Boa not "going"?

sassamagoo · 06-15-09, 08:11 AM

Hi everyone. A month ago I bought a baby Boa and I'm concerned that he doesn't seem to have gone to the bathroom at all since I've had him.

The first week we had him, we had a reptile wood substrate, but since then, we have gone with paper towel as this was recommended to us to make it easier to see and get used to spotting defecation and urination spots. In the 3 weeks we've had paper towel, I've seen nothing. So I'm a bit worried. He does have a water bowl that I wash out completely and refill every 2-3 days and I check the water level in it daily. His humidity level has been pretty consistent around 55% (I was told 50%-60% was best for him). He also has eaten since he came to us. The first few weeks he wouldn't, but after around 2 1/2 weeks he ate the first time (pinkie mouse) and a little over a week later, he ate another.

So, I've cleaned his cage out completely 4 times (even though I saw nothing to clean out) just to be safe and I'm now concerned that I haven't seen anything. No poops, no wet spots or yellow spots that I can tell. Am I missing something? Should I be concerned? Or is this another one of those "snakes do that sometimes" things. How should I handle this?

Thanks in advance for any advice!
Sass

Kmef07 · 06-15-09, 08:51 AM

First snakes don't have wet spots there pee is hard and is usually white with a little hard yellow in it. and then they poo every once in a while sometimes mine will only go once every couple weeks. the poo is brown and looks like a turd so that is pretty easy to spot. but chances are the snake went and then you cleaned it out with the wood and then look for it to go in the next week or so. if it is bound up usually it will swell towards the back. I would keep the humidity between 65% and 70% though and then raise it close to 100% during shed. My Brazilian Rainbow Boa went the other day and i just found it plastered to the underside of a hide when i cleaned it. so sometimes it is hard to find. they dont' really poop that big either until they get bigger.

what kind of boa do you have and post some pics.

By the way hope this helps

Will0W783 · 06-15-09, 09:59 AM

I agree with Kyle that you might have missed it cleaning up the bark. It should be easy to find on paper towel, but how often do you feed him/her? Have you fed since you changed over to the paper towels? They will only poop once for every food item consumed, usually a week to two weeks after eating, depending on the metabolism.

sassamagoo · 06-15-09, 10:52 AM

We only used the bark for about a week. Its been about 3 weeks since we have been using paper towels. Its been about 2 weeks since the first time he ate, and about 4 days since the second time. He didn't eat until after we switched to paper towels. I have not looked in his hide yet.

I guess I'm just wondering how often to expect pee and poo from him.

And his pic is up on my profile, but I know its hard to see. I'm not exactly sure how to upload the pics from my computer to post them.

Sorry, I'm new to the forum thing. Hopefully when my bf gets home he can help me post a pic.

Sass

sassamagoo · 06-15-09, 11:08 AM

Lets see if this works. Gonna try to post pic.

Will0W783 · 06-15-09, 05:32 PM

Awww, he's a cutie. If he just ate 4 days ago, you can expect it to take a few more before he might poop. Also, you might try feeding a smaller prey item more often, like once a week, to see if you can get him more "regular" but I wouldn't feed more than three meals between poops (this is the ETB rule, but I think it would apply to any snake?). I wouldn't panic yet, since you may have missed a poop in the bark. Start a feed/shed/poop chart on him and keep track of everything. If he still hasn't gone in another 4 days or so, try soaking him in warm (85 degree) water for 10-15 minutes, and handle him frequently. Those things can get them "moving". Good luck; stay calm and you and your boa will get through this.

Aaron_S · 06-15-09, 07:41 PM

The snake needs something in it's system before it can pass it. You need to up the intake to at least a single hopper mouse per week. A pinky mouse won't cut it. It can probably take an adult but go with a hopper to not shock the system with a large meal since it hasn't had,well virtually anything. Once you put a good sized meal into the snake, it will use the other end.

sassamagoo · 06-15-09, 07:49 PM

Ummmmm..... don't know my snake lingo.... Whats a hopper? And how often should I be handling him? Once a day? That's what I've been aiming for so far. And for how long a period at a time? Right now I usually do 15-30 minutes each time I take him out.

Thanks again for all the advice, it's been helpful already.

Aaron_S · 06-15-09, 07:51 PM

That's a fine handling schedule except it's not an entirely established eater yet. You need to ensure this snake eats on a regular basis before you handle it. That's probably was a reason why it didn't eat very much.

A hopper is a juvenile mouse. Not quite an adult but a fair bit larger than a fuzzy or pinky.

citysnakes.com · 06-15-09, 10:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kmef07

First snakes don't have wet spots there pee is hard and is usually white with a little hard yellow in it.

snakes do expel liquid along with urates and defecations.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Will0W783

I wouldn't feed more than three meals between poops (this is the ETB rule, but I think it would apply to any snake?).

this is a rule applied to ETBs due to the common incidence of regurgitation syndrome within this species. other species will have different feeding "rules".

sassamagoo, if your snake is healthy and eats regularily then there is nothing to worry about. it will go when its ready. i would bump up the prey size from pinkies as mentioned and i bet you'll have your poo in no time.

siz · 06-16-09, 06:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by citysnakes.com

this is a rule applied to ETBs due to the common incidence of regurgitation syndrome within this species. other species will have different feeding "rules".

What is the rule for BPs? I have a friend who purchased a hatchling BP (never eaten, shed, or pooped) and they have fed it several times and it hasn't gone yet. I think they have had it for just over a month.

sassamagoo · 06-16-09, 07:33 PM

Just an update: I went to the place I got my pinkies from and they only had pinkies, fuzzies, then right up to full size mice. So I got him a fuzzy, as it is significantly larger than the pinkies, but I didn't want to overload his system with a full size mouse. I'm going to look into another place nearby to find if they have hoppers at all, but I didn't want to wait to long to feed him either, as it has been almost a week since the last pinkie. So I fed him a fuzzy tonight and he ate it happily. I can see the bulge in his tummy now

Let me know if that was okay to do.

Plus, I bought another fuzzy for next week in case I haven't solved the hopper situation by then.

Aaron_S · 06-16-09, 08:03 PM

If there's a bulge then stick with these fuzzies for the next feeding or two.

It's ok that your snake goes more than a week without food. Snakes can live quite some time without any.

citysnakes.com · 06-16-09, 10:14 PM

Jess, theres not really a strict rule with bps as with ETBs and GTPs that commonly may experience regurgitation or prolapse issues. if the bp is healthy and eating then dont worry about it and continue to feed it weekly. hold back if the snake looks constipated or too backed up.

siz · 06-17-09, 08:13 AM

Thanks for the clarification Julian