Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi all -

Has anyone actually witnessed their snake(s) bringing up/throwing up fur balls, not just seen the evidence left in the cage? Do all your wlp’s do this? Also, if anyone feeds their wlp’s a bird diet, do they produce “quill balls”, instead? Has anyone read any speculation on why these snakes process undigested fur like this, instead of letting it pass on through the digestive system like other snakes? Or perhaps wlp’s are not the only snake species to do this?

My only white-lipped python has a hide container that covers half the floor space of his cage, but as near as I can recall he always deposits these fur balls outside the hide, even though he may pass feces and urates inside. Maybe just coincidence. Well, anyway, at least these fur balls are nowhere near as messy as those barfed up by cats.

Thanks,
Joan

Hi Joan,

well, I was lucky to see this a couple of times. Usually they only throw up when they feel absolutly safe. The open their mouth wide and first third of the body is teld up. You can see the muscle contraction and that somethings comming up by this. People who see this the first time may think their snake is dying.
Most of the wlp do this, as well as Timor pythons, and from time to time carpet pythons do aswell! As I have never fed birds on a regular base I do not know if wlps will also throw up then.
Some people can't find the results and I always tell them it really is somewhere, they perhaps have to search more carfully
I do not exactly know why they do so but my assumtion is because of the same reason that birds of prey and others do so.

that's all for now...

Cheers,
Wulf
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