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Snake handling and poop

B

Blitzjg

New member
First time herp owner of a Okatee corn who is abOut 4 yo I think. I haven't been handling him as much a I would like for a couple reasons. My main question is kinda silly but my snake poops regularly after he eats between about 48-72 hours. I've had him poop on me before probably because he hadn't had a movement after his last meal, which wasn't the worst thing in the world but obviously isn't the greatest either. My question is, his most recent meal consisted of two jumbo mice about 2 hours or so apart. Should I expect him to have one large poop or two for each mouse? Or are their GI tracts too unpredictable to be sure? I want to avoid disturbing his digestion and hopefully avoid getting pooped on as well.

Thanks for any info you can provide!
 
First question is why are you feeding in two hour intervals? Second is why are you feeding two jumbo mice? I really don't think there will be a pooh for each mouse after all thier digestive system is one long tract. And you can never predict when one will pooh on you even if they have already went before you pick them up.
 
Well I couldn't predict how hungry he was, large mice were no longer showing a bulge even right after swallowing. From feeding him in the past, he would typically go straight to a hide after feeding as if he were full. Lately after feeding him one mouse, large or jumbo, he did not and was actively looking around the cage as if for more food. Jumbos only show a small bulge as it is, so after the gulped down the first jumbo I thawed out another. Two hours was just a guestimate and was only due to the thawing time since I didn't want to waste a mouse if he wasn't interested. He went straight for it though.
 
From what the people on here have told me, by the time they're 4yrs old you're really trying to maintain size, not add to it. That being said, one adult mouse* once a week, or even once every 2 weeks should be fine. One of my corn snakes would eat a cow if he thought he could swallow it, so I wouldn't depend on your snakes behavior too much.

*One adult mouse for me and my local pet shop might mean something else for you or your mouse supplier. I found this, and it seems to help somewhat when talking about mice sizes.

http://www.frozenfeeder.com/sizing.html
 
Not everyone will agree with me, but if I want to hold my snake and I see a bulge by the vent, I'll give him or her a little swim before I handle so that the pooping doesn't happen on me.
 
If I see a bulge by the vent... that snake is not going to be held... or... watch for the contractions near the vent... then hand that snake off to your friend and say... hey, watch this!
 
The whole 'feeding bump size' rule is geared towards hatchling snakes and their changing needs as they grow. 2 jumbo mice is really too much for your corn, otherwise you run the risk of it becoming obese. 1 adult mouse every 10-14 days for an adult is enough.
As for the pooping, look for that bulge, hold the snake over paper towels or newspaper to 'let go', then carry on handling. Otherwise your snake will learn that pooping on you ends the handling session!
 
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