Milk of Magnesium

[CornSnakeFrance]

My corn snake Becky has been constipated for about 2 weeks now and I've you can use milk of magnesium as a laxative. Has anyone had any experience with the use of this?? Could it harm him??
Thanks for your help

[daddio207]

Well that's a new one to me ! :)

I had to google it. Here is a good article.
http://www.netvet.co.uk/snakes/constipation.htm

I've never had a snake that was truly constipated. I knew with a little adjustment to their environment that they would eventually pass the fecal matter....
I would look at that first unless you can feel a large harden fecal mass then I would go to the Vet for professional treatment. :)

[CornSnakeFrance]

I would look at that first unless you can feel a large harden fecal mass then I would go to the Vet for professional treatment. :)[/QUOTE]

I think he has hard urates cause I can feel lumps in his stomach, I can't go to the vet because I live in the south of France where are no vets that will see reptiles

[daddio207]

Have you tried the baths ?
Are you sure Becky is a boy?
Have you fed him within the two weeks?

[CornSnakeFrance]

I havent fed him in 3 weeks (since the constipation started)
I've bathed him several times and she pooped once, there was a rock hard white bit in it (urate)
I've had him for 4 years and hes never layed eggs so I'm pretty sure he's a he

[daddio207]

If it feels like a row of lumps then it could still be eggs developing. Sometimes they lay slugs and sometimes they reabsorb them. It is not unheard of for a snake to lay slugs after years of not doing so. I got a girl in my collection right now that will lay slugs every 3-4 years.

Are you holding food from him or he refuses ?

[CornSnakeFrance]

It's not a row of lumps, theres quite a distance between them.
I haven't been feeding him cause I'm scared it will make it worse.
I'm planning on feeding him tonight with some milk of magnesium injected into the mouse
When I bathed him he pooped some gel like stuff, I've attached a photo of it, be warned its a bit gross, could it have something to do with eggs??

[daddio207]

It looks normal enough...

I would not do the milk of mag without a Vets guidance. I would bump up the temp a degree or two and make sure he's staying hydrated. Add a large water dish if your haven't already.
I would follow the advice in the article ;
Treatment you can do at Home
If you suspect that your snake is constipated, there are a few easy things you can try yourself. One is to soak the snake for fifteen minutes in warm water. This will soften any faeces blocking the ‘exit’ and will hopefully allow it to pass. It will also relax the snake, making passing a painful stool easier. Stools can become so hard that they are called ‘fecoliths’ – faecal stones. Often treatment can be as simply as adjusting the environment; making it warmer and damper. Looking at the bedding is a good place to start. Some materials tend to soak up atmospheric water and make the air too dry. Handling the snake – where appropriate – may also help a semi-hard stool to pass.
I'd go ahead and feed him a small meal too. Moisture in the food item might help get everything moving again...
Good luck :)

[CornSnakeFrance]

Last night I fed him a mouse with milk of magnesia injected in it, I will let you know if it works or if there are any side effects. I've already turned his heat up to about 27C but hes staying on the cool side of his vivarium, he also has a very large water dish and he's been drinking alot.

[CornSnakeFrance]

UPDATE: Hey guys, so its been over a week since feeding Becky a mouse with milk of magnesia and I haven't seen any bad side effects. He was able to poop during a bath so the milk of magnesium might have helped or it might just be because I fed him. It was hard urates causing the constipation, I'm going to find a way of keeping his viv warmer coz I think its the cold temps that caused the urates.

So from my experience milk of magnesia is safe to be used on corn snakes BUT I recommend asking a vet first just to be on the safe side. If anyone wants to know what brand of milk of magnesia I used send me a pm.

[Nanci]

Why would you do that AFTER your snake pooped? The above poop is typical of a snake with an empty digestive system.

[BeauBoi]

Why would you do that AFTER your snake pooped? The above poop is typical of a snake with an empty digestive system.

I agree with the above ^^^
~Beau

[CornSnakeFrance]

Why would you do that AFTER your snake pooped? The above poop is typical of a snake with an empty digestive system.

Because you could feel that there were hard urates still inside him.

[Nanci]

Urates are supposed to be hard. They are solid urine.