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For several years, I kept a large male white lipped python. On many occasions, after feeding him a large meal, a conspicuous hairball would appear a few days after after the meal. I don't remember exactly, but at the time I felt that the hairball was regurgitated. If any of you experience the same with your white lipped, please email me and let me know. And feel free to correct me if you have a better idea of the origin of the hair mass. Thanks

Robert Makowsky

robertmakowsky@yahoo.com

I've got a pair that I've had since they were hatchlings and they both do this, although I'm not sure if they do it after every meal. It's really obvious when they've had a white rat, with darker furred rats it looks more like defication. It's definatley regurgitated, I watched one of mine hack one up one night. I don't know of any other python or boa that does this, but then white lippeds are pretty unique critters.

-Rolf

Hi,

well, it is normal to "cast" for white-lipped, ringed pytons and timor python. I've also seen this with carpets. But wlps do this almost every time after feeding.

Check out the discussion on the wlp behaviour forum at www.leiopython.de

Cheers,
Wulf
-----
http://www.leiopython.de ,
http://www.herpers-digest.com

Thank you all for the responses. A professor of mine is a snake digestive physiologist and he had never heard of regurgitating hair. If any of you know of a publications referring to this please cite them for me. Thanks again

Robert

Hi,

I am not aware of any publications other than some books about python husbandary in english language. There once was a small note in a german journal back in 1969 (if I remember right), but this was only a note that it was observed in wlps. I have seen this a couple of times in all of my wlps (16 animals at present).
Perhaps its done by the same reason that birds of prey do so, I don't know. But anyway, it happens.

Cheers,
Wulf
-----
http://www.leiopython.de ,
http://www.herpers-digest.com

A few terrestrial Indo-Australian pythons are known to do this. It is exactly what you thought, regurgitated hairballs. I have witnessed ours doing this, and like you said the white ones are more noticable. It also occurs, in our experience, with ringed pythons, savu, and timors.

Matt & Nicci Turner
Selective Origins