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Over the past few weeks I have been feeding my Anery one weaned rat every Monday. I have been keeping a close eye on him becuase he has yet to go to the bathroom in atleast 3 weeks. After seeing him soak him self in his water bowl both before and after he shed and seeking some advice from a breeder around here along with posting on this forum, I decided to try to give him a hand and thats when my day all of a sudden changed.

I started off by soaking him in a styrofome cooler in warm water for more than a hour. I had to keep taking water out and adding new to keep it warm. After that didn't work I decided to try what Michael Burton suggested. I started to rub down the belly while pinching the area toward the tail. I felt some very hard items in the belly and after a lil coursing a Jelly Bean size solid mass came shooting out. After a lil more coursing another same size solid mass came out followed by some urea. I then noticed that there was some red (watery blood) liquid coming from the cloaca from the size of those Jelly Beans. After they were both out the rest of the crap came out pretty easily. I took him into the bath room and cleaned him off with some clean fresh water, put him up and then washed my hands.

Has anyone else ever had to do this? Did I do the right thing?

David
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"My day always starts off great till my alarm clock goes off"

2.0 Normal Redtail
0.1 Anery Redtail

Wish list

2.0 DH Ghost
0.1 Normal

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signature file edited by ks admin 2/15/06

I would just like to say that I really hope your snake is ok. Hopefully someone else will share an opinion on this. I know I was told this method by two very big boa breeders and my vet. I also want to point out exacty what I said "...I would try soaking him in warm water. I would do this for a few days. If that doesn't work, take your thumb and genty try to see if you can feel anything hard close to the tail where you see the lump. If you do he is most likely constipated. You can either take him to the vet or try pushing it out yourself. Its hard to describe how forceful you should be. You have to push, but not too hard. I would try it myself gently and if it doesn't work take him to an experienced reptile vet. Keep in mind I am not a vet and these are just suggestions. I don't want you to hurt your snake. Good luck." If you took him to the vet, this is most likely what he/she would have done. The question is how hard to push. That's why I said I would "try it gently and if it doesn't work take him to an experienced reptile vet." I'm not sure if the red liquid is normal or not, I really hope someone else replies and I really hope your snake is not hurt. I feel horrible and I will never give advice on a subject like this on this forum again. But I do know this is something that experienced reptile vets recommend. Please keep me posted.
Michael Burton

The red liquid was only for a few seconds, I am watching him quite closely. I just think the hard masses were to big for him to pass on his own. I will update on how he is doing in the future. I have been soaking him in water the past few days, but it wasn't for as long as I did it for today.
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"My day always starts off great till my alarm clock goes off"

2.0 Normal Redtail
0.1 Anery Redtail

bright or light red in color and watery or watered down, then it is likely due to minor abrasion of the hard matter passing through the vent. This is something that is not serious and usually stops immediately, not leaving any lasting effects.

light and watery indicate the source to be very close to the vent, and likely somewhat of a 'surface scratch'.

If the blood were thicker, darker, and clumpy, then this would likely be much more serious and you should rush the animal to the vet.

Take care, Bci Joe
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Thanks and take care - Joe Rollo
'Tis not the stongest of the species that will eventually survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change' Charles Darwin

O and I didn't have to push hard to get it out, just some pressure on the back side of the mass.
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"My day always starts off great till my alarm clock goes off"

2.0 Normal Redtail
0.1 Anery Redtail

>>Over the past few weeks I have been feeding my Anery one weaned rat every Monday. I have been keeping a close eye on him becuase he has yet to go to the bathroom in atleast 3 weeks. After seeing him soak him self in his water bowl both before and after he shed and seeking some advice from a breeder around here along with posting on this forum, I decided to try to give him a hand and thats when my day all of a sudden changed.
>>
>>I started off by soaking him in a styrofome cooler in warm water for more than a hour. I had to keep taking water out and adding new to keep it warm. After that didn't work I decided to try what Michael Burton suggested. I started to rub down the belly while pinching the area toward the tail. I felt some very hard items in the belly and after a lil coursing a Jelly Bean size solid mass came shooting out. After a lil more coursing another same size solid mass came out followed by some urea. I then noticed that there was some red (watery blood) liquid coming from the cloaca from the size of those Jelly Beans. After they were both out the rest of the crap came out pretty easily. I took him into the bath room and cleaned him off with some clean fresh water, put him up and then washed my hands.
>>
>>
>>Has anyone else ever had to do this? Did I do the right thing?
>>
>>David
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>>"My day always starts off great till my alarm clock goes off"
>>
>>2.0 Normal Redtail
>>0.1 Anery Redtail
>>
>>Wish list
>>
>>2.0 DH Ghost
>>0.1 Normal
>>
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>>signature file edited by ks admin 2/15/06

Some Vet's actually call this technique"Milking"I have done it before a few times in the past but dont like doing it an have never seen blood before?I was taught to smuch[sp?] the as you called them Jelly beans into looser stool matter so that the boa's cloaca is not harmed by these solid matter's.This is only my own experience an I hope this helps you.An that your boa is all right.Thanks,Eric[Hypoboa]
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E&C's Exotic House of Reptiles

Best advice I could give is take him to the vet. Even if you can't detect any other masses, there may be another underlying metabolism problem. Also, and this would be most important, very bad things may come from putting too much pressure on the hind end of a snake. A prolapsed kidney is number one. The entire kidney can be squished out and be hanging on only by the urethra. Deffinately a bad problem. This is even published, check in a text named Reptile Medicine and Surgery, 2nd edition, published by Elsevier in 2006, edited by Douglas Mader. This is probaly the best source for herp medicine that I can think of.
Good luck

Rich
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bigdnutz
1.2 Suriname Boa
1.0 Venezuelan Boa

I think a trip to the vet is a good idea. It definately couldn't hurt. My question is how would you have gotten the hard dried up stool out of the boa? I don't know of any other ways.
Michael Burton