Three Questions - Bowel Movements, Shedding, & Swallowing Reptibark

[Ian C]

Hello everyone, I introduced myself a few weeks ago and found the community very helpful in setting up my snake's enclosure.

I have three questions, two of which I've been wanting to ask and one a concern from tonight.

1. Most serious question first. She just had her 4th successful feeding since we got her 5 weeks ago. Each week she is more confident and is now actively hunting the frozen feeders we dangle in the enclosure as opposed to having to expose her from her hide and place it near her. Very happy with how she's adapting. However, after her feeding tonight, she dragged her rat pup into her hide to eat. She emerged a few minutes later, with a piece of reptibark substrate stuck in her teeth, just over 1/4" long. She wasn't in any sort of panic, but was yawning a lot and kept herself in the "S" position. I took her feeding tongs (rubber tipped) and tried to dislodge it. She gave the tongs a tag and retreated to her hide, but emerged a moment later with the bark now fully in her mouth. She's flicking her tongue a lot and is emerging a few inches before retreating but doesn't appear to be in any distress. I did put my hands in the enclosure and she got into position to tag me immediately. Fearing she'd regurgitate her meal, I left her alone but I believe the bark is still sitting in her mouth. So, my question is how much concern should I have here? She's 6 months old and around 18" long. If she swallows it, I'm sure she won't choke as it's way smaller than the rat, but is there a risk of bowel obstruction? Do I leave this alone or distress her by forcing my way into her mouth?

2. Speaking of bowels, she has fed weekly since her adjustment period ended. Three full weeks of eating, tonight was her 4th meal. She has yet to have a bowel movement, and I've only seen one urate in the 5 weeks we've had her. She handles well, is active, and has a wonderful temperament. No signs of stress at all. Am I just nervous and there's nothing to worry about or do we need to get her checked out?

3. Similar question. 5 weeks, and no sign of her shedding yet. Being 6 months old, I would have expected to see a shed by now. We've got her temperature under control, and while the enclosure itself seems to be stuck around 45% humidity, we're using sphagnum moss in her main hide and the humidity inside the hide tends to hold at a minimum 60%. Same question as before, any cause for concern here. At what point should I worry?


Thanks all.

Ian

[Bogertophis]

If that was my snake, I'd either want to get the bark out of her mouth myself, or get help from a vet, because it's annoying her & could promote a mouth infection. That's easier said than done, especially since she's still in "feed mode" (ready to bite anything "incoming"). You might try spraying water into her mouth- & if she opens her mouth to bite, so much the better, haha. Or encourage her to drink from a bowl when you can- it may loosen & fall out, or slide down her throat.

It's pretty small if only 1/4" so swallowing it probably won't be a problem, nor passing it. But in general I like to avoid letting my snakes swallow substrate, because the bigger stuff, or if it happens multiple times, could cause a blockage- snakes CANNOT digest that stuff, they lack the enzymes for anything other than their natural diet. Even little twigs are abrasive & may catch internally, & if it happens repeatedly could create a blockage.

It's common for snakes, especially young ones, to eat multiple meals without defecation. This is one way their bodies conserve water in the wild- they only go when they really need to, so be patient. Constipation or other blockages aren't common, so with any luck, one of these days your snake will mess up her home. Another thing- with young snakes eating young prey, it's mostly digestible, so there just isn't much waste left over they need to expel. Young rodents have less fur & smaller bones.

Shedding happens when a snake's body needs to- not on any sort of schedule. Again, patience.

[Ian C]

Thank you so much for the quick reply!

I feel much better, knowing there's no real danger. I'm going to attempt to remove the wood chip, but if I'm not successful I won't panic, as long as she isn't distressed.

Good to know the info on both bowel movements and shedding. I'm sure with a little more experience this all gets a lot easier. Really appreciate your help.

Ian

[Bogertophis]

If you don't manage to get the chip out, it will probably loosen & get swallowed when she eats again- and in the future, try to avoid this by feeding from tongs or by putting something down to act as a plate over the substrate- a snake's jaws open wide & they tend to scoop up debris when they try to grasp the head of their rodent. Sure, it happens in the wild too...but we're not around to know the true outcomes there either. Meanwhile- having something abrasive stuck in one's teeth is irritating, & like I said, could end up scraping soft tissues enough to cause an infection, so help her if at all possible. (And yes, I've retrieved such debris from a snake's mouth before- it's not fun & best avoided.)

[Ian C]

Yes, we always feed her with tongs. She just has a tendency to grab it and coil around it, dragging it along the substrate until she swallows it. A plate underneath seems like a good idea. I'll try that. Thanks!

She did seem to either spit it out or swallow it, as it's not in her mouth now. We did loosen it from her teeth yesterday, it just sat in her mouth loose for a bit. She's back to being completely calm again today, so no distress no matter what.

I do not look forward to having to force my way into her mouth as I hate the thought of stressing her out. Hopefully it doesn't happen again.

Thanks again for all your help!

Ian

[Bogertophis]

Some people just use a piece of cardboard, but actual plates work too- you get the idea. I'm glad it appears to be gone now- she might have drank some water when you weren't watching. Poor snakes, I know how much it bugs me to get something stuck in my teeth...can you imagine having no fingers or hands to get things out?

[Ian C]

Well, just an update...

She finally pooped...all over my daughter, lol. Made a hell of a mess too, there was far more liquid than I expected. I don't think it was diarrhea - there were several smaller brown formed pieces, a couple of urates, and the liquid was clear and only slightly smelly. I did read a couple of posts on here about it before posting this reply, and it doesn't match other people's descriptions.

Now just waiting for her first shed, when she's ready.

She sure is active now though. She likes to stick her head out of her hide often, and if she sees movement outside her enclosure (ie. one of us going to observe her), she turns her head to us immediately. She has also started tracking finger/hand movements with her head, but in no way is she being aggressive. We've been handling her a little more often than we see recommended, but that's because she shows no signs of stress whatsoever (we only have a rule of no handling 24 hours before a feed and 48 hours after). She prefers me and my daughter, as she is more active on both of us. Had her not only crawl into my shirt and rest near my armpit for 15 minutes the other day, but when she came out of the neck opening, she was investigating my face before settling herself wrapped around my neck. If I didn't know better, I'd almost say her behavior seemed affectionate, but really I'm taking that as her comfort level is very good.

[Bogertophis]

Sometimes there is more liquid when snakes defecate- not sure why. You're obviously enjoying her, & she seems to be enjoying you too, but a caution: activity (handling etc) appears to inspire snakes to defecate, so try to remember when she last went, or check her ventral side just above the vent (cloaca) for "puffiness" indicating that release might be soon- even in your shirt. That once happened to me, btw- a snake that seemed very "friendly" let loose down my back, inside my shirt. Let's just say that once was more than enough.

[Ian C]

Well, I guess I laughed at my daughter too soon. I was holding her tonight and she climbed over my shoulder, head down my back, tail end down my chest. I was walking around with her, and she let go another very wet bowel movement/pee all over the front of me. It did look like diarrhea this time, very little solid mass. She's showing no other signs of illness and was very active before this happened, so we'll just observe her for a few days to see if it happens again. I would assume that this much liquid would imply she is well hydrated though, correct?

Oh, and I managed to weigh her tonight. 6 months old, she's 325 grams, or about 11.5 ounces and approximately 18 inches. Does this sound like a healthy size for her age?

Thanks, Ian

[Bogertophis]

... I would assume that this much liquid would imply she is well hydrated though, correct? ...

Well, if it keeps up like that, she won't be for long. I guess it was your "turn"? (It's bad luck to laugh at others when it happens to them.)