My boa hasn't crapped in almost a month is this normal?

Question

Is there a snake laxative or something I can put in his asshole to help him out?

Answer 1

I'll have to be general in my answer because I don't have any info on your snake at this point (what species, when he ate or shed last, etc.).

It depends on a lot of things. First, how much has it eaten? Many boas and pythons will defecate about a week after a large meal, but some will save it until the load is overbearing and dump it all at once, like just prior to or along with a shed. Sometimes my ball pythons will do this and it will be their first crap in over a month. It's fairly normal. One thing you'll want to look for is if the snake is visibly bloated in the abdominal area. If this is the case you may want to give him the warm water treatment mentioned above. Try to let your snake get out and exercise once in a while too -- this tends to keep things loosened up. In other words, handle your snake periodically. It's not too uncommon for me to handle my green tree pythons when they start looking backed up and I'll often wake up the next morning to find the snake happily perched on its branch with a large dump on the ground underneath.

If your snake is getting near a shed, wait it out. The snake will almost always defecate with a shed. I don't know how old your snake is but it's more common for adults to retain feces than for juvies, so a month may or may not be long enough for him to be in shed again.

If you feel that the snake is really having trouble (i.e. he's looking backed up AND it's been more than about 4 weeks since he passed anything), and soaking and exercise are not working, then you may wish to see a vet.
If he does not defecate along with a shed (after not having done so since his last meal) then you know he's having trouble.

But aside from those signs I wouldn't worry just yet, especially if you have a boa or python.

Hope this helps. Good luck. If you can be more specific about the appearance of the snake, when it shed last, and how much it has eaten in the past month it will help me to better tell you if you have anything to worry about. You can email me if you have any more details to add.

Later.

Answer 2

How big is your boa? how old? When was the last time it ate? These are all important questions as to why your snake hasn't crapped.

If you take your fingers and feel along the last third of its body you should be able to feel where the crap is. Large meals take longer to digest so if you have large boa it will take a very long time for your snake to crap. But if it is young and still hasn't he may be compacted. The quickest way for your snke to crap would be to soak it in luke warm water. That usually works. If it is compacted you may have to take it to the vet or a reputable reptile store or breeder for help there.I would help but I doubt you are in Chula Vista. No laxatives though, sorry.

It is normal for older snakes but not for young.

Answer 3

I found this out there on the net for ya... check out these pages it has all sort of great stuff for ya:

http://www.martinsreptiles.co.uk/boa_care.htm

Feeding
A good general feeding schedule is detailed below and would suit all boas under normal circumstance. Please do not overfeed your boas at anytime as this will lead to severe constipation and bloating and even pre-mature death.

Size
Amount to feed

From hatchling to 3 feet in length One to two appropriate* sized mice every 5 to 7 days
From 3 to 6 feet in length One to two appropriate sized rats every 5 to 7 days
From 6 feet up in length One to two rabbits every 10 to 14 days

appropriate should be no bigger than the widest part of the snake's girth.
If you keep more than one boa in the same vivarium please remember to feed them separately, in order that more than one snake siezes the same prey item, which would cause major problems - use your imagination !


Or:

http://coloherp.org/cb-news/archive/careshts/boacare.php

Digestive problems are readily treatable, but must be caught early. If constipation is a problem, check temp. If a stool is not passed, and the body begins to swell towards the tail, then a good warm water soak should "clear up" the problem.

Answer 4

let it out for some exercise every once in awhile (weekly recommended). You can also put some water in Your bathtub and let him soak and swim around. this usually will relax the snake and loosen the feces to where its soft enough to pass through the snake's anal cavity without hurting him/her. dont get the water too hot. about 86F is perfect. let him swim around or soak for about 20 minutes or so and be ready for a mess to clean up. and just to let you know, most of the time they defecate after you pull them out of the water so you might want to wear some old clothes.

Answer 5

has he eaten in a month?
mice = crap. lol
this isn't really normal, I'm pretty sure they eat like once a week, so I assume they crap once a week too.
goto a vet!

Answer 6

It probably needs a vets advice!;