Posted by:
HappyHillbilly
at Fri May 2 09:26:05 2008 [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by HappyHillbilly ]
Hi Wayne!
There's nothing wrong with feeding a snake inside it's enclosure. If there are concerns about the substrate being harmful it shouldn't be in there to begin with. You now have seen firsthand that most of the wood-type substrates commonly used can be passed without problems.
Most likely, the reason it hadn't defecated in quite some time is due to dehydration. Dehydration can lead to impaction but I'm not 100% sure I would consider what you've just experienced a full-blown impaction issue. Maybe, maybe not. In situations like that I've seen the term "impaction" used fairly loosely but I feel there's a fine line there. However, I've used the term in similar situations myself. It is commonly accepted as such and probably close enough to be considered such. In other words, I'm getting into splitting hairs, needlessly. Ha! Ha!
Anyway, the reason for feeding a reptile in it's enclosure far outweighs the reasons not to. This is even so in the event that a cage is loaded with feces and hasn't been changed in months. A healthy snake is unaffected by such. Even if it were to consume part of it's own feces during ingestion of a rodent, the odds are it would be more beneficial to the reptile than harmful.
A word about testing for parasites: If it ain't broke, don't fix it. If there are no obvious problems, save your money, the snake's gut is doing what it's supposed to do. By needlessly eliminating the bad, the good are also wiped out, thus having to start all over again and, in my eyes, making it more susceptible to the bad than it orginally was. They need some bad to encourage the growth & presence of the good.
Have a good one!
HH
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Due to political correctness run amuck,
this ol' hillbilly is now referred to as an:
Appalachian American
www.natures-signature.com
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RE: Bath time reveals more neglect! - HappyHillbilly, Fri May 2 09:26:05 2008
