Substrate and fasting?

[Smitty33]

I've tried a couple different size rats to try and break my male super pastels fast with no success. Looking in my records last night I noticed one change I made just before he quit eating was I went to a half cypress half aspen mix to try and fight high humidity in his T8. Before he was always on 100% cypress. So I'm thinking I'll skip him this sundays feeding and completely clean and re do his enclosure back to pure cypress. I thought someone had also given me advice in a past thread that doing a complete cleaning/cage change can sometimes trigger them back into eating.

[Reinz]

There's been an article posted a few times that was written by Jason K., maybe? I'm afraid to even try spelling the last name knowing that I will totally butcher it.

He does say that a freshly cleaned environment can help. My guess is that a clean enclosure may sort of intensify the scent of the prey and thus trigger a feeding response since the snake's brain does not have to filter out the odors of the waste, sheds, and what not that the snake has been living with.

Let us know if it works!

[Albert Clark]

Colin Weaver of East Coast Reptile Breeders has a article on his website called "the enigmatic ball python appetite". He talks and references how 100% cypress mulch has a direct positive impact on non feeding ball pythons. A must read for all ball python owners.

[Smitty33]

There's been an article posted a few times that was written by Jason K., maybe? I'm afraid to even try spelling the last name knowing that I will totally butcher it.

He does say that a freshly cleaned environment can help. My guess is that a clean enclosure may sort of intensify the scent of the prey and thus trigger a feeding response since the snake's brain does not have to filter out the odors of the waste, sheds, and what not that the snake has been living with.

Let us know if it works!

I will do that Reinz thanks!!

[Smitty33]

Colin Weaver of East Coast Reptile Breeders has a article on his website called "the enigmatic ball python appetite". He talks and references how 100% cypress mulch has a direct positive impact on non feeding ball pythons. A must read for all ball python owners.

Excellent thanks Albert. I will give it a shot and post my results. Anyone have a good recepie for baking fresh cypress in oven so my glass doors aren't fogged over for a week ?

[Reinz]

Wasn't this your idea Smitty? To put a ton of holes in a tub to propagate drying. I just leave the lid off as well. If not your idea, my apologies for not remembering the person from whom I stole the concept from.
It works great!



Also I reckon you saw the link the article to Justin Kobylka's article?

(I even had the first name wrong, sorry Justin!)

[Smitty33]

Wasn't this your idea Smitty? To put a ton of holes in a tub to propagate drying. I just leave the lid off as well. If not your idea, my apologies for not remembering the person from whom I stole the concept from.
It works great!

pic coming shortly

Yea it was my idea and I do that but even then it's still pretty damp enough to steam up the doors on my enclosure pretty good. I even mix it up on occasion but still doesn't quite dry out like I'd like it too.

[Reinz]

Hmm, now I keep it in the house and with the lid off. When I dump it in, it is Very moist for month or longer. So, I try to plan ahead and keep the oldest and dryer Cypess in another tub, i.e., I rotate when the tub is halfway down.

In fact, I was going to go go to Loews today since you can see in the picture that the tub is half full. But I didn't have the time for that errand afterall.

[Smitty33]

Hmm, now I keep it in the house and with the lid off. When I dump it in, it is Very moist for month or longer. So, I try to plan ahead and keep the oldest and dryer Cypess in another tub, i.e., I rotate when the tub is halfway down.

In fact, I was going to go go to Loews today since you can see in the picture that the tub is half full. But I didn't have the time for that errand afterall.

Ok actually I have to admit it, I'm an idiot I looked in my bin last night and had more cypress than I thought and think I have enough to do his T8. The big bag I bought awhile back at the expo is still sealed and wet from when I left it in garage and forgot about it. I need to put more holes in my like yours though.