How to tell if impaction?

[richardhind1972]

It might be that the small rat pup is all being used up, especially if it's too small, you will see swelling around the cloaca often known as sausage but. normally a good long soak in warmish water will help solve the problem,

Does the small rat pup leave a bulge at all when fed?
It should only be slightly anyway. the prey item as a rule of thumb I use is a mouse or rat should either be the same size or slightly bigger than the fattest part of your snakes body
Remember sonoran are a smaller boa anyway

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[EmiLee]

It does leave a small bulge, she’s pretty long but fairly slender and read everywhere not to over feed and that a boa should eat something around 10% of their body weight? She’s a great eater but it did take her a long while to figure out how to eat the f/t pup first time I fed her as she kept trying to eat it from the side for about 20 min, so I think that the previous seller was probably feeding smaller than what I am. I may try to soak her for a little bit again.

[WrongPython]

It sounds like your girl is fine and probably just holding it in. For what it's worth, my almost-five-month-old Sonoran hasn't gone since mid-November even though she's had five meals and drank plenty of water in the interim. She just came out of blue and is getting ready to shed, so I have a feeling the long gap was due to her fueling a growth spurt. Perhaps your girl is getting ready to do the same. She may also be holding it in a bit because she's still hasn't quite settled in from her move. Either way, I don't think you need to soak her again. If she feels the need, she'll probably just soak in her water bowl herself.

Your feeder size sounds fine from what you described. My girl wrestles with her food the same yours does (and her f/t hoppers barely leave a bulge anymore), so it's not really a matter of the f/t pups being too large as much as it's a young snake trying to figure things out.

[Bogertophis]

... I may try to soak her for a little bit again.

If you're feeding f/t, thaw them in water & don't dry them before feeding...the extra moisture may help. But I agree w/ above post explaining that young rodents are mostly digestible, so it takes a while before your
snake will have enough waste products to bother expelling. I wouldn't worry, & unless you see a real bulge above your boa's cloaca, don't bother soaking. Gentle handling will also promote some intestinal mobility, &
with less stress to your snake. In all probability though, there is nothing wrong with your snake right now. Wouldn't hurt to encourage her to drink more water though, & be sure enclosure humidity is adequate.

There are frequent misconceptions when it comes to soaking a snake, so here are my "favorites"-
1. water temperature: frequently too warm, so snake thrashes to get out. Remember we are 98.6* so if the water feels "warm" to us, it's over 98.6* & is TOO HOT for the snake. OK? Measure the water temp. first.

2. loss of traction: the other thing that causes panic in a snake being soaked is the lack of traction in the soaking container or sink. Put a towel down first, & keep water shallow...your snake should not have to swim.

3. Much like with a human kid, don't leave unattended in water tub! Soaking is useful for dehydrated snakes, & gentle hand-supported swimming motions in bathtub may help a constipated snake, but only IF it's really
needed (I doubt that yours is needed att), and the water is at the right temperature.