The ol' "Should I feed before the poop" question.

MLynch · #1 08-18-2009, 12:23 AM

I fed Bella a hopper two weeks ago, now normally she eats every week... she also poops every week, but this time no.

When I got her she was being fed a f/t fuzzy every week, but for her size that seemed a bit small, so I opted for a f/t hopper. She ate it without incident, and the bulge was decent, but nothing I was concerned over. 48 hours later the bulge had reduced quite a bit.

Now normally I feed her on a Sunday, and her last poop was the Friday (July, 31)before her last feeding (August 2).

My family and I went on vacation last week, and I left Bella in the care of a family who also own reptiles (one being an 10 year old 6ft RT which they got as a baby 10 years ago). As I was conveying instructions to them I told them that she should be due to poop soon, and should be ready to eat on Sunday or Monday. I also noticed that her eyes were showing an ever-so-slight cloudiness so I told them that she may be at the onset of a shed cycle.

Well I got a call this past Thursday saying she still hadn't pooped, and wanted to know if they should try feeding her. I've always believed in not feeding before a poop, so I told them to wait. They said she was showing no signs of stress, discomfort, or agitation, and was very active when she was out of the tank (which was for about an hour each night). Her temp was good, and her humidity was good, so I figured maybe the hopper was just taking longer to digest.

Sunday morning I got a call telling me that she had shed. She had shown no signs of being that far along in her shed cycle - no opaque eyes, no disgruntled attitude, no soaking... nothing. But Sunday morning there was one long perfect shed in the tank, and she was looking vibrant and coiled in the corner.

I'm figuring the shed cycle is part of what is throwing everything off. We are 15 days since her last feeding, and 17 days since her last poop. So I'm wondering if she still hasn't pooped by the end of the week, should I try feeding her anyway?

beastie · #2 08-18-2009, 12:51 AM

Go ahead & feed her, she'll be fine. There's nothing wrong with a few meals between poops, as long as she's regular!

They don't get a rulebook to read, they just do their own thing, so it may not always be exactly how you expect...

Joseph_Riccilia · #3 08-18-2009, 07:22 AM

I've been feeding my baby meals in between poops and she has done just fine

But I swear, when she does finally poop it looks like a little dog jumped in there lol

snake77 · #4 08-18-2009, 07:33 AM

If you feed according to the poop cycle it would drive you crazy. Trust me they can store up some defecate. I've got some that poop every 2 to 3 weeks and thats the younger ones that are fed weekly. snakes like people have different digestive systems then each other.

MLynch · #5 08-18-2009, 01:37 PM

Excellent. Thanks, guys. I have an order of mice coming in tomorrow. So I'll offer her one and see how it goes.

Joseph_Riccilia · #6 08-18-2009, 06:28 PM

Goodluck

Stargazer · #7 08-18-2009, 07:45 PM

When my boas were younger, they sometimes went 2-3 meals without pooping. I was told that they were utilizing most of the meal to grow. Now that they are a little older and eat less frequently, they usually poop within one to two weeks of their meal. But sometimes they still go a few meals. Nothing to worry about.

MLynch · #8 08-18-2009, 11:53 PM

Thanks, Stargazer.

domenic · #9 08-31-2009, 07:01 PM

i was talking to my vet and he mention that feeding before they poop can trigger them to poop so feeding may help him/her out!

MLynch · #10 09-01-2009, 12:01 AM

Thanks, Domenic.

I forgot to post an update: Bella ate just fine... and then let loose with a huge BM the next day. ...So all is well.