Good&bad news, force feeding the only option left?

[firedragon]

As you might remember I've had these baby balls who haven't taken f/t. They are captive bred and have been fed live. Most of them have been doing great, but two are doing not so great. Well, after two months of not eating, one of them finally took a f/t fuzzy (I decided to try the soap wash thing, and it worked, seemingly) and fifteen days after that he took a crawler without hesitation (also washed). He seems to be going into a good feeding mode, I'm giving him five days now to digest this slightly bigger meal and then offer some more. He was skinny, but otherwise fine. These babies are still very small and were very small when I got them, only about six weeks. Now they're three months old.

One of them had a nose rub when she got here and she just got weaker and weaker. I went away for a week, after trying to offer her food, and when I got back she had died. I've never had a snake baby die on me before, and I don't know if it was because of weakness she died or what. I kept her in a rubbermaid with two hides, the temp gradient from 77-95, humidity around 60%. She never pooped with me, so I can't say if she had parasites; however, that would be unlikely, since she was captive bred, but then again, she'd gotten live mice...?

So, there's one non-eater left. And the problem was, as you might remember, that it's not possible to get live mice for feeding here, therefore I got myself a pair of mice and started breeding them. I didn't know that the babies had only eaten live, and most of them have switched to F/T without problems, except these two. Well, now I've got a stock of fuzzies and crawlers. And a few minutes ago I offered a live fuzzy to the one boy left, but he showed no interest in it! He's very skinny and I'm starting to get really worried. He has been moving, though, so he can't be THAT weak. He has plenty of hides and the same conditions as the others. Is it a vet case already?

On a happier note, my own girl Cecilia is doing great. She has a great appetite and is very curious.

[Stormyva]

Non eaters can be soooo much fun
You could try is splitting the skulls of the mice to give a little more scent.... another option is dipping them in chicken broth to scent them..... check the temp of the mice to make sure they are warm when offering..... try a live rat pink to see if the activity draws a feeding response then after it gets good and ready to eat swap out the prey items. Those are just some ideas... it sounds like you have things pretty well covered but sometime all it takes is an idea to put one off in a direction they might not have thought of.

[firedragon]

I've tried the braining... A live mouse should be both stimulating in scent and activity, yet he took no interest in it. The chicken broth is something I haven't tried. Thanks for your help!

[firedragon]

I need more opinions!! I'm really concerned about the poor guy :,(

[Marla]

Don't try feeding too often (4 day minimum); feed in a dark, secure box or his own enclosure made darker and more secure (towel over the top, etc.); leave absolutely, completely, entirely alone between feeding attempts (no peeking at temps, no changing water, nothing); understand that sometimes you lose some despite your best efforts and intentions. I hate to say that last part, but it's true. Good luck to you.

[firedragon]

There's been a week between the feeding efforts and I've only changed his water and paper towels. I noticed the humidity had gone up; it's very humid here during the summer, and it was around 70%, so I did some changes to his tank and now it's around 50-60%. It goes up and down though, during the last hour it's been from 49-63. There's not much I can do about it. I moved his tank to the kitchen (I live in a one room apartment, with a separate kitchen), maybe it's a little bit calmer there. His tank is covered with black paper on three sides, but the top is quite see-through and lets in some light as it consists of plastic mesh, to keep the humidity right. I'm thinking I could take him to the vet just to make sure he hasn't got parasites - it's not impossible. On the other hand, would the trip be too stressful? But I suppose it's better to make sure, anyway. The vet isn't very far away, and she's specialized in reptiles. But at least he's moving around his tank, not exactly roaming or hunting but going from one hide into another. He's not just lying in one spot. And he's drinking, too. I know there's always the possibility that he won't make it, as I just lost one of them that hadn't eaten either. I'm still hoping for the best.

[sophie42204]

Can you explain the 'soap wash' method that you mentioned, I've never heard of it....

Good luck w/the little guy, I hope he pulls through.

[Marla]

A vet trip is definitely stressful for the snake, but at least she could give you a good assessment of his condition and let you know if there are any health reasons for him to be refusing food. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Am I the only one thats heard of assist feeding?
You don't shove the food down the throat, but you place it in the snakes mouth, and let it take it down.
Thats what the reptile shop did with my baby! :shock:

[Marla]

No, you're not the only one who's heard of it. Generally, assist feeding and force feeding should only be done by very experienced keepers or after a vet's recommendation and demonstration. It is stressful for the animal and can make them less likely to feed voluntarily and more likely to regurge. That said, sometimes it's the only way to get them to eat and should be done.