Constipated snake

[mishima25]

I'ts been a while since I asked something but today I have some worries about Naga. I think he's had 2 slightly constipated poos.
For a background, he ate the 3d Feb, and immediately went into blue. He pooped the 4th, I suspect leftovers from a previous feeding, and then hid away until he shed the 13th. He ate again on the 14th and then pooped again the 17th. It was a quite long while without a poop (he usually poos 2 times for each feeding) so he ejected a small stone of calcium/urates, quite hard. I thought I'd keep an eye on him, since this stone was not his normal poo.
So, he ate again the 21st and just now (24th) I spotted the last poo. He's also only pooped once for this feeding.
He's pooped a bit on a fake plant, so I've cleaned it with a baby whipe. I've spoted 2 very very small specks of blood in a drop of white mucus (lube from the intestinal track I guess). I've also noticed the poop had small dots (not moving) but I feared could be worms or some parasite, so I've taken a toothpick and have inspected the poop. No worms or parasites, so I suspect is also a consequence of constipation.
I've also found half of the poop was quite hard, while the other half was as usual.

So my question is, have any of you experienced something like this?
He's probably had some leftover hard poop from the last one, cause he's pooped less than usual, and thus was still a bit constipated, right? But the last half of the poop's been ok. So, he might have passed his constipation period, right?

Anyway, I'll keep an eye on him and see if his next poop is OK. Poor thing, he's dehydrated himself due to a bad timing.

[kdickens]

For a background, he ate the 3d Feb

Was this from February?

[jagodzinski]

I would try calling your vet to ask for advice. They might be able to have you bring in the poop to examine it under a microscope. How is Naga's behavior otherwise?

[mishima25]

Oh, sorry, I meant January, everything is from this month.

He's his usual self otherwise. I took him out and was active and alert. No signs of flinching, and he didn't have ventral swelling nor problems on cloacal scales. And since he's an amel and still small I watched him against a light. He still has some slight residues inside his intestine, but I have seen this before on him.

He's had 2 hard poops which I guess are from a shed period in which he's not drunk much water. A bad coincidence of things. I've seen him drinking this week. But seriously, the poop was so hard I couldn't even pierce through with a toothpick. Just the part that came first, the later half was as usual. That's why I think next one might be OK.

I'll keep an eye on his poops and call the vet tomorrow morning. If his next poop is not OK or has blood, I'll probably file for a vet visit.

[jagodzinski]

That sounds like a good plan - I hope everything is okay with Naga!

[Nanci]

Urates is (are?) solid urine. It's supposed to be like that. It's a normal variation.

[mishima25]

Yes, but there was like a stone, I mean, a really hard calcified stone that seemed off, plus half the poop was also pretty solid. It's still my first snake/reptile and hadn't seen something like this before, anyway.

On update, the vet told me on the phone he might have been a bit dehydrated, told me to keep and eye on him to see if he drank and if not inject one mice with water for next feeding. Also, that I wait for next poop and see how it is, and if it has blood or something weird looking to take it as a sample and bring it and the snake to him. He also explained to me how to preserve the poop sample in good conditions.

Naga has been drinking and swimming pretty much these last days. Let's see how poop turns like.

Thank you all.

[mishima25]

So, Naga just made poopies and everything looks normal now. He may have gone through a slight constipation. I'll still keep and eye for the next one, but he seems better. I'll call the vet and tell him tomorrow.