Need advice on an off feed snake

[Jamesv85]

Hi everyone and happy new year
I have a normal bp, weighs 233 grams she lives in a 120cm long tank, cold side approximately 23-24°c hot side with heat mat approximately 30 to 32°C plus heat lamp that keeps enclosure steady at 30°c air temperature.
She loves staying on her warm side but is active at night, sometimes even during the day. She seems very curious and figured out already how to slide the door open, so in my opinion is not unhealthy or sick at all.
Her sheds (3 since i got her in 3 months) have all been perfect, and up until a month ago she was an excellent feeder of f/t mice
I am now having problems since she is refusing to eat, she basically looks very active but when i present her the food she just doesnt care, and basically it stays in front of her or even right under her until thhe next morning when i have to throw it away beacuse of the smell
Since there has been no weight loss i think she is fine but i am concerned that maybe i am doing something wrong? I air temp. defrost and heat the mouse a while with a hair drier, and that used to work before but now its just completey ignored.

Before going off feed i once gave her two 30g mice which she ate, then she refused one the week after, and then she ate a mouse another week later but wthout striking, i just left it there overnight and next morning it was gone.

Hope i gave enough info! thanks in advance guys.

[ha wu]

did you feed alive mice?
i dont leave alive mice in the cage.
i think mice will stress bp.
i feed 30g mice every 5 days.

[KMG]

Try warming the prey in hot water. I use the hottest water from the tap I can get. Test the prey by slightly squeezing the skull and stomach. You should be able to feel if the inside is hot, cool, or cold. You want to present the prey hot to represent a live mouse. Since a mouse has a body temp around 100F the f/t prey needs to be very throughly warmed to give the correct heat signature.

I place mine in zip bags but they still will occasionally get wet. I will dry them a bit before presenting them but its not an issue. Especially if you have a paper type substrate.

[KMG]

did you feed alive mice?
i dont leave alive mice in the cage.
i think mice will stress bp.
i feed 30g mice every 5 days.

Stress is not the issue. Unattended rodents chewing on your snake is. Google images of snakes chewed on by prey. Its not pretty.

[John1982]

Do you have hides for your snake? Sometimes when a snake gets picky for me something as simple as tossing a hide/blind in there is enough to get them back on track. Crumpled up newspaper works fine in a pinch. When your snake is well "hidden" dangle the warmed up f/t mouse in front of the hide and see if that doesn't get you better results.

[CD CONSTRICTORS]

You did not specify exactly how long she has been off feed? A few weeks?

She may take a month or so off feed at times. That is not an issue at all. I have a few adult females that are binge eaters. They will not eat for a month or two, then they will eat 5-6 rats in the span of a week or two. Wait till you have a few that refuse for 6+ months.....

Try the hide.... it works. Any reason we are still using mice? Putting on weight is much easier feeding rats..... fewer meals and less stress introducing the prey less frequently.

[Jamesv85]

thanks guys, yes she indeed has 2 hides, here is a pic of her enclosure. Mice are only f/t, never fed live.
maybe they were not warm enough, i last tried two days ago, should i try again today but warming in very hot water? i usually thawed and once they were at room temperature i gave them a hairdrier blowing and then served.

[KMG]

No. I would say wait atleast 5-7 days before making another attempt. Offering to often can add stress and make the issue worse.

The half logs are really not the best option for a ball. They really prefer tight, small places, with only one small door.

You could add moss to the front entrance to the logs to make the log seem like it only has a small opening. Misting the moss will also help hold humidity.

Many use these. They are easy to clean, sturdy, and cheap. Im sorry but I don't know a source closer to you.

http://www.reptilebasics.com/hide-boxes

[200xth]

Two 30g mice for a 220g snake is pretty big.

I'd try feeding her a live mouse or rat pup and see if she eats that.

[Jamesv85]

hey guys

I basically tightened up her hides with more aspen inside the half logs and by putting a scenery rock in front of the exit and last night she finally struck and ate ))
I guess she stopped eating when i rearranged her enclosure and she just didnt feel safe enough.
I kind of feel sorry for not noticing this for 3 weeks, but now i'm happy she's back to eating.
Thanks to all for the useful tips!