Ball Python Pee

Understanding your ball python can give you a good understanding of its overall health and well-being. Gaining knowledge about your ball python pee is important, enabling you to see if your ball python is peeing or if it is peeing too much.

Continue reading to find out everything you needed to know about ball python pee.

Do Ball Pythons Pee?

Ball pythons release excess water when they poo or when producing urates. Pythons are more efficient when it comes to their water intake and they do not have a bladder.

Therefore, they cannot store their urine. Ureters are emptied into the cloaca and released as urates, which are similar to poo. Captive pythons are more likely to release liquid urine than wild ball pythons.

What Does Ball Python Pee Look Like?

Ball python pee is often released when the snake poos. They look very similar to what you see when you look at bird poo. They also release urates on their own.

Knowing what they look and smell like can help you identify them quickly within the enclosure to make daily cleaning quick and easy.

What Ball Python Pee Looks Like

The urates look very similar to their poo, but they are white or yellow in color instead of brown. Your pet may get rid of one solid lump of urates or it may release several pieces.

When the pee comes out, it is solid, but soft to the touch.

The best way to describe the texture is toothpaste. A well-hydrated python can release slimy to wet urates.

Most of the time your python will release urates when it poos. This means you will see white in with the brown of their poo.

In the wild, it is very uncommon for ball pythons to release liquid urine, though it can be seen in captive pets.

This is due to the fact your pet has access to fresh water at all times, but their body has no way of storing the liquid. When your python has liquid urine, it will be clear to light yellow.

What Ball Python Pee Smells Like

Many first-time ball python owners are shocked at how strong their pets pee smells. Remember urates are highly concentrated, therefore it smells very strong. The less water in the pee, the more concentrated it becomes; therefore, it can smell a lot more.

If you haven’t had time to clean the enclosure for a day and the urates have been allowed to stand, they tend to get a fish smell, this is due to the bacteria breaking down the ammonia and uric acid.

It is not uncommon for your ball python to smell of pee when you pick it out of its enclosure, this is due to the fact that the enclosure hasn’t been cleaned and it has been sitting in its own waste.

How Often Should A Ball Python Pee?

As with mammals, ball pythons will pee more than they poo. They can excrete urates a few times a week to once every six weeks. In many cases, they will also expel some liquid urine with the urates. 

Not all ball pythons are the same, so if you own two pythons, you may notice that one pees more than the next. As long as your pet is eating a healthy diet, shedding on a regular basis, and gaining weight at a steady rate, then you don’t have to worry about their pee schedule.

Why Does My Ball Python Pee A Lot?

Each ball python is unique and its system will work faster or slower than the next snake. Ball pythons can pee every few days to once every few weeks.

If you are noticing that your pet is peeing a lot or more than usual, check your humidity levels to ensure you are within optimum levels.

Captive ball pythons are more likely to pee liquid urine and pee more than their captive brothers and sisters due to having access to fresh water at all times.

Why Does My Ball Python Pee On Me

There are a number of reasons why your ball python may pee on you. These include:

Scared or Shy

If you have recently brought your new python home or your python tends to be on the shy side, then it may be nervous when handled. Ensure you do not stress out your pet when handling. You want your pet to come to you willingly.

If your pet is shy or scared, you stand the risk of it peeing on you.

Timing

Sometimes your ball python may pee on you and it’s just down to timing. If you wake your python up to move it to clean its enclosure or to play, it hasn’t had time to move around and pee in its enclosure. It’s not uncommon for your python to pee on you.

Conclusion

If your python is shedding regularly and is within accurate weight levels for its age, eats a healthy diet, and gets plenty of exercise, then there is no reason to concern yourself about your python’s pee.

Ensure you do spot cleans of the enclosure on a daily basis, removing any urates which could cause unwelcome smells and bacteria.

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