okay, so i fed my ball python today and he ate some of the aspen bedding along with his dinner, and i had to pull some of it out of his mouth. is this going to make him sick? or will he just poop it out? if there is any left inside his mouth, will he get it out himself, or should i help him out some more?
2007-07-02 12:57:07 · 6 answers · asked by jennifer 2 in Pets ➔ Reptiles
Just keep an eye on the snake he/she should pass it hopefulley. They wouldnt sell this stuff it wasnt safe to a certain point!
For substrate, I recommend aspen bedding. Pine bedding is also acceptable, but you must NEVER use cedar bedding, as this will cause respiratory disease and even death in reptiles. Some people may prefer to use paper towels or newspaper. While not as attractive, these substrates make cage cleaning easier.
If you are concerned about the snakes health when using aspen try using paper towels or newpaper !!
2007-07-06 11:41:12 · answer #1 · answered by AnimalManiac 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
This is why I hate aspen or any loose bedding . It can cause impaction and mouth rot . You have got to make sure he does not have any still inside of his mouth . Pick up the snake and gentally apply pressure at each side of his mouth at the same time( right at the corners ) with your hand so that he opens the mouth . Get a good look inside .If there is aspen in his mouth remove it with tweezers . ( you may need another person to help you ) If there is nothing there ,then you will next need to think about impaction .You will need to keep a close eye on him the next few weeks to see if he is defecating . If not he may need medical attention possibly surgery to remove the impaction . Hopefully he will not be impacted . You will have to wait and see . in the mean time get rid of the aspen . Use plain news paper or reptile carpet .Here is a good website http://www.repticzone.com with care sheets , pictures and a Ball Python forum
2007-07-03 00:04:14 · answer #2 · answered by darsow@sbcglobal.net 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You should be ok as the others have mentioned. However I would suggest that you invest in a small plastic tank (like ones people keep hermit crabs in) and use it as a feeding tank. This is for several reasons. If you feed your herp live mice then you can easily confirm when the snake has or has not eaten. Also you won't have to deal with your snake eating substrate. Lastly it can "train" your snake to understand the difference of being fed or being held. Good Luck
2016-05-17 04:17:14 · answer #3 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The issue with ingesting bedding is that it can cause an intestinal blockage so the size of the snake relative to what he ingested is important. If you are using the finely shredded aspen as opposed to the courser type and just a few pieces were eaten then he should pass it without problem. I would clean his mouth of any pieces still stuck in there, they can injure the mouth tissue and predispose him to mouth-rot.
2007-07-02 13:07:28 · answer #4 · answered by Thea 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
A ball python should be able to pass a small amount of aspen bedding, however, it's not a good idea to feed on substrate for that reason. You should place the animal in a seperate feeding container in order to avoid substrate ingestion. If feeding in the viv, you should have paper, or reptile carpet only.
2007-07-02 13:05:24 · answer #5 · answered by gallianomom2001 7 · 0⤊ 2⤋
A small amount of bedding will not hurt your snake. But to make sure that this doesn't happen again, you need to get a rubber maid storage tub or a 10 gallon tank or something and put the snake in that to eat. Don't put any bedding or anything, just leave it empty. Put the snake in first, then obviously put the food in. Make sure the snake sees it. But in case more bedding gets in the snakes mouth, take as much out as you can.
2007-07-02 13:23:09 · answer #6 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 2⤋