Ball python eats substrate

I fed my ball python tonight and he got a clump of coconut fiber stuck in the side of his jaw. It is sticking outside of his jaw and looks pretty uncomfortable. I tried to pull it out but he was squirming around too much and I didn't want to stress him out further and risk him throwing up his meal. I handled him and tried pulling it out maybe 10 minutes after he finished eating so now i am a little worried that I stressed him out to the point of him throwing it up? Will he be able to spit the substrate out himself or should I check in the morning and if it is still there attempt to pull it out again? All advice is appreciated!!


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It's ok to grab him by his head, open his mouth and pull it out.

Do you mean coco fiber like Eco earth coco fiber? That stuff is way too small and fine to do any harm.

Even for other types of substrate like aspen, they can get it out themselves too. Even ingested some normally with a meal, it's harmless.

My ball did that the first time I fed him in his tank, I use Eco earth and after some extremely panckied googling I decided that he was OK. I'm not an expert by any means so take what I say with a grain of salt, but my little guy had no ill effects from what I could tell. I feed him away from his substrate now to prevent this (its not the preferred method, but its what works for us) and that has made feedings much easier. Hope this helped

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Originally Posted by ringorock

It's ok to grab him by his head, open his mouth and pull it out.

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I tried to do this but he did not like it at all haha. I stopped and put him back bc I really don't want him to regurgitate


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Originally Posted by redshepherd

Do you mean coco fiber like Eco earth coco fiber? That stuff is way too small and fine to do any harm.

Even for other types of substrate like aspen, they can get it out themselves too. Even ingested some normally with a meal, it's harmless.

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Yes coco fiber. I assumed it was probably harmless, it just looks really uncomfortable hanging out of his tiny little jaw lol


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Originally Posted by wickedserpent

Yes coco fiber. I assumed it was probably harmless, it just looks really uncomfortable hanging out of his tiny little jaw lol


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I've fed all my snakes right on their substrate, and let them swallow as much or as little substrate as they want. I don't supervise their feeding anymore either, just let them at it and come back to check 30 minutes later to make sure it's gone. As long as their temps and husbandry are on point, they'll digest substrate and it's totally fine. :gj:

Dumb question. Did you rehydrate your coconut? If you did, there's little chance he'd get a chunk stuck in his mouth. Better to take it out despite his hissy (no pun intended) fit than to leave a chunk in his mouth.

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Originally Posted by redshepherd

I've fed all my snakes right on their substrate, and let them swallow as much or as little substrate as they want. I don't supervise their feeding anymore either, just let them at it and come back to check 30 minutes later to make sure it's gone. As long as their temps and husbandry are on point, they'll digest substrate and it's totally fine. :gj:

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Thank you! Do you think me handling him so little after he's finished swallowing and all his squirming and clenching that he might regurgitate? I've never handled him after he's eaten before and he definitely did not like it at all.


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Originally Posted by spellbound04

My ball did that the first time I fed him in his tank, I use Eco earth and after some extremely panckied googling I decided that he was OK. I'm not an expert by any means so take what I say with a grain of salt, but my little guy had no ill effects from what I could tell. I feed him away from his substrate now to prevent this (its not the preferred method, but its what works for us) and that has made feedings much easier. Hope this helped

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I usually set down a piece of cardboard or paper towel before feeding. I didn't this time because the hide he was in is at an awkward angle


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My derpy little garters like to drag their worms through the coco fiber sometimes. It's never hurt them, just mildly annoyed them. They seem to be attempting to clean the worms off on the coco fiber which does NOT work. They poop plenty despite this. A snake that is well supported (proper digestion temps) won't be bothered by a bit of coco fiber.

As to regurgitating from stress from the brief handling you did, if he didn't do it at the time/pretty immediately after, it's highly unlikely that he will. That type of regurgitation is a defense against predators - they get rid of the meal weighing them down so they can run. Doing it after the predator's gone away for long enough for them to decide they're ok without fleeing isn't a benefit to them and just means they lose their meal for no reason.

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Originally Posted by wickedserpent

Thank you! Do you think me handling him so little after he's finished swallowing and all his squirming and clenching that he might regurgitate? I've never handled him after he's eaten before and he definitely did not like it at all.


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I've never had a snake regurg before so I'm not sure, but just wait and see. I think it'll be just fine though.

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Originally Posted by ringorock

Dumb question. Did you rehydrate your coconut? If you did, there's little chance he'd get a chunk stuck in his mouth. Better to take it out despite his hissy (no pun intended) fit than to leave a chunk in his mouth.

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Rehydrate the coconut fiber? Lol why do I get the feeling you're being sarcastic here? I wasn't aware that was a thing seeing as the mouse got wet causing the coco fiber to stick to it and get stuck in his mouth. I would think the dryer it is the less likely it is to get stuck idk?


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Originally Posted by wickedserpent

I usually set down a piece of cardboard or paper towel before feeding. I didn't this time because the hide he was in is at an awkward angle


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I get that, my tank is in a super inconvenient location rn, good idea with the cardboard tho I'll have to give that a try!

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Originally Posted by wickedserpent

Rehydrate the coconut fiber? Lol why do I get the feeling you're being sarcastic here? I wasn't aware that was a thing seeing as the mouse got wet causing the coco fiber to stick to it and get stuck in his mouth. I would think the dryer it is the less likely it is to get stuck idk?


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Nah, that's not sarcasm. You can get coco fiber either in a bag, which won't need rehydrated, or in a brick which does. The latter is cheaper, but you could feasibly end up with some big solid chunks if you didn't rehydrate it properly. Sounds like you might be using the bagged version. Pretty reasonable question with context.

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Originally Posted by Kcl

Nah, that's not sarcasm. You can get coco fiber either in a bag, which won't need rehydrated, or in a brick which does. The latter is cheaper, but you could feasibly end up with some big solid chunks if you didn't rehydrate it properly. Sounds like you might be using the bagged version. Pretty reasonable question with context.

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Ah gotcha! I do use the loose kind!


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My BP ate paper towel once. Struck a bit of papertowl that was sticking up along the side of the wall and got the mouse at the same time. They truly are NOT apex predators :rolleyes: