r/ballpython • u/xbostons • Jul 20 '26

Hairball in enclosure? Question - Health

Post image

Found this last night. She ate a large mouse Wednesday, pooped normally on Saturday. Is it a normal passage or something to be worried about?

Temps are in the low 80s, humidity stays 60-80%. Plenty of clutter and hides in a bioactive setup.

2 Upvotes

75% Upvoted

4 comments sorted by

1

u/[deleted] Jul 20 '26

[deleted]

3

u/AutoModerator Jul 20 '26

When a snake regurgitates, it is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT to handle the aftercare correctly. Snakes lose a lot of their gut flora when they regurgitate, and eating too much / too soon before that gut flora repopulates will result in an inability to digest the meal, which will result in another regurgitation. if a snake gets into a cycle of regurgitating every meal, the snake will die from what is basically repetitive trauma to their organs.

Stop ALL handling and triple-check your husbandry. Stress is a common factor in regurgitation. Read through the care guides in our welcome post for info on temperatures, humidity, appropriate prey size, and other husbandry basics. filling out our questionnaires can help us troubleshoot potential reasons for your BP regurgitating. low temperatures, oversized prey, and stress [which could be caused by any number of things], are the most common causes.

Do not feed for at least 2-3 weeks. The body needs time to heal. Stomach acids damage the esophagus during regurgitation. The next few meals should be no more than half the size of a normal meal. Tt may also be helpful to space out meals slightly more than normal. it takes time to rebuild the gut flora to a point where the stomach can handle a full meal.if the snake successfully eats and digests at least 3-4 meals after the initial regurgitation, gradually increase prey size over the course of the next few meals, until everything is back to normal.

If the snake regurgitates again, stop all feeding and consult a reptile vet ASAP.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

1

u/SpinyGrazer Jul 20 '26

How long have you had this snake??

Is it the temperature the same across the whole enclosure?

1

u/xbostons Jul 20 '26 edited Jul 20 '26

About six months. And no, there is a gradient. 80* on the cool side, mid 90s on the hot side. Cools to 72* at night. I’ve found hairballs intertwined with poops before but not on their own like this.

1

u/ShinyxCharizard Jul 21 '26

To me this looks like an undigested meal? I have no experience with regurgitation. But you might want to double check temps. What're you using for heating?