Signs of constipation

[kimmu]

So Traya eats like a champ every week with no fuss, but it's been over a month since she's last pooped. Her rear end looks like a very ridiculous sausage and I'm starting to be concerned. She's even shed during this time and not pooped.

I know they just go when they go, but are there any signs that there may actually be something wrong?

[Sir Biss]

Hi,
for all I know it is very common fo BP to stay long periods without any pooping , specially when they are underweight.
You should post your stabulation/feeding details and snake age/dimensions and weight also to have a better idea but if you see constipation signs I would suggest to massage her back doing a bath in warm water. However let's wait for advices from expert people !
Regards,
Biss

[Craiga 01453]

I've got no personal hands-on experience with this, but I have heard of a warm soak helping to relieve them of sausage butt.

Hopefully somebody with actual experience here will chime in soon.

Good luck

[Marzipan]

Following up from what the others said, how are your temps? Digestion can be halted by it being too cold or dry in the enclosure, as they can't digest properly. It may be premature to be worrying though, as some snakes have gone upto 8 months before pooping.

Here's a possibly useful link about dealing with 'snakestipation': http://www.netvet.co.uk/snakes/constipation.htm

At the moment though, I would continue her routine as normal and just check the enclosure conditions to make sure they're on point. Also check for swelling by comparing pictures online to your ball python as that might help you identify how serious the issue is.

[kimmu]

She's got two hides with UTH pads, the cool side read as 80 degrees and the hot side was 89 degrees. I bumped that up another degree on the thermostat to bring it up. Ambient temp is 77 degrees due the AC. Humidity is 56% and hasn't dipped below 50% in a while. She has access to two bowls of water. I came home and she was in her hot hide,

Though all of that is moot now since I let her soak in warm water for a bit, and of course while I had her wrapped in the towel and was drying her, she pooped everywhere. All's well that ends well at least. Her butt looks like a deflated sausage now.

[hollowlaughter]

It's a good idea to rub them down a bit in the bath, to avoid that in the future.