Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I gave Cane a warm soak in our tub, and he passed enough poo that it looked like a medium size dog did it!

Upon closer inspection a big chunk of the repti-bark bedding was lodged in the feces. Along with enough hair to make a few mouse wigs!

So now I know they fed him in his enclosure. and knowing it has not been cleaned in 4 months, the lack of feces in the cage indicates he has been impacted for at least that long.

His vent closed back up normally, no worries there.

Taking some to the vet for a float in the morning, just to make sure no parasites are in there.

Screen top, forced air heat, too small a water bowl (a sewer of a water bowl at that) equals a dehydrated python.

He just ate a small mouse for me, and is settled in resting comfortably.

It seems as if he can tell its going to be a lot better from now on. Maybe I am daydreaming, but he looks very content.

Next warm day, He's gonna feel grass under that belly

Regards,
Wayne A. Harvey

our critters

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1.0.0 Ball Python - Python regius "Cane" Rescue
1.2.9 Storeria dekayi Casper, Xena, Athena, & Kids
0.0.2 Thamnophis marcianus - Checkered Garters "spot" & "Zig"
0.0.1 Thamnophis sirtalis - eastern Garter - Princess
1.0.0 Thamnophis pickeringi - Puget Sound Garter "Sky" (adult, Sky blue)
0.0.1 Nerodia sipedon - Water Snake - "Aqua"
0.1.10 Storeria occipitomaculata - Red Belly snakes
0.0.1 Amelanistic Corn Snake "CY" Juvinile CB
0.1.0. Pueblan Milk snake "Oreo" adult CB
1.0.0. ASIAN GREEN SNAKE 3' WC Cyclophiops major
0.0.1. Savannah Monitor "CHOMPER"
0.1.0. Green Anole "Crystal" WC
1.0.0. K9 "ACE" Black Cockapoo
0.2.0. Feline"Felix"(R.I.P. 4/27/08) "Kaja" & "Silver"
0.1.0. calico RAT
2.4.?? Mice - Feeder farm - Crickets / fish
More herps than I could ever list out back on the land.

Poor fella... holding it in for that long! O.o

I still need to give these two Corns baths. Think they'd like my jacuzzi tub?
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Holly

0.1 Lavender California Kingsnake (Lizzie Borden) (missing )
1.0 Florida Kingsnake (Eddie Gein)
0.0.2 Cornsnakes
1.0 Bearded Dragon (Charley Manson)
1.0 Orange Marmalade Cat (Oliver)
1.0 Black Cat (Shadowfax)
1.0 Egyptian Arabian (Bagan) (Deceased )
1.0 Tennessee Walking Horse (Durango)

2.0 Toddlers (Justice & Trevor)

If the snakes wont' I will

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1.0.0 Ball Python - Python regius "Cane" Rescue
1.2.9 Storeria dekayi Casper, Xena, Athena, & Kids
0.0.2 Thamnophis marcianus - Checkered Garters "spot" & "Zig"
0.0.1 Thamnophis sirtalis - eastern Garter - Princess
1.0.0 Thamnophis pickeringi - Puget Sound Garter "Sky" (adult, Sky blue)
0.0.1 Nerodia sipedon - Water Snake - "Aqua"
0.1.10 Storeria occipitomaculata - Red Belly snakes
0.0.1 Amelanistic Corn Snake "CY" Juvinile CB
0.1.0. Pueblan Milk snake "Oreo" adult CB
1.0.0. ASIAN GREEN SNAKE 3' WC Cyclophiops major
0.0.1. Savannah Monitor "CHOMPER"
0.1.0. Green Anole "Crystal" WC
1.0.0. K9 "ACE" Black Cockapoo
0.2.0. Feline"Felix"(R.I.P. 4/27/08) "Kaja" & "Silver"
0.1.0. calico RAT
2.4.?? Mice - Feeder farm - Crickets / fish
More herps than I could ever list out back on the land.

Hi Wayne!
There's nothing wrong with feeding a snake inside it's enclosure. If there are concerns about the substrate being harmful it shouldn't be in there to begin with. You now have seen firsthand that most of the wood-type substrates commonly used can be passed without problems.

Most likely, the reason it hadn't defecated in quite some time is due to dehydration. Dehydration can lead to impaction but I'm not 100% sure I would consider what you've just experienced a full-blown impaction issue. Maybe, maybe not. In situations like that I've seen the term "impaction" used fairly loosely but I feel there's a fine line there. However, I've used the term in similar situations myself. It is commonly accepted as such and probably close enough to be considered such. In other words, I'm getting into splitting hairs, needlessly. Ha! Ha!

Anyway, the reason for feeding a reptile in it's enclosure far outweighs the reasons not to. This is even so in the event that a cage is loaded with feces and hasn't been changed in months. A healthy snake is unaffected by such. Even if it were to consume part of it's own feces during ingestion of a rodent, the odds are it would be more beneficial to the reptile than harmful.

A word about testing for parasites: If it ain't broke, don't fix it. If there are no obvious problems, save your money, the snake's gut is doing what it's supposed to do. By needlessly eliminating the bad, the good are also wiped out, thus having to start all over again and, in my eyes, making it more susceptible to the bad than it orginally was. They need some bad to encourage the growth & presence of the good.

Have a good one!
HH
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Due to political correctness run amuck,
this ol' hillbilly is now referred to as an:
Appalachian American

www.natures-signature.com

n/p
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"Better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open mouth and remove any doubt!"

Hello Michael! - Hey I love your web site!!!

Well the vet found nothing wrong with the poop, and $35 for the piece of mind was worth it to me.

Constipated would probably been a better choice than impacted.

The woman that called me had inadvertently disclosed that she works a second shift, and her man friend did not work at all, so there was some kind of activity going on in the living room all night long. (No dark cycles ever) no hides, and yes he was dehydrated.

When I cleaned the cage there was chunks of shed all up in there, again indicating severe lack of humidity.

What can I say, I am a sucker for hardship cases.

Regards,
Wayne A. Harvey
our critters

-----

1.0.0 Ball Python - Python regius "Cane" Rescue
1.2.9 Storeria dekayi Casper, Xena, Athena, & Kids
0.0.2 Thamnophis marcianus - Checkered Garters "spot" & "Zig"
0.0.1 Thamnophis sirtalis - eastern Garter - Princess
1.0.0 Thamnophis pickeringi - Puget Sound Garter "Sky" (adult, Sky blue)
0.0.1 Nerodia sipedon - Water Snake - "Aqua"
0.1.10 Storeria occipitomaculata - Red Belly snakes
0.0.1 Amelanistic Corn Snake "CY" Juvinile CB
0.1.0. Pueblan Milk snake "Oreo" adult CB
1.0.0. ASIAN GREEN SNAKE 3' WC Cyclophiops major
0.0.1. Savannah Monitor "CHOMPER"
0.1.0. Green Anole "Crystal" WC
1.0.0. K9 "ACE" Black Cockapoo
0.2.0. Feline"Felix"(R.I.P. 4/27/08) "Kaja" & "Silver"
0.1.0. calico RAT
2.4.?? Mice - Feeder farm - Crickets / fish
More herps than I could ever list out back on the land.

Hey!
Thanks for the compliment!

"Well the vet found nothing wrong with the poop, and $35 for the piece of mind was worth it to me."

I can understand & relate to that. I'm that way with a few other things in life where you might be the other way. You know how that goes. I was basically just saying that you'll know when an animal needs to see a Vet, they look sickly. Given proper husbandry most animals will recover on their own, and I'm a bit of a "natural" type of guy. If my tooth will rot & fall out on it's own, why go see a Dentist? Hahaha!!!

I rescued a ball python a few years ago with nearly identical cage conditions, except it had fecal matter from where the woman fed it a few times but didn't clean the cage in nearly a year due to her being scared of it. It was a gift from her ex-husband to their son, and mom was terrified of snakes. And dad knew it. Payback?

Thanks for taking part in rescues, nearly half of my animals are rescues, some of which I had to pay for just to get them out of the owner's hands. From snakes to dogs to horses, and a few things in between.

Take care!
HH
-----
Due to political correctness run amuck,
this ol' hillbilly is now referred to as an:
Appalachian American

www.natures-signature.com

Nearly all of my animals here are rescued or strays.

A few years back a stray kitten showed up in my barn, He needed extreme vet care, A surgery and $500 later my "Free" kitten was finally comfy.

What was the "furthest out on a limb" for you?

And a huge kudos to all of those who have changed their lives to make another life a better one

Regards,
Wayne A. Harvey

our critters

-----

1.0.0 Ball Python - Python regius "Cane" Rescue
1.2.9 Storeria dekayi Casper, Xena, Athena, & Kids
0.0.2 Thamnophis marcianus - Checkered Garters "spot" & "Zig"
0.0.1 Thamnophis sirtalis - eastern Garter - Princess
1.0.0 Thamnophis pickeringi - Puget Sound Garter "Sky" (adult, Sky blue)
0.0.1 Nerodia sipedon - Water Snake - "Aqua"
0.1.10 Storeria occipitomaculata - Red Belly snakes
0.0.1 Amelanistic Corn Snake "CY" Juvinile CB
0.1.0. Pueblan Milk snake "Oreo" adult CB
1.0.0. ASIAN GREEN SNAKE 3' WC Cyclophiops major
0.0.1. Savannah Monitor "CHOMPER"
0.1.0. Green Anole "Crystal" WC
1.0.0. K9 "ACE" Black Cockapoo
0.2.0. Feline"Felix"(R.I.P. 4/27/08) "Kaja" & "Silver"
0.1.0. calico RAT
2.4.?? Mice - Feeder farm - Crickets / fish
More herps than I could ever list out back on the land.