Question RE snake impaction

TrpnBils · #1 (**permalink**) 10-22-2008, 01:19 PM

One of my female boas has been acting strange lately and I'm starting to suspect compaction/constipation. She was bred last year, and about a month and a half ago she (I think prematurely) had 2 small stillborns, 1 that lived for a couple of hours, and 18 slugs. I was feeding her smaller and less frequent meals during gestation, and once she was all done with her ordeal I started feeding her the same as always. Her normal meal is 2 jumbo rats about every 3 weeks or so.

The first meal after the birth was taken without a problem, then 3 weeks later she only ate one of the rats which is very unlike her. She hasn't gone to the bathroom much since that first meal - I don't think enough given the amount that she's eaten. I feed her in her enclosure which has cypress mulch, but I feed on a piece of tileboard. I've done this her whole life without a problem, but she sometimes drags the rat away and off of the board.

After the first feed (the two rats), I "walked in on her" going to the bathroom, which promptly made her stop. She only left a ping pong ball-sized piece of stool. Since then, I've had her out a couple of times, and then after she ate the one rat, she has left two ping pong ball-sized pieces of stool...that's it.

Last night, I tried giving her two rats again, but when I went in she was in her water on the cool end which is odd for her. I laid her rats on the other side where I normally do, but when I got up this morning she was still in her water and hadn't touched the rats.

SO...

Does the fact that she's passed at least some stool rule out impaction? I've felt around and I can't feel any lumps or anything where there might be an impaction, but I know that's not always possible. I'm hoping that when I go home tonight there'll be a giant dump in her water, but I'm not real optimistic at this point.

toker · #2 (**permalink**) 10-22-2008, 02:05 PM

Feel down her belly for anything hard, if she is impacted you should be able to feel it.

Next thing to try is to soak her in warm water (approx 80f) for a day or two. Use a human heat pad to keep the water warm.

If my critters havnt gone in a while, warm water does it every time. If you feel a lump in her, your best bet is to take her to a vet asap.

TrpnBils · #3 (**permalink**) 10-22-2008, 02:35 PM

That's the thing... I haven't felt a lump, and she doesn't look "full" or anything. I'm more concerned because she's not taking her food like normal now.

toker · #4 (**permalink**) 10-22-2008, 05:33 PM

Try a warm water soak, it wont hurt her.

My boas have been known to go on a fasting, heck, my big girl went 6 months once and didnt eat a thing, in fact she didnt even lose any weight. Missing one or two feedings is nothing to worry about.

If the critter doesnt eat and starts to loose weight, then you have a problem. The only thing I can suggest is wait, try, repeat

and again, if it worries you, take her to a vet, get a smear done to rule out bad bugs in her system.

Rex322 · #5 (**permalink**) 10-22-2008, 05:44 PM

the female boa i had skipped a few meals after i bred her and she gave birth. she didnt poop that often either.

the soaking idea works wonders. you can also, after shes been in the water for a bit, massage down there on her belly gently but firmly, towards her vent. my burm would never go on his own when i first got him and he wouldnt go if i just soaked him, thats how i had to gte him to go

TrpnBils · #6 (**permalink**) 10-22-2008, 06:17 PM

Yeah, I mean I'm not worried about her skipping a meal because of starving or anything like that... I used to be a reptile keeper at our zoo in town and we had a ball python and two dumerils who would go off feed for 6-9 months at a time like clockwork every fall. I'm just kind of concerned that her refusal to feed is pointing to some underlying problem because it's so out of character for her.

Back to my original question though... does the fact that she passed at least some stool rule out impaction? I've always been under the assumption that impaction was 100% blocked up...but I've never had to deal with it firsthand.

TrpnBils · #7 (**permalink**) 10-22-2008, 06:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rex322

the female boa i had skipped a few meals after i bred her and she gave birth. she didnt poop that often either.

the soaking idea works wonders. you can also, after shes been in the water for a bit, massage down there on her belly gently but firmly, towards her vent. my burm would never go on his own when i first got him and he wouldnt go if i just soaked him, thats how i had to gte him to go

Just saw your stats at the bottom of your post... is your Homer from the simpsons? My female burm is Marge (she's an albino, so she's big and yellow and looked like a simpsons character) - she's got a big graphic of Marge Simpson laminated onto her travel tote for when I take her to educational programs, etc.

TrpnBils · #8 (**permalink**) 10-22-2008, 10:37 PM

Well, I've got her soaking now, so we'll see what happens. I had another thought... is it possible that since she's only had two meals since giving birth, that she's just using more and wasting less of the rats to begin with? Replenishing nutrients = less waste?

skiploder · #9 (**permalink**) 10-26-2008, 05:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TrpnBils

Well, I've got her soaking now, so we'll see what happens. I had another thought... is it possible that since she's only had two meals since giving birth, that she's just using more and wasting less of the rats to begin with? Replenishing nutrients = less waste?

Definately.

When you were working at the zoo, did you notice that after fasting, that the dumerils/balls produced little to no waste?

I have had animals come off of fasts much shorter than that and absorb everything but little bits of hair.

TrpnBils · #10 (**permalink**) 10-27-2008, 02:28 PM

I'm not sure... the two Dums and the ball were so picky that they never really settled into a "set" schedule. Sometimes they'd eat every week and sometimes they'd skip a few for no reason, so I guess it would really depend on what a "normal" BM would be for a snake like that. (if that makes sense - it does in my head anyway!)

My boa finally did go that night, so I'm going to wait until my normal feeding night (Tuesday) to try her again and see if she'll eat. She spends a lot of time in the exact same place under her heat lamp (temps are 82 - 94), so I put some logs/rocks under it to force her to move around a little. Hopefully that will get her a little more exercise.

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