Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Captive snakes are remarkably conditioned to poop. For some reason , as soon as there is activity around their enclosures, such as cleaning, changing water, feeding, they will eat, drink, cruise around a little and take a poop. It almost never is BEFORE the cage cleaning is performed. No, it has to be afterwards, much to the chagrin of us keepers. I would love to be a fly on the wall to hear the invectives hurled around when that famous poop sound echoes in our ears.Maybe the snakes are conditioning US to double clean their cages, maybe they just want to extend the visiting hours with their custodians, or maybe they are just pushing our buttons for the hell of it. I never thought much of it, but I am wondering if I pooped right after my ex cleaned the house. Maybe it's a "vertebrate" thing? Or maybe I should put my king snakes together? Or maybe stop the silly remarks and the insecurities. I'd add more but I have to poop.

Howie,

I completely have gone thru exactly what you are saying!! It is so aggrivating!!! My wife has heard me yell, " Come on!!! " as I was done with cleaning, only to find that a few had done exactly what you have said.

The biggest culprit in my collection for doing this very thing is my 277 male alterna, Mr. Clean.

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Genesis 1:1

excuse you...

yeah, I noticed the same thing, not so much with pits but definitely kings.
can you imagine how much time you would save in cleaning if you KNEW how to keep your kings together? you'd have 50% fewer cages to clean or 50% fewer kings to clean up after. i can't wait until you pioneer the cohabitation of adult male indigos... how big will that exhibit be? how bad will it smell? who will survive???...

'scuse me, now its my turn,lol.

daveb

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vote in '08
chris cornell for van halen lead singer...

>> they will eat, drink, cruise around a little and take a poop.

Sounds like a normal day for me.
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www.brandonosbornereptiles.com

Heh, every time I go to clean Eddie's cage, I just go ahead and pick him up, holding him gently over his substrate because I know what's coming... When he's done musking, peeing and pooping, then I wash him off, clean out his cage and start the process all over in a couple of days. ^_^

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Holly

0.1 Lavender California Kingsnake (Lizzie Borden) (missing )
1.0 Florida Kingsnake (Eddie Gein)
0.0.2 Cornsnakes (Lyle & Erik Menendez)
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)

What the HECK is "Eddie" stickin' his head out of???,.....it looks like some sort of half-rotted exotic species of fruit!..LOL!!!

~Doug
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"Better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open mouth and remove any doubt!"

lol! That's actually a little ceramic cactus that I believe was originally designed to be in a fish aquarium. It shows up really odd looking in that photo. It was in the tank with the bigger cornsnake.. I'd bet it had been in there with him since he was a hatchling! Eddie likes using the cactus to help with shedding. ^_^
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Holly

0.1 Lavender California Kingsnake (Lizzie Borden) (missing )
1.0 Florida Kingsnake (Eddie Gein)
0.0.2 Cornsnakes (Lyle & Erik Menendez)
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)

Q: What's the simplest way to make a snake poop??

(insert drumroll here)

A: Clean its cage well.

BB

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"Have you hugged your drummer today?" --- Me

That is called scent marking, thats what they do to tell its there own turf.

Take the scent marking away and then its no bodies turf. I hereby claim this spot of land as my own, besides if I crap on it, no one will want it. hahahahahahahaha Cheers

Having to take a "dump" because you were picked up and stimulated after sleeping for several days after a huge meal?......sort of like me the day after visiting for Thanksgiving..LOL!!

~Doug
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"Better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open mouth and remove any doubt!"

It is, but the question was, why do they do that as soon as the cage is cleaned????

There are many many ways to test this, your really smart, think of some and test it. Its not only easy to test, but fun. You know, something of interest other then staring at the walls. Cheers

HA HA HA HA!!!

Great one Doug!!!

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Genesis 1:1

Or it could just be called I've got to take a crap now that I'm up and about. Randy W.

Well it could be, but i doubt it. As its so easy to test. Read the above. Wild snakes do it too(remark their territory) but then you knew that didn't you. Cheers

Thats some serious SMARTA$$ness

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Dennis McNamara
Crazy Fools Reptiles
Desnakemon@cox.net

field note #1) Witnessed snake pooping in nature.

field note #2) scratch head, and wonder why such odd behavior.

field note #3) conclude that the likely reason for this behavior is due to excessive fecal accumulation within the bowel...end of field study...LOL!!

C'mon Frank,.....as you mentioned above, I AM at least fairly intelligent,......so PLEASE don't pee on my shoes, then proceed to tell me it's raining.

I once caught a snake next to a fire hydrant, but I doubt he was there to re-mark his territory.

~Doug
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"Better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open mouth and remove any doubt!"

I posted this purely for entertainment but once again it becomes a bit of an argument forum. Did anyone ever see the Python's "Argument clinic"? That is this forum and then some. Doug, loved your commentary as always. lol

"Eastern Diamondback, the Grand-daddy of all snakes!-Carl Kauffeld

"It's the mother of all wars!"-Saddam Hussein

"Father knows best"-50s TV show

The Mothers of Invention-led by the late great Frank Zappa

Uncle Johns Band-Grateful Dead

"Are you telling me the Fadda can be a Mudda?"-Lou Costello

If you ask me, the entertainment value just shot through the roof!..LOL!!

later Howie!, ~Doug
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"Better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open mouth and remove any doubt!"

I've often yelled at my snakes late at night when the defile a freshly cleaned cage. The problem was that it was years ago and now I accept if for what it is... the agitation when not held often does just trigger them to evacuate their bowels with a swiftness. I've just tried to handle them more frequently... a pleasure all too often overlooked. Just the same I am currently cleaning out racks today so I'll put this to a test for you!!! I'll disinfect and wash and merely swap out the substrate in an equal sample. Go grab some dinner and report my findings. Later man... oh yeah and get some more shots of that female 'brooksi' up!

Chris

Chris,....

I look forward to your scientific data "findings"!,.....although they might stink a little!..hahahaa!

You might have already seen the latest pics I took of her the other day, but just in case, here they are again. I need to get some up to date ones on the male too.

later!, ~Doug




older pic of male brooksi

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

Well the findings are as follows...

5 of the 6 dropped a load... the final one a female 'in the blue' has not and her cage was completely cleaned. In fairness she's obviously going to burst here soon... though anything beyond now wouldn't be really representative. All three placed back into cages with some reminiscent scent available still pooped. Though they were all floridana and well it's perhaps a bad sample species! Man she's coming along nicely... if ever there was solid proof that a locale animal can knock your socks off. Though everything you post is a knockout anyhow... again man -- great collection!

Just as a side note -- it'd make sense that this can't simply be a 'black n' white' issue. Matter of fact I'm relatively certain some degree of scent marking does tend to habituate the animal to it's surroundings. Though I'd imagine it would have to be a trivial amount to still be successful. Perhaps remedied by sprinkling a lil' of the old substrate on the new. Though I bet you the snake would still drop one!!

Thanks for re-posting the pics Doug.

Chris

And don't forget, "If a kingsnake crosses another kingsnakes poop line it will only get eaten if it is not a clutchmate." FR

That's funny,I don't care who you are. RW

You are so very predictable. Because you do not think about something or because you think you know it all, does not mean anything that differs from your "norm" is wrong. hahahahahaha your funny in your naivity.

You seem to forget, I am just like you, only i have been doing this for a very very long time, both in the field and in nature.

That you think I/we should not learn additional stuff as the years go by, is so very silly/naive of you. You really should stop and think, WHAT WOULD YOU THINK or KNOW, if YOU continue that I am doing now, FOR MANY MORE DECADES.

I truely hope, if you do what your doing now, you will learn more and more. Because if you do not learn more, you must really be a little challanged. Good luck learning. Your going to need it. That you discount the actual meaning of experience, is a wall you have built only to STOP YOURSELF. Cheers

I'll leave all the knowing to you Frank. I'm still learing as I go. RW

I am still learning. RW

Randy you know you're still leering, LOL!
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Todd Hughes

Sometimes I just can't help myself Todd. lol

I thought that was what kept us interested. Could you imagine how boring it would be if shoebox understanding was, ALL THERE WAS????? I am so happy I still have lots and lots to learn. Cheers

i agree thats its a "scenting" of home turf, when put in new/clean cage. but sometimes **IT just happens ...
,,,,,,,thomas davis
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Morphs... just like baseball cards BUT ALIVE, how cool is that???

my website www.barmollysplace.com

I have this happen all the time. One time I saw it coming so I didn't even put the lid back on the cage. I then cleaned the fresh poop. It was as if the snake said "oh yeah?!" and it left another pile. I cleaned that,....and oh yes....where do Kings store this crap? A THIRD load came out..., I think they do it to comfort themselves with thier own scent.
Many years ago when I was a kid and I got my first pet shop snake [a speckled king] the guy who sold it to me suggested I always leave one corner of the snakes cage dirty. He said it makes the snake feel more comfortable as removing the aspen removes the scent. Many many people told me as years went by this was horrible advice, but hoenstly I think that this guy was right. Cleaning the cage spotless probably makes the snake feel like it is in a new environment every time, and that may be stressful.
Tom Stevens
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TomsSnakes.com

That is actually a good point to ponder Tom!!
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Genesis 1:1

I think it's because the snake is dropped into a fresh enclosure of new-smelling aspen bedding, this in turn makes it want to cruise around and investigate it's new surroundings, which also gets the snakes muscles and entire body functions much more stimulated and worked up, thus leading up to a good healthy crap or two. For instance, just as a snake would poop it's brains out cruising around for a long while trying to work off a shed,...they almost ALWAYS poop then too...(shrug).

I have serious reservations believing otherwise.

later Tom!, ~Doug
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"Better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open mouth and remove any doubt!"

Doug, my snakes are very active, they cruise several times a day. If your example was true, well then I'd have several piles of poop per day, and I don't. I stand by my comments about scents.
I do agree many of mine let one loose during a shed though. However I have handled snakes all the time and put them back in their cage without cleaning it and they do not poop every time, not very often at all. Clean that cage, instant poop.
Tom Stevens
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TomsSnakes.com

I am gonna go with the scenting crew. Snakes poop when they need to, I think they scent mark as well, which is different, like a cat or dog marking its' territory. Have you ever noticed a different musk scent from the same snake, for different reasons? Some give a flying spray, like a wild caught to get you to release, sometimes it is a more faint musk, other times I find I didn't smell a musking only to discover later there was a musking, a subdued or delayed reaction scent. Call me crazy but I've done it all from indigos to waters to kings, milks, rats, and many other less common N.A. snakes and I believe they scent mark. I also leave some of the old stuff in when changing substrate.
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Todd Hughes

You're not crazy. The Barker's recommend something similar for acclimating wild caught Ball Pythons.

I frequently take my snakes out in the yard and let them crawl around a bit so they can stretch there muscles, get some excercise and smell stuff. I think it just generally stimulates their senses and is good for them. In fact I did that with two thayeri this evening, about an hour ago. I just checked them and they did NOT poop, even though they both ate yesterday. Mine will however almost without fail poop right away after I clean their cage. So yes, I would say it's quite probable they are marking their territory.

marking your territory in this forum and the other dogs are getting ruffled hahahahaha

thought you'd enjoy this photo of yourself marking your territory in 1981. Blody sent it to me a while back, blame him for the cruddy photo, enjoy...

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Herp Conservation Unlimited
Mexicana Group Directory
Photography by Joseph E. Forks

Haha, I like that analogy and find this to be quite true! Frank, did you clean some of these guys' cages recently? LOL! There is too much poop flying around on this forum.
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Todd Hughes

My Black milks are conditioned to poop when put together. I'm not sure if it's the male or female, but I've had them together 3 or 4 times now and every time all I've gotten is a dirty cage.
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Joe