Did my snake throw up!?



I gave my ball python a mouse about 4 days ago. The mouse was from PetSmart and after it thawed it had a sort of clear spot on its belly but we didn’t think anything of it, maybe it was just missing fur there. But when he took it and wrapped it up the mouses belly broke open. We just thought that he had the mouse in the right way to put so much pressure. But today I found this light tan color log shaped thing. His poops are usually a dark brown color, never this tan.
Is this regurgitation and what should I do if it is?

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Yes, it regurgitated. Personally, I would not attempt to feed again for 14 days when this happens (and it’s only happened twice in 3 years).

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There’s also a lot of coconut fiber and chunks in there. Which is a bit odd as well. I don’t know if it was anything about the meal or the indigestible fiber that caused it.

Another consideration is this may not be regurge and it’s a nasty poop. rare for it to look this undigested but at 4 days still possible. Double check any temps in the enclosure. I’ve seen that happen when temps are too hot and the metabolism skyrockets for younger snakes.

I definitely agree on waiting on feeding as @akmorphs said. What I would also try is right after the snake wraps and while they still think they’re ‘fighting’ the food, put a paper plate or something underneath. Hopefully they’ll stay on top of it and won’t pick up so much bedding. Also try making sure the rodent isn’t too wet so bedding won’t stick to it ether.

Keep an eye out for any other odd habits in your snake. or weird poops. Just in case.
A couple other quick questions:
-Did the mouse smell funny at all? I know Petsmart gets their product from the Bells, but accidents happen and this mouse could have been refrozen at some point.
-Is the meal about 10% of the body weight or was this a big meal for him? Struggling to swallow something too large could make it easier to get things stuck to the food while it’s rolling around.
-How are you thawing the mouse? If they get too cooked, they can burst like that.

Either way, hope the baby does well!

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To me that really does look like an undigested rodent plus some substrate attached. Is your BP a baby? If so it is imho imperative to slide something underneath the snake when it is feeding as @armiyana suggested. Actually babies are a lot better off on paper towels and not on loose substrate as they have a hard time with ingested bedding.

Also as @akmorphs said, definitely wait a couple of weeks for your snake to recoup as regurgitation is very hard on a snake. Also when you do feed next time I would offer a smaller rodent…….just to make sure it stays down……

Good luck! :blush:

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