moving my inconsistant feeder to a tub

[tttaylorrr]

yellow has always been an inconsistent feeder, whether it be because of my n00b understanding of him as a baby, or whether the place he came from had anything to do with it. regardless, i want to try and fix it once and for all. spaghetti had her first refusal this weekend so i'm paranoid about everyone's husbandry atm.

should i consider moving him into a tub? would moving him into a tub be more stressful than beneficial, and would it even help? he was more stressed than i would have liked after he was moved into the T8, so i'm hesitant to Just Do It©.

i got him a T8 at the beginning of the year. he took longer than i expected to get used to it, took some extra hides, but once he did he didn't miss a meal for well over a month which was a big deal for us (however, he never struck: i'd leave the feeder at the entrance of his hide and it'd always be gone by morning). now he's refusing again, and he's lost over 50g, probably near 100 by now, and i just want to do the best for him.

[JodanOrNoDan]

If it ate in its current environment, I would not move it. Figure out if anything has changed. For problem eaters the smallest change can make them stop. Ironically the smallest change can make them start also. Feeding live can often jump start their appetites. I don't feed live often but I will do it to get animals back on food. I had four animals that had been off food for three+ months for no good reason (in my mind). I fed them live this weekend. Two ate, two did not. One of them that ate had never had live to my knowledge. Males in my experience tend to be more problematic than females. A couple of my boys make me happy if they eat once every two weeks.

[tttaylorrr]

If it ate in its current environment, I would not move it. Figure out if anything has changed. For problem eaters the smallest change can make them stop. Ironically the smallest change can make them start also. Feeding live can often jump start their appetites. I don't feed live often but I will do it to get animals back on food. I had four animals that had been off food for three+ months for no good reason (in my mind). I fed them live this weekend. Two ate, two did not. One of them that ate had never had live to my knowledge. Males in my experience tend to be more problematic than females. A couple of my boys make me happy if they eat once every two weeks.

thanks for the reply. i agree that i shouldn't move him since he has eaten in the T8. i just want him to be fat and happy!!! i have considered trying live, but i'm worried what to do with it if he refuses it. any advice there?

it's interesting that for you, the males were more problematic than females. feeding spaghetti has been a breeze compared to how it was feeding yellow at her age. of course, she just refused this past weekend, so i feel defeated.

[JodanOrNoDan]

Honestly, this is just a numbers thing. If you have "enough" animals you will most likely see the same pattern. I would have said the same thing years ago. My first breeder male was, and remains a pig. I think he may have missed one weekly meal in the entire time I have had him. He really, really wants to be a big boy. 95% of his offspring are also gluttons. As to what to do with the rat, I almost always have something else that will eat it. I have a couple animals, including the male mentioned before that have no problems going back and forth between live and FT. I avoid live for those animals that have never had it. None of my holdbacks have ever had live. Before I had so many animals, I would just "off" the rat and freeze it. I can understand that this can be difficult for some to do, but if you have enough animals for enough time it will eventually be a problem that you will have to face.

[tttaylorrr]

Before I had so many animals, I would just "off" the rat and freeze it. I can understand that this can be difficult for some to do, but if you have enough animals for enough time it will eventually be a problem that you will have to face.

he's my biggest so i have no one else that can take a small rat. i'm not put off over having to kill it, but of course it's something i'd rather not do.

maybe i'll just try live next feeding...oh boy, i knew this day would come eventually.

[Stewart_Reptiles]

How big of a snake are we talking about (weights?)

If under 500/750 grams I would definitely move it if he is a poor feeder or inconsistant feeder.

I have said it many time before I purposely move smaller males under 750 grams in smaller enclosure before issue even arise during this time of the year (why? Because I have had enough male becoming inconsistant that I would rather prevent than solve a problem)

And yes they were eating in their current setup however downsizing can and will in many cases make a difference in their feeding habit.

It's important to also understand that while a snake can do well in a certain enclosure for a while stress can appear over time and affect behaviour in general and feeding in particular.

Offering live should be a secondary option not the primery, especially if F/T is what you want to feed.

[tttaylorrr]

How big of a snake are we talking about (weights?)

If under 500/750 grams I would definitely move it if he is a poor feeder or inconsistant feeder.

I have said it many time before I purposely move smaller males under 750 grams in smaller enclosure before issue even arise during this time of the year (why? Because I have had enough male becoming inconsistant that I would rather prevent than solve a problem)

And yes they were eating in their current setup however downsizing can and will in many cases make a difference in their feeding habit.

It's important to also understand that while a snake can do well in a certain enclosure for a while stress can appear over time and affect behaviour in general and feeding in particular.

Offering live should be a secondary option not the primery, especially if F/T is what you want to feed.

thanks for your reply, Deborah! his last weight i have recorded is 558g mid march, and when he was eating around february he was over 700 (weight recorded before bowel movements iirc because i was just so excited he was eating semi-consistently). do you think the move will be beneficial even through the stress of another enclosure change? and what size tub would you recommend? he's just under 4'.

[Lizardlicks]

Seconding seconding both Deb and Jordan here, a fussy eater is a snake that has something off in its environment. Don't know how my skinny girl was being kept before I got her, but the seller seemed at least somewhat knowledgeable about husbandry, and still chalked her food refusal up to being "finicky". She's eaten fine for me, and that's even with dealing with the RI she was brewing. If something is off, you need to bring it back to basics and double and triple check your parameters. However you deal with addressing it is up to you.

[tttaylorrr]

Seconding seconding both Deb and Jordan here, a fussy eater is a snake that has something off in its environment. Don't know how my skinny girl was being kept before I got her, but the seller seemed at least somewhat knowledgeable about husbandry, and still chalked her food refusal up to being "finicky". She's eaten fine for me, and that's even with dealing with the RI she was brewing. If something is off, you need to bring it back to basics and double and triple check your parameters. However you deal with addressing it is up to you.

thanks for your input. i'm going to triple-check everything this week and see if i'm missing something. if i can't find anything off with my husbandry, should i consider the tub?

[Stewart_Reptiles]

I would still consider moving him in something very tight 15 quarts and see how it does, give him a few week and if he does better and eating behavior start picking up that will tell you that he just feel more comfortable in a more cramp environment, and if not than he could be one of those fussy eater.

They are all different and while I have add very young and small animals feeling secure in the largest enclosure I also have seen the opposite.

Pay attention and see how he behaves when you make the switch, sometime slight changes and your ability to observe will tell you a lot.