Need advice on a feeding proiblem.

[speedycat222]

For the past few months my big female hasn't been eating, she's 1880 grams, lives in a 28qt tub with an 89 degree hotspot, 73-80 coolside.

On 9/23/14 she ate a small rat and a weaned rat when tricked using mouse bedding. on 9/25/14 she went into shed (pink belly), on 9/30/14 she went into blue, on 10/5/14 (yesterday) she shed, I had to soak her and help her with the last bit of shed, cleaned her tub and put her away until 10PM when I offered her a meal, which she refused. Today, 10/6/14, she had a bowl movement and I cleaned her tub. Should I wait 1-2 weeks to offer her another meal, or just give her a couple of days ?

[AlexisFitzy]

I would wait a week to feed her again to let her build up an appetite. When snakes refuse you don't want to offer too often because it usually leads up to more refusals.


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[speedycat222]

Normally I'd give her 2 weeks to a month before trying again, but I blame this refusal on me trying to get her to feed to soon rather then her being picky. Thanks.

[200xth]

If you think it was feeding too soon and she'll go back to eating without a problem, just try again on the next scheduled feed day.

[NH93]

That doesn't sound like too much of a concern for me

Now, when you say she hasn't been eating, do you mean she went a couple of months without eating a single rat, or she hasn't been eating as consistently as you'd like? Because those are two very different things, in my opinion.

Either way at 1880g, I don't see cause to worry right now! Unless you've seen some big weight loss, of course.

[speedycat222]

I actually think she's gained weight, she was sold to me as 1660. She's been a sporadic mouse feeder, in the first 3 months she denied 3 med rats and accepted around 15 25-35 gram mice, given 3-4 at a time. The first rat she ate was 9/23, the meal was a live small rat and a large f/t weanling rat, totaling around 120 grams. She goes crazy for mice, she has a devilish feeding response when mice or used mouse bedding is introduced, but won't take a rat without stimulation. I think I should have given her another day after she shed before trying to feed her, because when I cleaned her tub today she was very active and looked like she'd be interested in food.