KSB - no shed, poo

[sophia]

I adopted a 2006 KSB about 2.5-3 months ago. He is eating fine and has taken 6 pinkies (refused his first meal with me, but since then has eaten with regularity).

My question is regarding the fact that he has not shed or defecated once since I got him. Does anyone have experience with this? Should I be thinking about a vet trip or should I wait it out a bit longer?

Thanks,
Sophia

[sophia]

Anyone?

[lillyorchid]

How big is he?

I had a 06 KSB who shed just about monthly like clock work. He also poo'ed a lot too.


Also what do you have him housed on ~ what kind of bedding. I know I had put mine on that bed-a-beast (i think thats whats it called) stuff for a few months and I noticed that you couldn't see his poo's because of the bedding and when he shed in side one of his tunnels it would pretty much just deterate and for a while I thought he wasn't shedding till I moved the bedding around and found what was left to be an old shed.

[MelissaFlipski]

Has he ever gone into blue? We have a 10 to 12 gram '07 who just shed. He was in blue, so we knew he would shed soon. But I only found the skin b/c I was searching through the shredded aspen to find him - wanted to handle him.

He has only eaten twice with us so far (we tried f/t a long time, but he refused every time - now finding live pinks is an ordeal where we are - but well worth it for our little guy!). I don't know if he's pooped or not either b/c we don't think we can see it in the aspen.

Do you have to dig for yours when you go to handle him? Or is he big enough to find right away? Maybe you can dig around and see what you find.

[Thunder Kat]

If you're worried about poo then try a warm (not hot) soak in a clean tub. It worked wonders when my bp seemed backed up. As far as sheds my bp just went about 5 months before she shed. I don't think they shed as much as they grow older, but if you feel you need to take her to the vet (better safe than sorry I always say) only you are around him enough to make that call. Other than no shed or poo how is he? What are the temps, what kind of substrate do you use, what kind and how many hides do you use?

[MelissaFlipski]

Or you can stroke his belly, just letting the weight of his body determine the pressure - stroke it from front to back. I've done that with my BP a few times and was guaranteed a poop the next day. I didn't even intend that! But that is how I learned that it works. Same as with humans.

Good luck!

[sophia]

Yesterday when I emptied his water dish I found some cloudy material that had sunk to the bottom - possibly urine? I don't know, it was kind of off-white color.

He seems fine, actually he's made great improvements. When I got him he would thrash a lot and bite, but with handling he's calmed down quite a bit. He's also grown a bit - he's about 11 to 12 inches. When I handled him last it looked like something brownish/pinkish was going to come out of his cloaca, but every time I got him turned around to get a better look, it had gone back inside (ew).

He's due to be handled today, so maybe I'll put him in a little warm water in case he is backed up.

Is it easy to tell when an albino goes into blue? I don't know what that would look like, and his eyes are so darn tiny they're practically invisible!

I keep him in aspen bedding. He has one humidity box that he doesn't use and one water dish. No hides. Heat tape controlled by a thermostat, kept at a 82-92 gradient, within a degree.

I REALLY appreciate all of your input. I'm still considering a vet trip just in case, especially since I got him from Craigslist (some of you may have read my original posts when I got him) and don't know his history. But he looks healthy and I feel a bit reassured by your input.

Thanks,

[MelissaFlipski]

What kind of substrate do you have? Is it at least 2x his height so he can burrow?

I don't have any albinos, so I don't know how it looks when they are about to shed. But I imagine that they are less glossy/smooth with duller color (the little they have).

Glad he has become more tame. Our KSB is very calm and has never bitten, but we got him at 5 weeks and handle him often. We've only had him for about 7 - 8 weeks though.

Sounds like you are on the right track! And I'm sure he thanks you for rescuing him!

[sophia]

I took the poor buddy out hoping to sift through his substrate a little more looking for poop and he was in the middle of a shed! I could hear him crinkling. His humidity's good and it looks like it will be a good shed. I'm excited to see what his fresh colors will be. No poop, though, that I can tell.

[MelissaFlipski]

I took the poor buddy out hoping to sift through his substrate a little more looking for poop and he was in the middle of a shed! I could hear him crinkling. His humidity's good and it looks like it will be a good shed. I'm excited to see what his fresh colors will be. No poop, though, that I can tell.

Wow! That's great! Post a picture once he's done. I'd love to see him.