing and other random occasions.

So not long after our initial post we awoke to find that our snake had shed and with the shedding came the part that was hanging off too. She had a huge bowel movement with the shedding as well. Since then she has eaten 2 good-sized rats, is all over her tank and loves to be held. She rests her head right on my husband and he loves it, they have a good bond!

Thank you for all your help, you guys are great and i will be using this resource again. I did just want to post an update.
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y25...k/DSC05062.jpg
Also, she is still on the same indoor carpeting that she's been on for the past 5 years. She's all over the place and a really pretty snake so I don't see any signs of it hurting her.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y25...k/DSC05066.jpg

THATS a 5 year old female?

Thats a tiny poop too....

Quote:

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Originally Posted by 2kdime

THATS a 5 year old female?

Thats a tiny poop too....

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Yes she's 5 (that we were told by the previous owners anyways), we just adopted her a month ago, she's right at 3 1/2 feet. She hadn't eaten in 7 months or longer so we were surprised she had anything to poop. We figured out that she had developed a fear of live rats and so we started her with dead and she is happy as can be. After this last meal I don't see how the poop could be that small ever again. She's eaten 2 rats in 1 week to make up for lost time!!