Learning about snakes is so fascinating. Even their toileting habits are unique. Let’sLearn!
Yes, snakes poop just like any other living creature. However, different snake species have different toileting frequencies depending on their size, age, and eating habits.
What does snake poop look like?
Snake faeces are typically tube-like in shape with an irregular surface. The colour is a dark brown and has pale white to yellow streaks due to the dried urine. In addition, adult snake faeces will often have mucus substance produced by the scent gland.
Below is an image of an adult snakes faeces, including urine and mucus.
Snake poop contains the following: (Image as reference)
- Urine – Yellow substance produced by the kidneys of a snake
- Poop – Produced from the snake’s intestines. The stools often have leftovers from their recent meal that have been unable to break down during the digestion process, such as teeth, feathers, fur, hair and claws.
- Mucus – Cloudy whitish substance developed in the scent glands of a snake.
Do snake urinate and poop from the same hole?
Yes, they do. Snake urine and faeces excrement leave the body of a snake from the same hole found at the end of the snake’s belly and the beginning of the tail called the cloaca.
Do young snake’s have mucus in their poop?
No. young snakes don’t excrete mucus until they are of age.
Signs of abnormal snake droppings
If you have a pet snake and notice any of the below signs, you should contact your veterinarian. You may also be asked for a sample of the droppings.
- An excessive amount of mucus
- Dark yellow, orange, green or blue urine
- Watery stools
- Light yellow stools
- Blood with the droppings
- Excessive undigested food
- Extremely foul odour
Fact: Snake faeces are the same width as the snake’s body.
My snake is peeing but not pooping?
It’s not uncommon for snakes to go up to a month without having a poo. If you are concerned and unusual for your pet snake to go this length of time without toileting, you should contact your veterinarian. In addition, it depends on your snakes, size, age, feeding habits, and type of snake, as this will affect the frequency that they go.
How often do snakes poop?
The average snake defecates every three to seven days. However, it’s not uncommon for a snake going as long as a month if they’re small and have irregular feeding habits. So it all depends on their size, age, and eating habits!
The average snake defecates every 3-7 days. It takes this amount of time as the stomach acids need time to digest the meal.
Do snakes poop in the same spot?
In the wild, snakes are constantly moving about and will poop just about anywhere. However, in captivity, a snake will often poop in the same place due to the limited space a snake then does not want to lay in it. It’s also common for snakes to poop on their handlers when they are holding them.
Do snakes poop out bones?
Snakes have potent acids and enzymes with the stomach capable of breaking down bones. Bones give snakes a good source of calcium.
Digestive System – (Liver Onwards)
Liver
The snakes liver has several separate lobes and is elongated. There is a significant gap between the caudal tip of the liver and the gall bladder compared to other creatures.
Gall bladder
The gall bladder is next to the duodenum and caudal to the liver. The gall bladder passes bile through the pancreas into the duodenum is the first part of the small intestine.
Pancreas
It’s common in snakes to have the pancreas and the spleen fused, called splenopancreas.
Cloaca
The cloaca has three parts:
- Coprodeum
- Urodeum
- Proctodeum
Coprodeum purpose is to collect faeces from the colon. The midsection of the cloaca is the urodeum and manages the urine waste and products of reproduction. Before excretion, the proctodeum is the reservoir for faecal and urinary waste and contains the cloacal scent glands’ openings.
Also, see how snakes swallow prey and more information on the snake digestive system, such as the stomach and intestines.
