corn snake toilet habits?

Question

my corn snake is now 14 months old and on medium sized mice every four days. her poo has always been bird like and dry. However, recently she has produced lots of wet and somewhat smelly poo. Is this normal? Is it because the tank is too cold? Any help please.

Answer 1

Maybe this'll help.....particulary the end bit !!!!

CORN SNAKE
Elaphe guttata

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HABITS AND HABITATS
In the wild, Corn Snakes tend to be quite secretive and appear to be active mostly at night. During daylight hours they may be found hiding under loose tree bark and beneath logs, rocks, and other debris. If disturbed, they often strike repeatedly at the intruder while vibrating their tail. In dry leaves, the vibrating of the tail may resemble the buzz of a rattlesnake, fooling some predators in to leaving them alone. Corn Snakes prefer habitats such as overgrown fields, forest openings, and abandoned or seldom used buildings where their favorite food of mice and other small rodents is abundant. Like other rat snakes, Corn Snakes are excellent climbers and often climb high in trees looking for nestling birds and other prey. Corn Snakes overpower their prey by first biting to obtain a firm grip, then quickly wrapping one or more coils of their body around the victim, squeezing tightly until it suffocates. The Corn Snake then swallows its food whole, usually beginning with the head of the animal. Like most other snakes, Corn Snakes do not usually eat every day and may often go for days or weeks between feedings. Corn Snakes usually breed in spring with females laying their eggs in early summer. The eggs are not cared for by the adult snake. They are laid in rotting stumps, in piles of decaying vegetation or other similar locations where there is sufficient heat and humidity to incubate them. The eggs hatch in 2 to 3 months. Young corn snakes often feed on small lizards and frogs until they grow large enough to overpower larger prey. Only a few from each clutch usually survive to adulthood because of predation by a variety of other animals.
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HISTORY
All snakes, including the Corn Snake, have been needlessly killed and persecuted by man. The fear and hatred of snakes is based on human prejudices and beliefs rather than actual fact. Due to their reddish-orange coloration, Corn Snakes are often killed because they are mistaken for the copperhead, a venomous species. Corn Snakes, as well as copperheads, are actually beneficial predators of rodents and in turn are important food items for many other animals. Because of their beautiful coloration and docile temperament as captives, Corn Snakes are often kept as pets tame quickly and with proper care may live ten to fifteen years or more in captivity. In the wild, their average lifespan is considerably less. Corn Snakes also readily breed in captivity and many striking color patterns and variations have been produced by hobbyists, many of which would not normally occur in the wild.
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MEET OUR CORN SNAKES
The Nature Center usually keeps one or more Corn Snakes on exhibit in the Nature Lab. In our "hands on" Discovery Room. Usually a Corn Snake is available for our visitors to touch and even handle. Once a visitor touches one of our friendly snakes and gets a chance to learn the truth about these misunderstood reptiles, it usually helps them to replace their fear of snakes with a fascination for them! The Nature Center's Corn Snakes are fed mice and small rats which we raise at the Center. They are usually fed once every week or once every two weeks. Snakes have a slow metabolism and do not have to eat very often. Our Corn Snakes are used extensively in our educational programs and have been touched and handled by literally hundreds of visitors, helping them to overcome their fear and revulsion to these interesting and beneficial creatures.

Answer 2

No long wordy answers here. Feed prey up to almost as big around as the thickest portion of the snake. If your snake is as big around the middle as a quarter, then a medium mouse is ok but probably 2-3 at once. Don't feed again until the snake poops. Snake poop should look like dog poop with a little white in it. Your snake should feel warm to the touch. That is how you will know if you are keeping it's cage warm enough. Provide a bowl deep enough to fit the whole body in for soaking when it comes time to shed. Have a warm and a cool side of the cage.

Answer 3

You're overfeeding her. Cut her feedings back to once every 7-10 days and see how that effects her droppings. Also, corns tend to hibernate during the cool months, and many are now beginning to go off their feed. If she refuses food any time soon, wait about two weeks for her gut to completely empty and drop the temperature a couple of degrees per day. I used to hibernate mine in an ice chest at about 45ºF from early December to about the end of February, using ice packs (with towels to soak up the moisture that sweats off of them) to keep them cold.

Answer 4

You're feeding her too often! She only needs to feed every 10 - 14 days. Feed her a larger mouse or start her on baby rats. Baby rats are actually better snake-feed because they are meatier animals, whereas mice are mostly bone and fur.

Answer 5

like most people said your feeding it too often I feed mine every 7 days and it doesnt poo very often which is normal,but when it does it looks like bird poo like you said but doesnt smell.

Answer 6

ask a vet i dont think that is good. my ball python never had poop like that and she's 7yrs old. i would look into that. good luck

Answer 7

take it to the vet to be checked