Hi all, I obtained my first Green Tree Python about six months ago, a Biak (by appearance - seller couldn't confirm), now just under a year old.
As a first-time GTP caretaker, I'd been pleased that, despite stories of them being tempermental, stress-sensitive and aggressive, I'd had exactly zero problems. Until now.
One cautionary I'd come across frequently was the risk of over-feeding, given their largely sedentary habits (although I was surprised, given all those warnings, how active it was at night). Anyway, seems I took those warnings too much to heart, and may have been UNDERfeeding it, because the other morning, I woke to find that the snake had eaten a kitchen sponge I kept in a saucer to keep the humidity up (and yes, there's also a large water bowl, living plants, etc.). It's also possible one or more orchid bark chips were consumed.
Fortunately, everything possibly consumed is organic. My concerns are 1) the size of the sponge - it's a standard kitchen sponge, not that big, but again, the snake is barely larger than a neonate, the width not much bigger than a Sharpie, 2) the absorbent nature of cellulose - the sponge would have been saturated with water at the time, but I'm still concerned it could absorb enough of the snake's fluids to cause problems, 3) bacteria that could be present on a constantly saturated sponge, and 4) if orchid bark was consumed, obviously the rough edges are a concern.
My thoughts are that the powerful stomach acids should at least reduce the object'(s)' size(s) and smooth out any rough edges, and that even if I could induce defecation, the more time spent digesting before defecation, the better. But I'm no veterinarian, and would love to hear others' thoughts, or just get some reassurance that there's not much to be done at this point but wait and hope for the best.
Sorry for the novella, and any and all replies are most appreciated.
Btw, I've followed Kingsnake for my many years of herp collecting, but this situation prompted me to sign up so I could post.
Thanks!
BurpsAndHerps
