Reptile & Amphibian Forums

hey all. I have a chindro I have owned for a little over a year now. He has never passed a meal, but his bm's are worrying me a little. This must be the third time I have had to soak him due to the fact that his "rectal area" directly above the vent seems to be so full of crap that it's very large and plump. It is not completly hard, but it just seems that this can't be normal. His last bm must have been two months ago, and I only feed him every ten days. Plenty of water is provided through a drip system, and the temp is around 85 all the time. Can anyone tell me how to prevent this problem in the future? also, once this problem has occured, is it likely that the problem will reside or will it be a constant problem, considering all conditions are corrected? The python is roughly two and a half feet and I feed it two large hoppers per feeding. Any help is greatly appreciated. Thank you, Tommy in AZ

I have a small col. boa that has a similar problem. After not having a bm for two months, i soaked her for a couple of hours and a couple of days later she left me a big surprise. This week i pre moistened her prey item prior to feeding her. I have read this works, but this sat. was the first time i tried this so it may me a week yet till i see any results. I have also read that injecting a prey item with mineral oil will work as well. You should call a herp vet and discuss this matter with him/her. This way you have also made contact with a herp vet, you never need one till you need one, i speak from experience. Any decent herp vet should not have a problem giving advice over the phone, you can also get a feel for their understanding of herps as well.
Clint