Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi again,

Zia has been doing very well so far, but I'm curious about how often she should defecate, and how soon after a meal. I fed her on the 15th for the first time, and she accepted 4 pinky mice. She was scheduled to be fed again today, and since I'm going out of town for several days, I fed her - she accepted 4 pinks again, no problem - even though the lump is still slightly visible (mostly on the belly).

I'm concerned mostly because I never see her hanging out near the heat pad - and I was under the impression that snakes need heat to digest properly. I know the substrate is pretty cold away from the heat pad, where she normally hangs out even after eating. I even took her out of her cage for some exercise the past few days as well. Is she digesting properly?

Here's a picture of the lump (taken yesterday). Does it look to be about normal for 6 days after eating?

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::i believe in joy > http://www.winds.org/nekomi/hope.html

::my homepage > http://www.winds.org/nekomi

My Growing Zoo:

1.0 Husband (Byron) ^_^
0.1 black cat (Shade)
0.1 Brazilian Rainbow Boa (Zia)
1.2 Cockatoo cichlids (A. cacatuoides yellow-gold)
1.1 WC Cockatoo cichlids (A. cacatuoides blue Peru)
3.3 Pygmy corydoras (C. pygmaeus)
2.0 Endlers' Livebearers (P. sp. Endlers)

...to your question. I think the time frame will vary a little with each individual snake and factors such as meal size, temp, activity level, and type of prey will also influence the digestion rate. My experience says that the lump you are concerned about is larger than what I would expect at the time of the photo. I would speculate that it will pass in 3 or 4 days. I suppose thatsince she was recently purchased there is a possibility that the meal fed was much larger than what her system is accustomed to, the humidity may have been too low before you acquired her, something still isn't quite right about her current set-up, or there is nothing wrong. If it where my call, I would not feed again until she poops and would offer a smaller meal the next time. It's probably related to the acclimation process and will correct itself soon.

Linda
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"There is a principle which is a bar against all information, which is proof against all arguments and which cannot fail to keep a man in everlasting ignorance- that principle is contempt prior to investigation." Herbert Spencer

Thanks for responding, Sunshine. She has a vet appointment (general checkup) on March 3, so if there's still a problem by then, I'll definitely get it checked out.

Do you think that she might be having trouble digesting because she still avoids the hot side of the enclosure (hot side temps 78-80 at substrate level)? I'm worried that because she lays on cool substrate, her processes might be slow. She also seems very inactive these days, even at night. She used to cruise around, but after her first meal, she became inactive and rarely prowls about at night.

In either case, I guess I'll see what the situation is when I get back from being out-of-town for the next three days. Thanks again!
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::i believe in joy > http://www.winds.org/nekomi/hope.html

::my homepage > http://www.winds.org/nekomi

My Growing Zoo:

1.0 Husband (Byron) ^_^
0.1 black cat (Shade)
0.1 Brazilian Rainbow Boa (Zia)
1.2 Cockatoo cichlids (A. cacatuoides yellow-gold)
1.1 WC Cockatoo cichlids (A. cacatuoides blue Peru)
3.3 Pygmy corydoras (C. pygmaeus)
2.0 Endlers' Livebearers (P. sp. Endlers)

Nakomi,
....I am with Linda on this. That lump in the PIC looked bigger than expected for that long after the meal but perhaps everything is okay.
Jeff

>>Thanks for responding, Sunshine. She has a vet appointment (general checkup) on March 3, so if there's still a problem by then, I'll definitely get it checked out.
>>
>>Do you think that she might be having trouble digesting because she still avoids the hot side of the enclosure (hot side temps 78-80 at substrate level)? I'm worried that because she lays on cool substrate, her processes might be slow. She also seems very inactive these days, even at night. She used to cruise around, but after her first meal, she became inactive and rarely prowls about at night.
>>
>>In either case, I guess I'll see what the situation is when I get back from being out-of-town for the next three days. Thanks again!
>>-----
>>::i believe in joy > http://www.winds.org/nekomi/hope.html
>>
>>::my homepage > http://www.winds.org/nekomi
>>
>>My Growing Zoo:
>>
>>1.0 Husband (Byron) ^_^
>>0.1 black cat (Shade)
>>0.1 Brazilian Rainbow Boa (Zia)
>>1.2 Cockatoo cichlids (A. cacatuoides yellow-gold)
>>1.1 WC Cockatoo cichlids (A. cacatuoides blue Peru)
>>3.3 Pygmy corydoras (C. pygmaeus)
>>2.0 Endlers' Livebearers (P. sp. Endlers)

3 or 4 days? Really? Eve only goes about once every 3-4 weeks ... is this abnormal? Now I am worried!!!
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~ Noel ~
My Email
My Photos

Noel,
That lump should not be there after 6 days. So that picture was taken before you feed the next 4 pinkies? Just does'nt seem right to me. Do you have an infrared thermometer? I'd double check the temps on the warm side directly above the pad where the snake would be resting. How cool is the cool side? If its dipping into the 60's you could have a problem where the warm side is uncomfortably hot and the cool side too cool and these snakes will opt for the cool side. My BRB's deficate about 7 to 10 days after feeding but it really can be as short as 5-7 days. If your feeding mice pinkies this is a too small food item with little to no hair (majority of a snakes poop is hair) so your little guy could just be hanging onto every last drop before passing what would be a small poop. But again the visible lump after 6 days is a concern (at least to me).
Hope this is of help,
Paul

Oh, the picture with the snake and lump wasn't mine. I was just mention how infrequent my Rainbow deficates. It makes me wonder if something is wrong.

I don't use a deep substrate. I use towels. I find the dirt and woods are hard to keep clean, and you can't see everything in them.
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~ Noel ~
My Email
My Photos

Noel,
Guess it would help some if I read who was authoring the posts!
Sorry for the confusion. Rats are certainly a more substantial food item. Good luck on the transition.
Paul

Thanks for replying, I didn't get notified of your response until now.

There's an update to the situation further up in the forum, but I'll respond to your question here.

Temps on the hot side are 78-80 ambient, heated by a UTH on a thermostat, with the prove right at substrate level. Cool side is about 73 consistently. Zia spends most of her time in the medium-to-cool side, burrowing under the substrate. She rarely, if ever, ventures to the warm side, even after eating.
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::i believe in joy > http://www.winds.org/nekomi/hope.html

::my homepage > http://www.winds.org/nekomi

My Growing Zoo:

1.0 Husband (Byron) ^_^
0.1 black cat (Shade)
0.1 Brazilian Rainbow Boa (Zia)
1.2 Cockatoo cichlids (A. cacatuoides yellow-gold)
1.1 WC Cockatoo cichlids (A. cacatuoides blue Peru)
3.3 Pygmy corydoras (C. pygmaeus)
2.0 Endlers' Livebearers (P. sp. Endlers)