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Why is my king snake leaving bloody mucus after eating her meal?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Reptile | Kingsnake | Female | unspayed

I just fed my 8 month old female king snake her usual prekilled(Frozen thawed) meal 2 hours ago. I went back to check on her and there is a small trail of bloody mucus where she ate. out of concern for her safety I ignored the 24 wait period before holding her and dug her out. I inspected her cloaca and inside her mouth. there was no sign of injury from the feeding. should I wait another 24 hours and check her again or what could this mucus be. I am just a very concerned first time snake mom.

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Todd Cecil

Veterinarian

Published on February 19th, 2019

Thanks for reaching out about Dani. If the temperature of the prey was not correct, she could had tried to eat it, spit it out, then ate it again. This could have left red mucous. The red might have been from the prey, not necessarily her.
Monitor for now. Make an appointment with a reptile veterinarian if problems persist.
Good luck.

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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