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  1. #1
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    BP hasn't pooped in over two months

    Hello! I'm new to this site and was hoping for a bit of advice. Back in March I was given a spider ball python, Pretzel, by someone who didn't want him anymore. He's full grown but on the small side as far as ball pythons go, and at least 8 but I'm not sure of his exact age. His previous caretaker had been feeding him one small mouse every other week which didn't seem like quite enough since he came to me a bit on the skinny side and the mice are so small that there's barely a lump in him when he eats one. In order to help him gain a bit of weight I started feeding him one mouse every 7-10 days. I didn't want to immediately jump to the proper size rodent since he's been eating the tiny mice for so long and I didn't want to shock his system. I figured I could go through the small mice that he came with so that I wouldn't waste them and then gradually move up sizes once I had used them all.

    In the time I've had him he's pooped twice, the last time being at the beginning of May right after a shed. He's since eaten 7 mice. His belly feels soft and I don't see any obvious lumps in him but I'm still worried that he's constipated. The other day I soaked him in a tub of warm water for 20 minutes hoping that it would help but nothing happened. It also wasn't big enough for him to really swim in so that could have been an issue (I don't have a bathtub to put him in unfortunately).

    I've also found two urates during this time but I have no idea if that's a normal amount or not.

    Humidity is 60-70, his ambient temperature is around 75-77 with a heat mat as his hot spot at 88 which he spends most of his time on when he's not out exploring at night. I'm working on getting him overhead heating soon, but all he had in his previous enclosure was a heat mat so I figure his temperatures are similar to the way they were with his previous owner.

    Besides not pooping he seems to be doing great otherwise - he's active at night, and has eaten everything I've offered him without hesitation.


    I guess my questions are:

    - Should I be concerned at the moment?
    - At what point should I be concerned and go to the vet if he still doesn't poop?
    - Should I return to his previous feeding schedule of every two weeks instead of every 7-10 days? Should I even keep feeding at all or wait for him to poop first? (He's due for another mouse right now and is acting hungry)
    - Is there anything else I should be doing differently?



    I know that ball pythons can sometimes hold it for several months, but I just wanted to get some opinions on what to do here. I'm a little paranoid because my family's ball python died from impaction a few years ago and I'd hate for the same thing to happen to this guy. Any advice or insight would be appreciated!

  2. #2
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    I can sure understand your concern, with the history you had with your previous BP.

    I'd feed him weekly on the small mice you have, then when you run out of them, time to size up.* It's hard to know what you mean by "small" mice- but just so you know, BPs usually take "hopper" mice when they're hatchlings, so if this snake is 8 years old, he is way way underfed. And the previous owner feeding small mice every OTHER week is certainly too little- BUT, you want to gradually increase his food, don't try to make big changes quickly. DO keep feeding him- do NOT wait for him to defecate.

    If you post pics, we'll have a better idea how underfed he is- all I can do is go by what you've said. Also, what is the substrate? That's what generally causes impactions- when it gets ingested along with the meals- snakes only have certain digestive enzymes- & they cannot digest plant material, for example. Small bits (like coco fiber) aren't usually an issue, but stuff like bark chunks are another matter.

    Right now, you have a decision to make- if you keep him on mice, one adult mouse is not likely to be enough food per meal. Adult male BPs are usually fed one small rat (roughly = to 2 adult mice). That's why many like to get their BPs on rats- BUT, snakes don't always want to change- rats & mice smell & taste different. So while he's eating everything offered now, this would be a good time to try to get him on rats (f/t of course) IF that's what you want to do. If you stay with feeding only mice- be aware that some snakes (BPs especially) won't eat more than one item per meal, whether or not it's enough food, so either way, it's a gamble.

    The temps. sound a bit low, also. You'd want the "cool" end about 78-80*, & the warmest area 88-90* (not over 90*). A snake's metabolism depends entirely on the amount of warmth they have available for digestion.

    Back to how often your snake defecates- understand that an under-fed snake's body wants to get every bit of nutrition it can out of the meager meals- and they only "go" when they need to- in this way, they also conserve water in their body. Younger rodents are more digestible, so there's less waste left over to discard.

    The main thing to pay attention to is if you feel a hard lump just above the cloaca- as they can get some urate crystals that turn into "stones" that are not easily expelled- it's more likely if they're dehydrated, so be sure to keep up his humidity. But he doesn't sound constipated if he's expelling urates & eating. The main thing is he just doesn't need to go, because he's not eating enough.

    It also helps to weigh both your snake & the prey- the chart goes by the snakes size (weight), not age/years.

    Last edited by Bogertophis; 07-16-2022 at 06:48 PM.
    Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength.
    Eric Hoffer (1902 - 1983)

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  4. #3
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    Re: BP hasn't pooped in over two months

    Thank you so much for the wonderful response!

    I was half joking to myself that he'd wind up pooping right after I went through the trouble of making this post and worrying about him for weeks on end, and it turns out that's exactly what happened. I didn't know that underfed snakes sometimes go less frequently in order to get the most nutrients out of their food and to retain water, but it makes sense. I took some pictures of him today that I'll try to figure out how to post after I submit this. I don't think he's horribly underweight but he's definitely skinnier than other ball pythons I've held. Right now he's 922 grams and 43 inches long.

    Getting him on rats is definitely the goal if he'll eat them, so I'll make sure to offer him one while I still have some of the mice left in case he doesn't take it. I weighed a few of the mice and they're 19-20 grams, so I guess they'd fall under the category of adult according to the chart but they're still way too small for him. I'll keep feeding him on a weekly basis and slowly increase the size of his mice/rats.

    He has mulch as substrate but I put a Tupperware lid down when I feed him and watch to make sure he doesn't accidentally eat any so fortunately I don't think that's an issue. On a side note, what substrate would you recommend? I want to get him something that'll hold the humidity better but there's a lot of debate online about what's best. The mulch he has now dries out quickly and I have to spray him down often. Heating is something that I've been working on fixing since his ambient temperature is definitely too low, but it's hard to find a heat lamp that has a cord long enough to reach from the top of his enclosure to the power strip that I have on the floor. I live in a very small apartment and the only place I had room to put his enclosure was on the top of a tall dresser, and I'm hesitant to run something like a heat lamp off on an extension cord especially since it would have to plug into the power strip which already has a lot of things hooked up to it. When I move to a bigger place in the (hopefully) not too distant future I'll be able to get him a more ideal setup.

    I'll keep an eye out for any lumps near his cloaca in the future, but if there aren't any and it's been a month or two I'll just assume that he's still trying to get as much nutrients out of his food that he can. Hopefully once's he's eating enough it won't be an issue at all.

    Thank you again for the great information!

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  6. #4
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    Snakes exist to make fools of us- good thing you found out early! Like when you wash your car, it rains- when you clean their cage or think they're constipated, they dump a prize-winner!

    Before I forget: https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...-Post-Pictures

    And don't worry about trying to get your snake (or any snake) to gain weight quickly- as that only backfires. If he's eating, just be patient & gradual- he'll get there in time.

    One thing that trips most people up is that your snake will keep growing longer- just a little that you won't actually notice, but that alone makes it HARDER for you to see him gain weight, because even when he does, he'll still look thin...see? But he'll get there eventually- just be patient.

    I commend your plan to try him on a rat before you run out of mice- & it might take more than one try, since rats smell very different. But he may surprise you & take to them right off- you never know- that's the thing with snakes. I also give you a for considering safety with all electrical issues- that's essential- safety first.

    As far as humidity- does his home have a screen top? If so, that's where the humidity is going- up up & away. The enclosures that hold in humidity do so because they restrict the amount of air-flow. The PVC/plastic type enclosures have very minimal air vents- but if you're using a tank w/ a screen top, you just need to cover most of the screen with something that air doesn't go thru- ie. plastic or foil etc.
    Last edited by Bogertophis; 07-17-2022 at 05:05 PM.
    Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength.
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  8. #5
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    Re: BP hasn't pooped in over two months

    Haha, yep! That just about sums up my experience with him.

    He hasn't gained any weight so far, but hopefully that'll change once I start increasing the size of his food. I hope he'll accept rats since his spider wobble makes eating a little difficult for him sometimes so I doubt he'd take two mice in one sitting. I think I managed to insert his pictures below, I tried to get ones that showed his body shape well but he was being a little fussy today so they didn't come out too great.

    Is it really possible that he could keep getting longer even though he's already at least 8 years old? I guess I just assumed that he's as long as he's ever going to get but it'll be interesting to measure him every few months and see.

    His enclosure does have a screen top and I've had a towel over 3/4 of it, but I guess it's still letting some humidity out so I'll give foil a try and see if that helps.

    Pics:


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  10. #6
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    I'd agree he's thin but not dangerously so- and yes, he'll grow longer as well as wider with a good diet- snakes grow their whole life, but it slows down as they mature. At 8 years old, he's quite young still- BPs can live more than 30 years with good genes, good care & good luck- like everything else (us included) there's all those pesky variables.

    You're not the first to try using a towel on top of a screen to retain humidity- but it just doesn't work- towels are porous- if air can go thru, so will the humidity, even if the towel is damp. Tiles, cardboard, plastic, foil, & wood are just a few things that don't have air holes. Find something to cover MOST of the screen- but if it's flammable (like cardboard, which I do NOT recommend) make sure it's not too close to anything that produces heat. Ceramic tiles, plastic, foil or even sheet metal- those would be safer.

    I agree with you- if he has some spider wobble- that's a great reason to try to feed only one prey item per meal.
    Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength.
    Eric Hoffer (1902 - 1983)

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  12. #7
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    Re: BP hasn't pooped in over two months

    That's good to hear! I'm honestly surprised he isn't thinner given his past feeding schedule. I'll keep track of his weight just to make sure he isn't losing any for some reason, but I don't think he'll have a problem gaining weight once he's on rats or bigger mice since he's such a good eater.

    Thank you so much for your help!!

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    Re: BP hasn't pooped in over two months

    Quote Originally Posted by SeaPancake View Post
    That's good to hear! I'm honestly surprised he isn't thinner given his past feeding schedule. I'll keep track of his weight just to make sure he isn't losing any for some reason, but I don't think he'll have a problem gaining weight once he's on rats or bigger mice since he's such a good eater.

    Thank you so much for your help!!
    Yes, this snake is a good example of one you should keep track of weights on. And remember, weights taken with a meal on board or when they're about to dump can be deceiving, lol. And to really see weight gain for a long thin snake will take a while, but that's okay- he's actually better off than a very over-fed one. Plus, he's got you on his side now.
    Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength.
    Eric Hoffer (1902 - 1983)

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