Help to getting a baby BP to go potty

I have what I call my special needs baby Spider Ball Python that I hatched last year. He was the last one out of the egg, and had never eaten without help. He was 125 grams roughly the last time I weighed him, he is probably a little bigger now, but very small over all considering he hatched in Nov. 2012. I have had to assist feed him every meal, and now its just that I have to put the food in his mouth and then he will eat it. The problem I am having right now is it looks like he needs to poop, the bottom 1/3 of his body is a bit thicker than the rest and his vent is really looking like he needs to go. But I first noticed this over a week ago. He went into shed so I left him alone thinking he would shed and poo on his own. Well I soaked him last night for a while after noticing that his bottom third still looked really big, and he shed over night a nice full shed. But he hasn't gone to the bathroom. Should I be worried? His belly scales have always seemed kinda soft, like they did when he first hatched, and but they look so distended at the moment. Any recommendations on how to help him go to the bathroom?

Perhaps you need to slow down on the assist feeding. It is possible that he isn't eating on his own because he isn't hungry.

I would wait 2 weeks between each legit feeding attempt and only assist feed if he refuses 4 meals in a row, then repeat.

He'll poop on his own. Just make sure his heat is correct.

I have been going a couple of weeks in between each assist feed, and it is after he has refused to eat on his own a number of times. I have gone about a month roughly once between assists and he still won't eat on his own. He starts to lose weight after a month, it took quite a bit to get him over a 100 grams, his sister is sitting close to 300 or more grams. But she eats on her own. Thanks for the advice tho :) I will give him a little more time.

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Originally Posted by Lana's_mom

I have been going a couple of weeks in between each assist feed, and it is after he has refused to eat on his own a number of times. I have gone about a month roughly once between assists and he still won't eat on his own. He starts to lose weight after a month, it took quite a bit to get him over a 100 grams, his sister is sitting close to 300 or more grams. But she eats on her own. Thanks for the advice tho :) I will give him a little more time.

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I once had a large female who became constipated after laying eggs. I put her in a warm bath for 20 minutes. Then i massaged her from her mid section down to her tail a few times and it helped get her system going. The results were nasty! lol

If you feel the need to help, you can try that. It won't hurt him even if he doesn't need it.

Thanks :) I will give him a little more time and if he still hasn't gone I will try that.

Just give him some time and he will eventually eat. Hes probably not eating because he is not hungry. Wait a couple of weeks and feed him but if he doesnt want to eat leave him. Believe me, he will eat.

I highly doubt this snake is not hungry, it's a 2012 that's barely over 100g. Did you two not read that?

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and when it comes to poop... sometimes they just scare you and do stuff other animals cannot do and put up a dramatic display.

check this thread: ball-pythons.net/forums/showthread.php?200510-HOLY-CRAP!-literally

its a bit like an earthquake in the san francisco area, they happen, and if they stop happening like they should, pressure builds up and something dramatic will happen.

You need to balance mainly between two choices: reptile vet, or wait longer. A bath in clean, lukewarm water, no additives, just a regular bath for a snake, may help. Having the temps and other husbandry right will help. Dont stop feeding just because it stops pooping is another rule of thumb.

And as time passes, chances for one big poop-event that solves all problems are going up, also chances that something is really wrong and you need a real expert and maybe real intervention are going up.

Fortunately we have real experts on this forum. What helps them most and causes them to respond in a useful way is: share pictures of the snake, showing it just as it is, but also pictures of the belly, different perspectives. And share more details about the current husbandry, there is a list of questions stickied in the husbandry section, titled "HELP US HELP YOU!! -- A Help Request Questionaire".


Right now things dont sound too bad, but without pictures its hard to tell.

Two things what is his hot side reading at? Do you have a temp gun to get a accurate reading? If temps are all right and he's still not pooping, put him in the bath tub and soak him in some lukewarm water.

Soak him in the tub for 5-10 minutes at a time this will help loosen anything built up. Obviously don't leave him unattended so he can escape and don't have the water to high where he has to swim, just enough water to cover 1/4- 1/2 his body.

I have included pics here, I took him outside to get them since it's the best lighting. The warm side is around 90 normally, and the low in the low 80's. He is in a rack, and the other BP's are eating and pooping just fine. I took his weight when I had him out for pics and have to correct that he is sitting at 172 grams, I know that will go down once he poops. But that is the biggest he has been, so atleast he is going up in weight. Here are the pics of him.

http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n...ps76d71f31.jpg
http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n...psb08b76d4.jpg
http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n...ps38f700fe.jpg

Thanks again

Poor thing, he looks backed up try soaking him like I said. Try this 2-3 times a day until it passes should work. Ive had good luck with doing this, after it passes quit force feeding I think his current weight is ok to try a couple things.


He might be a extremely picky eater try this.

Not that he doesn't want to eat he might just want that extra privacy. My female Albino Pin wont eat in the day time she will only eat at night when the room is pitch dark. I have to drop the rat in her tub and sit there in the dark for 20 minutes before she will come out and kill it.

Then when I hear the squeak I turn the lights on and inspect to make sure the rat isn't biting her then I turn lights off and leave her alone. Since shes been in my care I have been able to feed her 3-4 times in the day now. I can tell shes getting less picky with privacy. I can guarantee in another 1-2 months she will eat at any time for me.

How I started with with her not being as picky/private is I would drop a walker rat in a blacked out tub. The rat was something I knew wouldn't hurt her and smaller then what she normally ate and could be left in her tub overnight.

To black out the tub, just take a black piece of construction paper and tape on front of his tub.

I don't believe in force feeding, snakes like this think they are gonna eat like this there whole life and are babied. I understand hes not eating, force feeding also causes stress and if hes jammed up and you keep jamming food down him its going no where.

I will try those things, but to be honest I have done them before. The room the rack use to be in was pitch black, had no windows. I would put a rat fuzzie/crawler in his tub over night, and leave him completely undisturbed all night and even into the next morning, nothing, would find him snuggled up to the rat in his hide. I have tried mice fuzzies and hoppers, live, I have tried ASF fuzzies and hoppers, live, all over night. I have had him in the same small tub since he hatched, until recently. I have tried the paper bag with the fuzzy in it overnight, and again nothing. I have withheld all feeding attempts for over 2 weeks and offered live again, nothing. I have tried to scent a mouse fuzzy with lizard scent, and nothing. I have put him in a deli cup overnight with a fuzzy, nothing. I have tried all of these things during the day too, and still nothing. And I no longer have to force him. All I do now is get him to open his mouth and put it in and then he eats it with gusto. He just refuses to strike at it and grab it, he has never, not once struck at anything, not even in defense. He refused my last attempt to offer live, without assisting, and so I was going to wait til he has pooped before trying again. But I promise that for the last nearly 9 months I have been trying to get him to eat on his own, I want him to eat on his own. :D

Yeah I understand he probably has you frustrated at this point. Silly snake just opening his mouth like that! I read your post didn't see anything in there about offering f/t have you tried that? Yeah defiantly wait on the force feeding till he goes.

If any one else has any tricks that they can try, please feel free to chime in. :D

Clean his enclosure. That always seems to get mine to go.

Diamond, I haven't done F/T, but have done fresh pre-killed, he still didn't take it without me putting it in his mouth. I call him my special BP, lol. Truthfully I think he is kinda lazy, lol. Well I cleaned his cage today when I found the fresh shed, so here's hoping ;) lol