Pooping so bad I want to give him up!

[HoganD87]

Well... I don't really want to give him up I just wanted to catch some attention. Now that I have it I do have a pressing issue.

Every other time I hold my snake he poops on me. And we all know reptile poop isn't the least disgusting in the world. It is almost like he saves it until I get ahold of him.

I posted a thread a month ago about this issue and all I was told was to watch for when he lifts his head up, then I would have about 30 seconds to place him back in his viv.

But last night was the final straw... He was slithering around my laptop and slid through the space inbetween the key board and the screen when I felt something wet on my leg... He didn't lift his head at all... nope... just nestled in and crapped all over me and my laptop and frankly, I'm getting real tired of it. I just don't want to hold him anymore unless I am confident in when he poops.

 

[ssmith_1187]

How soon after you have fed him do you handle him???

Regards,
Steve

 

[Roy Munson]

I just don't get it. I have 70+ snakes, and I can't remember the last time I was pooped on by anything other than a defensive hatchling. :shrugs:

 

[Weebonilass]

Well... I don't really want to give him up I just wanted to catch some attention. Now that I have it I do have a pressing issue.

Every other time I hold my snake he poops on me. And we all know reptile poop isn't the least disgusting in the world. It is almost like he saves it until I get ahold of him.

I posted a thread a month ago about this issue and all I was told was to watch for when he lifts his head up, then I would have about 30 seconds to place him back in his viv.

But last night was the final straw... He was slithering around my laptop and slid through the space inbetween the key board and the screen when I felt something wet on my leg... He didn't lift his head at all... nope... just nestled in and crapped all over me and my laptop and frankly, I'm getting real tired of it. I just don't want to hold him anymore unless I am confident in when he poops.

My big guy use to do this to me all the time also. What I started doing was taking him immediately to the bathtub and giving him a lukewarm swim first. It required a cleaning of the bathtub afterwards, but better the bathtub than me or the floor.

 

[Cegninedorf]

How soon after you have fed him do you handle him???

That's exactly what I was wondering...I usually wait until I see the poop in the tank. Then again, who knows when the poop may happen -- some of mine like to hold it for a week, some go right away. One of my snakes pooped right into my keyboard. That was gross, but -- oh, well. Another snake I took with me as part of a reptile demonstration that I was giving, and I hadn't fed him in over a week & he *had* pooped prior to going to the show...and the one & only break that I took, for fifteen mins on the second day of the show, he pooped on a little girl. I was embarrassed -- even though I wasn't there!

You could have exceptionally warm hands, which may help to provoke the response. Or, run the snake in some water before holding him & see if he'll poop in there, first, so that you don't get it on you. (I've never really done that before, except to quickly clean one off, but my thought is that the temp should be room temp water & very shallow, and just let the snake swim for a bit...water seems to get them to go, just like us. )

Or, just don't hold the snake for a while -- so that it can get used to pooping on its own in the tank. When you see the poop, then hold...and hopefully it will lose the desire to poop on you.

 

[HoganD87]

Thats the thing, he is so inconsistent. I never hold him until at least 24 hours after feeding. two weeks ago: it took 2 days, then two days again. Last week it was day 4. This week, day 6...

It's okay to let them swim in a bathtub?

 

[Cegninedorf]

Thats the thing, he is so inconsistent. I never hold him until at least 24 hours after feeding. two weeks ago: it took 2 days, then two days again. Last week it was day 4. This week, day 6...

It's okay to let them swim in a bathtub?

I'd wait to hold him until 48 hours after feeding...I always give my snakes at least 48 hours for digesting before holding, and sometimes longer, depending on the size of the prey, to allow to adequate digesting time as well as to prevent regurges.

Yup, he can swim -- sometimes mine will jump into the water bowl for a quick dip, especially when the humidity is low & they're prepping to shed.

 

[ssmith_1187]

I'd wait to hold him until 48 hours after feeding...I always give my snakes at least 48 hours for digesting before holding, and sometimes longer, depending on the size of the prey, to allow to adequate digesting time as well as to prevent regurges.

Sage advice Christina!!!

Personally, I wait 72 hours...but I'm goofy like that :crazy02:

Regards,
Steve

 

[HoganD87]

wonderous. When I get home I'll give him a bath then feed him. An adventurous day for mamba

 

[Nanci]

How strange. I've had one snake poop on me one time, and the same snake poop on the floor one time. Out of eleven snakes in 2.5 years. Not counting Inez, who always musks, but that's not the same thing. Your snake is just pooping, like it just had to go right then, not musking because it's afraid?

 

[Weebonilass]

wonderous. When I get home I'll give him a bath then feed him. An adventurous day for mamba

Be very careful with the water to make sure that its very lukewarm. I tend to check with the under part of the arm, the place they tell you to check milk in a baby's bottle. You don't want to scald them. I put just a bit and leave the shallow end dry. It doesn't take a lot of water. Also be careful that your plug is in the drain well and watch the overflow drain (the thing up high just under the faucet), with a small one, they might be able to squeeze through there.

If you have a young one, I'd definitely wait a minimum of 48 hrs before swimming. I normally give my little ones 3 days before handling. Kieran is 6 yrs old, so it's not a big deal with him.

And you may find that they don't care for the water much, I know Kieran doesn't, which is why I leave one end dry. He doesn't panic much... but he sure can climb up the slippery tub walls pretty fast

 

[Cegninedorf]

Be very careful with the water to make sure that its very lukewarm. I tend to check with the under part of the arm, the place they tell you to check milk in a baby's bottle. You don't want to scald them. I put just a bit and leave the shallow end dry. It doesn't take a lot of water. Also be careful that your plug is in the drain well and watch the overflow drain (the thing up high just under the faucet), with a small one, they might be able to squeeze through there.

If you have a young one, I'd definitely wait a minimum of 48 hrs before swimming. I normally give my little ones 3 days before handling. Kieran is 6 yrs old, so it's not a big deal with him.

And you may find that they don't care for the water much, I know Kieran doesn't, which is why I leave one end dry. He doesn't panic much... but he sure can climb up the slippery tub walls pretty fast

More age words of advice! I will even try this, myself...thanks for posting this; I feel more confident trying this now, and especially what to look out for. Thanks!

 

[Weebonilass]

More age words of advice! I will even try this, myself...thanks for posting this; I feel more confident trying this now, and especially what to look out for. Thanks!

You're welcome I soooo know where the OP is coming from. Been there myself. Kieran didn't have a problem when he was younger, but when he got older. Probably has something to do with moving him to small rats and so he tends to have more than one poop pile. Maybe as someone said it was the warmth of being handled, but I sure got tired of the messes on me and the floor, so that's when I thought of giving him a lukewarm bath. The water stimulates him every time. I have found that it's not necessary anymore or at least the last 2 or 3 times that he was out for any length of time, he didn't poop.

I'm guessing that Dean doesn't keep any of his 70+ snakes out to watch TV for any length of time

 

[Cegninedorf]

You're welcome I soooo know where the OP is coming from. Been there myself.

That's where the best kind of advice comes from -- personal experience! Thanks again!

 

[HoganD87]

Yeah I don't get it either. He has never been abused, came from a breeder, viv is everything he could possibly want or need, never been mishandled and has never shaken his tail in fear... I'm just tired of getting crapped on... Maybe it was the heat from my laptop that set off his reaction... but the other times??

Anyone live in Dallas want to buy a pooptastic sunglow cornsnake?

 

[holly tayls]

I have had the same problem. Got her as a yearling and for 4-6 months had no problems at all then all of a sudden my wife gets her out to hold her (5 days after a feeding a 2 poops) and she pooped all down the front of her. Chalked it up to "one of those things" and she did it the very next time (this was in teh same 5 day after feeding range)
Third time was when I was holding her and then agein a week later all over my son.
They will not hold her now and neither will I accept for feedings and such.
We felt horrible as out other girl LOVES to be held and has no issues at all. We decided better to find another home for her where she can be bred or such than relagated to being only in the viv ...

 

[Weebonilass]

The bathtub routine really does work. If you don't want to give her up, give it a try. It made living with my 4.5 ft guy a lot easier. You might try the kitchen sink, but I would not recommend the bathroom sink, the overflow drain is way too handy for a little one to slip through.

Sort of reminds me of a stage I went through where every single time my mom called me, I suddenly had to go to the bathroom. No rhythm or reason, didn't happen with anyone else, just her. Fortunately, I got over it.

This is a really easy problem to handle... I'd take a pooper over a biter any day

 

[HoganD87]

Was it the orange one in your picture, My corn looks remarkably similar

 

[Weebonilass]

Was it the orange one in your picture, My corn looks remarkably similar

Nah, that's Gailleann, she was my biter, but fortunately has recently decided I don't taste all that good, at least not without ketchup and given up the biting.

Kieran is one that requires the baths or at least did. I haven't bathed him the last two or three times and we were poop free

This is Kieran in a pillowcase, next to my leg, watching TV

 

[kathylove]

There are usually two reasons – physical or mental /stress.

The physical is caused by exercise after inactivity and can be relieved by handling over a garbage can (when he is first removed from the cage) in such a way that he has to use vigorous movement to climb around your hands, expelling whatever is in the cloaca in the first few moments of handling. You can also let him exercise by swimming in warm water (be careful of temps and escape attempts!). Don’t handle him until at least 3 days after feeding if you want to minimize “leakage”.

He may also be stressed. Do anything you can to reduce stress – perfect temps, cage located in quiet area of the house, good hides, no handling until after food is digested, or anything else you can think of that will minimize stress.

As your snake grows and ages, it will likely feel less stressed and this problem will probably lessen, if it is stress related. If not, maybe he needs more exercise in a cleanable place before handling "for fun".

Hope this helps.