poo

How often should my BP go to the bathroom? It has been a few weeks now and I am wondering if this is a normal thing for them. He has been eating 2 mice a week and I'm sure a present should have been left for me by now.

I would feed it rats, I don't know if that will make it go to the bathroom, but rats are better food for snakes IMO. Is that a recent pic? Doesn't look like it has gone a few weeks without pooing. Huh, I dunno what to tell ya, sorry. I'd still switch to rats.

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Originally Posted by jim020cricket

but rats are better food for snakes IMO.

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How so?

-adam

How not?

Are there any documented studies as to which is better for the snakes nutritionally? If so, is there a website? If there isn't I'd just as well serve mice to the snakes.

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Originally Posted by jim020cricket

How not?

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Well, I feed many of my animals mice. You stated that in your opinion, rats are better and that the original poster should switch from mice to rats. Since I always want to do the best for my animals, I'd like to know why you think rats are better ... maybe I'll switch too?

Or did you just say that rats are better for no real reason?

Any help that you could provide would be greatly appreciated. ;)

-adam

more mice=more bones and hair...two mice = one rat, less bones and hair and more meat. it's only my opinion though. give me a little while and I might be able to dig up some info...might.

I have tried EVERYTHING with my BP to feed her and the only thing she will strike at is a live animal. I would hate to think of what a live rat could do to her when she strikes and misses. I know I'm gonna get someone whinning about how it is "inhumane to feed a snake a live animal", or some other animal rights logic. But frankly if that's what she wants that's what she gets.

But back to my original question. How often should a snake poo?

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Originally Posted by bdehlin

Are there any documented studies as to which is better for the snakes nutritionally?

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There has never been a study of the nutritional requirements of a ball python. No one knows how much of any nutrient, protein, or fat a ball python requires.

-adam

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Originally Posted by jim020cricket

more mice=more bones and hair...two mice = one rat, less bones and hair and more meat. it's only my opinion though. give me a little while and I might be able to dig up some info...might.

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My mousers are doing just fine??? ... Some of them are larger than their siblings that eat rats .... I don't get it.

-adam

USRDA = US Rodental Dietary Assignation (jk)
Click here
Here is a link that helped me get my Dums to eat FT and it explains a lot about a bunch of things...rats vs mice included. As Adam said there is no proof on mice vs rats, it's all just opinions. I mean you wouldn't feed a 12 ft burmese 20 mice, right?

But, as a wise man once told me: it's all in what they will take consistently that matters the most.

Well it would seem that my thread has been hijacked but oh well. It looks to me that the site is about taking care of Red Tailed Boas. Just like any other care site for an animal they are all full of opinions and peoples' theories. There is still no proof that rats are better than mice as far as food is concerned. Just someone's opinion that "The difference is that rats are generally bigger, and rats are far more nutritious".

Sorry. Didn't mean to.

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Originally Posted by jim020cricket

I mean you wouldn't feed a 12 ft burmese 20 mice, right?

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That just means that rats more convenient for the keeper, not "better" for the snake.

When fed gram for gram equivalents, my ball pythons do just as well on mice as they do on rats in both growth and breeding efficiency.

-adam

That's alright, the spawning debate was entertaining

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Originally Posted by bdehlin

That's alright, the spawning debate was entertaining

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They can go quite a while without defecating. Unless you see or feel a large bulge in your snake, I wouldn't worry about it. One of my snakes went 2 months without going. If you're concerned, you can give her an occasional lukewarm bath for about 20 minutes. That will sometimes loosen them up and get things flowing.

With my snakes, it can be as little as five days or a few weeks before they go. The size of prey does not seem to matter as I'd think it would. If I feed larger, it doesn't mean that they will defecate sooner. It is weird that they do not have a set schedule.

Thanks for the info guys. She's done it twice off of one meal before and now there is nothing. Just wanted to make sure she was doing alright.

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Originally Posted by bdehlin

Well it would seem that my thread has been hijacked but oh well. It looks to me that the site is about taking care of Red Tailed Boas. Just like any other care site for an animal they are all full of opinions and peoples' theories. There is still no proof that rats are better than mice as far as food is concerned. Just someone's opinion that "The difference is that rats are generally bigger, and rats are far more nutritious".

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Hey there!

My name is Adam - I'm one of the site admins for redtailboafaq.com and I saw this post and agree with what you said about there not being any proof on our site backing up the claims that rats are more nutritious than mice - so I did a little research and asking around, and I came up with a nutrition sheet that hopefully will help. I posted it in the same place on our site at http://redtailboafaq.com/feeding.php#q2

Please let me know if you have any other questions, and jim020cricket, glad to hear it worked for you - happy to see we were able to help!

Thanks,
Adam

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Originally Posted by bdehlin

I have tried EVERYTHING with my BP to feed her and the only thing she will strike at is a live animal. I would hate to think of what a live rat could do to her when she strikes and misses. I know I'm gonna get someone whinning about how it is "inhumane to feed a snake a live animal", or some other animal rights logic. But frankly if that's what she wants that's what she gets.

But back to my original question. How often should a snake poo?

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I doubt you'll get anything comments about inhumanity here LOL. I think you should just feed your snake what she'll eat or what she wants to eat. Mine usually poop about 3-5 days after eating.