Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a 4' bubble gum corn snake. He has been acting just fine until today. I was sitting in the chair right next to his cage and I heard what I thought was a cat getting sick, but in fact it was my snake going to the bathroom. He had mostly runny, black poop. there was some chunks in it but very few. Also there was a weird white substance along with the poop. His whole cage had to be cleaned out due to the poop (soaked all the newspaper)I am wondering if it is something that I fed him. I got a hamster from the local pet store here (he was too mean to sell). I thought that snakes could eat hamsters. There is another man who will come in sometimes and will get hamsters for his snakes. Have I made my snake sick?

It's very hard to diagnose without actually experiencing the delightful event in person, but I would say keep an eye on him and be looking for any other changes like loss of appetite. He's probably ok. The Hamster should not have made a difference, unless something was wrong with the Hamster? Maybe it was bigger than he normally is used to eating, or just the change? It's hard to predict, but probably nothing. If he throws up that would worry me more.
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King Snakes! Who can make a better mouse trap?
J Sierra

Yeah, the sound of snakes taking a good dump is pretty disgusting, but it is also quite normal for it to be very liquidy, mostly black with white urates included in it. Like Jorge mentioned, unless the hamster was far too big, or was way too cool for it to properly digest, I think there is nothing wrong at all.

Let me just say though,....NEVER leave any live rodent unattended with the snake, and ESPECIALLY a hamster or gerbil!!. They can injure or kill a snake in no time flat if the snake doesn't want to eat it. I have heard many horror stories about hamsters and gerbils disfiguring and killing many snakes over the years.

Anyway, the nasty watery sound of the poop is quite normal. I hear my snakes doing this fairly often when I am in the snake room, especially between the second and third day after feeding..LOL!

~Doug
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"a snake in the grass is a GOOD thing"

my website -serpentinespecialties.webs.com

Thank you so much for your input. I never leave a rodent unattended in the tank with my snakes. I always sit there to make sure that they kill the food and usually until they ingest it also. It was just weird for me to hear my snake poop. I've never heard it before.

Its fine for the occasional runny or 'explosive' bowel movement. I have had ball pythons and corn snakes startle me with farting etc spraying half their tank with poo... However if this happens every poop, I suggest getting a fecal done just to rule out any internal parasites. Other than that there isn't anything to worry about.
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PHLdyPayne

Forum Princess

Thank You

I haven't heard my cornsnakes poop, but I have heard my ball pythons poop! It's gross. Scared me the first time I heard it. Couldn't figure out what was going on at first. Finally opened the tub of the snake that was doing it in the middle of the "action". Can't believe so much noise could come from an animal that small!
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Cheers,
Jessica Gibbs
Ball Pythons; Corn Snakes; Green Tree Python; Jungle Carpet Python; Bci; Bcl; Bco
www.supercoilconstrictors.com
LEARNING PREVENTS IGNORANCE OF THAT WHICH SURROUNDS YOU...AS LONG AS THE SOURCE FROM WHICH YOU LEARN IS A VALID ONE.

Yep!,.......complete with loud, nasty gurgling sounds and bubbles!..LMAO!!

Believe me, it's a good thing this video is silent and doesn't have surround sound!..LOL!

~Doug
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"a snake in the grass is a GOOD thing"

my website -serpentinespecialties.webs.com

Who would record such a thing? All in the name of education I guess!

--Dennis

Yeah, I am guessing pretty much the same people that record putting firecrackers in their nostrils and light them..LMAO!!

youtube has just about any weird thing you could possibly imagine. I'm quite sure it gives other morons plenty of "bright" ideas as well..LOL!

~Doug
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"a snake in the grass is a GOOD thing"

my website -serpentinespecialties.webs.com

Its crazy how many stupid, and dumb people are out there. I think youtube is like a bragging place for all the dumb stupid people in the world. lol. youtube is good for a lot of things, dont get me wrong, but it seams lately the dumb are taking over. lol

todays young people seem FAR dummer than ever before in my opinion. In alot of the stupid "accident" video I have seen before, the idiots totally deserve everything they receive!..like this one for example..LOL!

~Doug
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"a snake in the grass is a GOOD thing"

my website -serpentinespecialties.webs.com

Leave to Doug to post that. Thanks it made my day!

"Smell-o-vision" would be even better than surround-sound!
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Kent

0.1 Hypomelanistic striped cornsnake
1.1 Hypo (het lavender, striped) cornsnake hatchlings
2.2 Normal (het hypo, lavender, striped) cornsnake hatchlings
1.2 Gray-banded kingsnakes, blairs phase
1.1 Oregon rubber boas

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"a snake in the grass is a GOOD thing"

my website -serpentinespecialties.webs.com

Thank you very much. That video is quite revealing. lol

Yes, "revealing" for sure!..LOL!

~Doug
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"a snake in the grass is a GOOD thing"

my website -serpentinespecialties.webs.com