Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Thanks Paul for the help on my last posting I looked at Jason's site Dumerils.com but I didn't find out anything on bowl movements only that when they are older they should be fed per B/M. My problem is that my Dumeril hasn't had a poo since Nov 21 and it is now Dec 14. He doesn't refuse feedings and eats 2 small/med size fusses at 30 min apart the temp is all right and I just bumped the humidity up because he is going into shed. So should I be concerned at this point iv tried the tub soaking already to no prevail and did it today too but he was going nuts in the tank so I got worried he was stressing out so I put him back in his cage I have also gone threw all the substrate with no luck of finding any mess. Is it time to go to a vet?

Kmay, my general advice for ANY snake that seems to be constipated is to soak in luke warm water.

My own Dumeril doesn't seem to have a problem with constipation, but my young Ball Python pretty much seems to like getting soaked so well that he won't go until I soak him. Oddly enough the same little guy doesn't seem to like the whole soaking deal unless I hold onto him... and the whole reason that I mention this here is the fact that if you are holding onto a snake while soaking it with the intent of getting it to defecate, it will be gross; just remember, it all washes off!!

I have a "small" (19qt) plastic tote (with tall sides and a locking lid) that I use alternatingly as a feeding bin or a bathtub for my young snakes. To soak, I fill the tote about 1 or 2 inches deep with luke warm water (so it feels slightly cool to you - and doesn't burn your snake). I do this for about 20 minutes at a time. If in that amount of time, no success; repeat the next day, etc.

WHEN TO CALL THE VET: Gently feel your snake as you handle him, and feel for any bulges near the vent. If it feels like there is a rock (which would be hard, dry feces/urates that would be very difficult to pass) just before the vent, then you would want to call and talk to a vet. If you feel a bulge but it is not significantly hard, keep trying the soaking thing for at least another week or so.

As far as feeding, if you are in touch with the breeder, consult them for their opinions on this. I am under the impression that Dumeril's Boas' metabolisms are so slow that the feeding regimen you are describing could be too much too often. I can't claim to be the expert there.

I hope this helps!

~Rebecca
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1.1 Ball Pythons (1.0 '05 Ghost, 0.1 '03 Normal)
0.1 Dumeril's Boa
0.2 American Pit Bull Terriers (40 lb darling lap dogs)

As Rebecca said, feel around the vent/cloaca and also a few inches up...up being toward the head. Does the animal feel bloated? I haven't had to deal with this since keeping Blood pythons, but sometimes Urates basically get stuck and with a little applied pressure in front of the blockage toward the vent, you can manually "relieve" the animal. Sometimes the white "lump" that will come out can be of pretty good size, but you can cautiously get it to come out, and it will generally be followed by a joyous spritz to your hands/clothes whatever is in the general vicinity. If you do feel what Rebecca described and don't feel comfortable trying to "remove" it on your own, then you should consider a vet appointment, but give details and be sure to have a qualified vet. Not just one that will say, must be a RI, here's some Baytril(they're out there!)....Also, they do have slower metabolism than say common boas, but I think what your describing is a bit too slow even for Dumerils. Take care

Paul

Thanks for the info, now I have soaked him again in a small tupperware container for 20 min and he didnt go in the water I have also felt around his vent for any lumps but didnt find anything that stood out and I ran my fingers along his sides gently toward the vent to see if that could push anything out but nothing came out. I had called a vet about the issue but the place I called was a vet that caters to all animals (including snakes) wich I didnt feel I was getting all the best advise but maybe im wrong, he told me to do the soaking thing which I have done he also said if the snake is going into shed that may be a reason for no poo and told me that it should all move thru eventually, I thought to stop feeding until he had a B/M but he recomended to keep feeding and call back in a week. Now about his feeding schedual he actually recomender me to up his schedual to every 3 days that is what the vet does for his young snakes (under 3 feet), but I dont know if that would be good with the dumeril because of the metabolism. Thanks again for the advise I thought I would let you guys know what a vet is saying but if you wouldnt recomend anything he is saying please let my know Im all ears at this time. I am also going to contact a local reptile refuge for some better advise and possible a good herp vet in my area.

Well, I wouldn't feed any of my dumerils every 3 days. Sounds like what is being done with Ball python morphs in an effort to keep up with the competition. If the snake isn't bloated up though, and doesn't appear constipated, I'd go ahead and feed. You can generally tell when they're backed up just by looking at them. Good luck, take care!

Paul

Hey guys thanks for the help again I finally have some feces and to my surprise a full shed I didn't think he was as close to shed as he was but maybe that was part of the constipation problem. I have a couple new questions and they are how long do your Dumerils go between B/M (3 feet and under) and when they do what sanitation cleaner do you use to clean the cage or do you use a home recipe. Also what have you found to be a good feeding schedule for the young ones I think ill stay on a 7 day schedule for now what do you think? I also herd that they can utilize and absorb all its prey to the point that you wont get feces if the prey is to small is this true.

Thanks Kmay.

I feed my Dumeril's Boa about every week-and-a-half to two weeks. She gets one adult mouse, and she is around two-and-a-half feet long. This schedule works pretty well for her, and she is growing at a nice rate (she didn't eat well for her first year, and so is a little stunted). Someone who keeps a lot more Dumeril's Boas may have better advice about feeding schedules.

I have noticed that any snake will defecate a lot less when the prey items they are fed are young. I think that when a fuzzy rat is fed to a snake instead of a similarly sized mouse (which is older), the young rat is more digestible. The reason I say this is that a similarly sized mouse has significantly more hair, and its bones are more completely ossified (harder), which are harder for the snake to digest. I am feeding my hatchling Ball Python pinky rats right now - this is the same snake that I soak to encourage to defecate - and he does not ever pass very much. I feed my Dumeril's Boa mice because I cannot get rats of the right size with any regularity.

Hope that helps.

~Rebecca
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1.1 Ball Pythons (1.0 '05 Ghost, 0.1 '03 Normal)
0.1 Dumeril's Boa '04
0.2 American Pit Bull Terriers (40 lb darling lap dogs)