Reptile & Amphibian Forums

This morning I found something strange in my Ball Python's vivarium.

A dark brown mass the size of my thumb. It looked and had the texture of human excrements, but it was odorless.

I first thought it was a regurgitated rat, but my snake ate for the last time 5 days ago and has since then made its regular dejection. The brown mass didn't look like an half digested carcass either.

I don't know which hole this came from, but the segment of the tail that comes before the cloaca seems a bit thinner than before.

The 5 months old Python looked healthy last night, and despite the incident, it looks alright this morning too.

Any idea?

ok...I've been reading since this morning and I think I just witnessed my Python's first defecation. I always assumed it was the white stuff that came with its urine.

It took an awful long time to come out though... O_o

The white stuff IS the urine (urates). Ball pythons poop like little horses. And yes, they can be few and far between.

..but the white chalky stuff also comes with "normal" liquid urine right?

>>..but the white chalky stuff also comes with "normal" liquid urine right?

No, snakes don't produce any urine in that sense. They do shed some water with their uric acid (the white chalky material) but it is mostly water.

Humans produce urine to rid their body of nitrogenous wastes (as urea). Reptiles and birds get rid of their nitrogenous wastes in an insoluble form called uric acid.
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Chris Harrison
San Antonio, TX

mine go once a week (or when they shed)
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jake

my addiction:
2 normal ball pythons (lazlo and izzy)
1 amelenistic corn snake (mazy)
0.1 blizzard corn (blizz)

how long have you had him?
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jake

my addiction:
2 normal ball pythons (lazlo and izzy)
1 amelenistic corn snake (mazy)
0.1 blizzard corn (blizz)