tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7443075087825368900.post2749233254872729791..comments2024-01-04T05:26:02.451-07:00Comments on Life is short, but snakes are long: Snake poop and the adaptive ballast hypothesisAndrew Dursohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04720822623046554913noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7443075087825368900.post-14107515349240857342018-11-05T06:46:55.180-07:002018-11-05T06:46:55.180-07:00Holy cow! That's awesome. I bet that poop look...Holy cow! That's awesome. I bet that poop looked like a porcupine...Andrew Dursohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04720822623046554913noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7443075087825368900.post-48737370558076909722018-11-03T12:46:08.406-06:002018-11-03T12:46:08.406-06:00Just thought I’d throw this out there, I had an At...Just thought I’d throw this out there, I had an Atropoides olmec go 115 days (March 18 - July 11) without pooping recently. When she finally did I got 13 fangs out of it, I dig through all my snake poop for fangs and this one was full of treasure!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00713422757473046097noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7443075087825368900.post-77977574298307377592018-08-31T00:09:12.586-06:002018-08-31T00:09:12.586-06:00That is way cool! Thanks for sharing.That is way cool! Thanks for sharing.Andrew Dursohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04720822623046554913noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7443075087825368900.post-2458545074807774622018-07-05T02:25:13.990-06:002018-07-05T02:25:13.990-06:00Hi. I have a 6 year old Jungle Python who we have ...Hi. I have a 6 year old Jungle Python who we have had for about two & a half years now. My partner used to have her at his workshop but as he is now working interstate, I have had her at home for 8 or so months now. As she is quite inactive in her enclosure, about once a week I will take her outside on the grass for some exercise. About 3 months ago when she was outside, she done a poo. I had never seen her poo before & wanted to know more about her bowel habits as I think it’s important to know. Ever since her first poo outside, she does not poo in her enclosure anymore. I feed her a large frozen rat every 2-3 weeks. Anywhere from about 5-7 days after her feed, she gets taken outside to see if she would like to go to the toilet. She normally will do quite a decent sized poo, it actually looks like a large dog poo, but other times she will just do a little bit which then I will take her back outside normally about 3-4 days later to do her big poo. I was unsure what the hard, white poos actually were but after reading your article, I now know. Sometimes she will have a bit tiny bit of yellow in with her white poos. I always inspect her as she is pooing just to make sure everything is going normal for her. I just like the idea that she will only pop outside now. I tell everyone I have a toilet trained snake!!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03811615321674520972noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7443075087825368900.post-68314844914619503802018-04-25T09:10:17.189-06:002018-04-25T09:10:17.189-06:00Great! Glad you found this information useful. Tem...Great! Glad you found this information useful. Temperature is definitely one of the most important drivers of all physiology for most reptiles.Andrew Dursohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04720822623046554913noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7443075087825368900.post-76667786393940386142018-04-21T23:35:45.006-06:002018-04-21T23:35:45.006-06:00My Brazilian rainbow boa just pooped, 2 months aft...My Brazilian rainbow boa just pooped, 2 months after his last poop. I’ve had him for about a year and always get worried because he hardly ever poops so I’m glad I found this!<br /><br />BRBs are semi-arboreal so that doesn’t jibe with the ballast thing, but I wonder if the infrequent pooping has to do with the fact that he hardly ever goes to his warm area (and BRB temps are lower than most reptiles) and he is also pretty inactive and spends the majority of his time buried in his substrate. I actually saw him soaking in his water bowl last night which is pretty normal for BRBs but not him in particular, and he also was hanging out in the warm side of his enclosure for once—I wonder if he instinctively did all that to move things along.Teresahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07566374568854771526noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7443075087825368900.post-85082655234281842222017-10-29T09:47:49.109-06:002017-10-29T09:47:49.109-06:00Really good to hear Robert. Yes, it's quite am...Really good to hear Robert. Yes, it's quite amazing how long they can go, and it really messes with the human sense of what's right and wrong. Keep up the good work!Andrew Dursohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04720822623046554913noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7443075087825368900.post-23894169023545499562017-10-18T05:46:30.332-06:002017-10-18T05:46:30.332-06:00HI i rescued a 16'reticulated python that was ...HI i rescued a 16'reticulated python that was skin and bones pretty much almost starved to death. i have been feeding her rabbits weekly and she is looking soooo much better now its almost night and day. however she hasn't pooped in two months someone told me that she could be impacted and i was scared however i honestly felt like she was retaining all the food to absorb everything she can since she probably has no idea she is going to eat again due to her previous keeper. i felt relieved when i read that some have help poop over 300 days so this gives me hope. she keeps accepting food every week so i assume its a good sign. anyhow thanks for this post it makes me hopeful that she is indeed retaining all the nutrients to rebuild and be healthy again. she is a 16 year old Gstripe retic and i love her dearly. I currently keep 46 snakes and two of them are rescues. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17225169177417593989noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7443075087825368900.post-20569736655524112532017-06-13T07:43:31.100-06:002017-06-13T07:43:31.100-06:00Hi Catherine, I'm sorry about the slow reply. ...Hi Catherine, I'm sorry about the slow reply. Eating (and pooping) once every 4-5 weeks sounds pretty normal to me, either for a woma or for a ball python. The eating habits of snakes may change with a new environment, with age, or with the seasons.Andrew Dursohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04720822623046554913noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7443075087825368900.post-1988100681122131602017-05-19T11:18:36.604-06:002017-05-19T11:18:36.604-06:00Also, is she more likely to eat now that she has h...Also, is she more likely to eat now that she has had a normal defecation? (I forgot to ask that, and that was my main question, lol) Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17413215367301903013noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7443075087825368900.post-10722117994747221362017-05-19T11:02:25.407-06:002017-05-19T11:02:25.407-06:00I have a Woma ball python that we just got about n...I have a Woma ball python that we just got about nine months ago. She is taken out of her cage often so she is a pretty active snake. She eats once a week at the pet store, but she's only eating about once every 4 to 5 weeks now that we have her. I noticed that her first real defecation happened a couple of days ago and like I said we had her nine-months. She had a very small defecation about a month prior to this one. The defecation that was small a month ago came after we had to move her tank. Even though it was the same tank it was a new location a freshly cleaned tank and new bedding. This kind of leads me to believe the territorial aspect mentioned here. Because I am a new snake owner, I am unsure and worried about her new eating habits. She has gone from once a week, to more than a month in between feedings, as I have stated. Is this normal? She is about 4 yrs old now, and about 4 ft long. She seems very healthy and she is offered food every week at first and now about every 3. She is fed in a separate container as they did for her whole life span. I am not sure if her eating habits have changed because she is mature now or some other reason, or if I should be worried? Thanks for the help in advance :) Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17413215367301903013noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7443075087825368900.post-48018109089436091462017-03-01T13:27:50.726-07:002017-03-01T13:27:50.726-07:00Cool! That is huge. You guys have some mighty big ...Cool! That is huge. You guys have some mighty big birds down under, but I suppose you'd know if you had emus or brush turkeys in your yard. Other non-avian reptiles also make poops like these, so you could consider a large monitor lizard, but I see no reason to believe it's not a python if you've found a shed and have no better candidate. I'm jealous :)Andrew Dursohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04720822623046554913noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7443075087825368900.post-36657067830443948112017-03-01T12:47:37.217-07:002017-03-01T12:47:37.217-07:00Thanks Andrew. I think it sould have to be a might...Thanks Andrew. I think it sould have to be a mighty big bird! <br />The white bits are like rocks- about an inch x 3/4 of an inch.<br />Over the last rhree years we have found python skin shed in the yard <br />(all scrunched up until we stretched it out) and also when cleaning out gutter on roof.Rosie Gallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03426970673448553990noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7443075087825368900.post-72380630747589428282017-03-01T03:08:14.369-07:002017-03-01T03:08:14.369-07:00Very interesting observation. Have you seen diamon...Very interesting observation. Have you seen diamond pythons in your yard before? Bird poop also has this brown and white part, so it's possible it could be from a bird.Andrew Dursohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04720822623046554913noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7443075087825368900.post-13744422222199422442017-02-28T13:03:06.775-07:002017-02-28T13:03:06.775-07:00I came across your site whilst trying to identify ...I came across your site whilst trying to identify poop on our deck. I think its from a diamond python (New South Wales, Australia). There are two different deposits-brown obviously fecal bits and hard white calcified bits. I found similar poop in exactly the same location about 4 months ago which is interesting given your comment about territorial marking.Rosie Gallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03426970673448553990noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7443075087825368900.post-83843110267451375362016-04-24T08:54:08.532-06:002016-04-24T08:54:08.532-06:00Interesting observation! Thanks for reading!Interesting observation! Thanks for reading!Andrew Dursohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04720822623046554913noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7443075087825368900.post-69207483109804766282016-04-24T04:08:29.335-06:002016-04-24T04:08:29.335-06:00In my experience with the snakes I keep (especiall...In my experience with the snakes I keep (especially my Eastern Indigo), even if I haven't cleaned their enclosures, the act of taking them out and putting them back in sparks activity. Without fail, the active snake will poop. Some within minutes, some within hours.<br /><br />Thank you for your information. Its extremely interesting & helpful.MyIttyBittyDarkSidehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05798787845808114074noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7443075087825368900.post-40592728981246406932014-11-02T10:44:07.093-07:002014-11-02T10:44:07.093-07:00Thanks John! The Grinch has always been one of my ...Thanks John! The Grinch has always been one of my favorites.Andrew Dursohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04720822623046554913noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7443075087825368900.post-48824670302289321352014-11-02T06:21:46.340-07:002014-11-02T06:21:46.340-07:00Biologists who aren't fascinated by poop and p...Biologists who aren't fascinated by poop and pooping must be, oh, I dunno, botanists or something.<br /><br />I especially like the Dr Seuss reference!John Scanlon, FCDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02917650979531249640noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7443075087825368900.post-61600871107694262332014-09-24T09:49:11.208-06:002014-09-24T09:49:11.208-06:00I'm glad you enjoyed the post John. I suppose ...I'm glad you enjoyed the post John. I suppose it's possible that extra mass helps maintain a more stable body temperature - as far as I know, no one has looked at that. Makes sense what you say about the increased activity prompting defecation, but again I don't think anyone has explicitly tested that idea either.Andrew Dursohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04720822623046554913noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7443075087825368900.post-27493481226550445182014-09-23T20:22:08.758-06:002014-09-23T20:22:08.758-06:00A random thought entered my mind while reading thi...A random thought entered my mind while reading this most informative post. What if fecal retention plays a role in thermo-regulation in snakes?<br />On another subject, I always assumed that snakes defecated shortly after cage cleaning because cleaning the snake's cage causes increased activity as the snake is returned to its cage with new scents to explore. And I thought that it was the increased activity that prompted defecation.johnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05008523039059312800noreply@blogger.com