Will not eat!!!

[mischevious21]

Alright, I have no idea what to do... My big girl WILL NOT eat!! Its been almost six weeks!! I got her another rat about a week ago, smaller than usual but not too much, ad she's like, afraid of it!

Her temps are great- I can't figure out what the problem could be. She was housed with another snake, and she ate for the last time two days before I seperated them (and gave him to a friend). I KNOW shes not gravid, and I dont know what to do..

Shes visibly lost weight at this point, too. At what point do I force feed- and how?? I still have the rat- hes alive and haning out by my bed, eating some 'gourmet' rat food.. lol.. Hes a cool little guy- but he shouldent be here right now!!

Some help- PLEASE!! I'm worried about her, and I know that they can go a bit without eating- but she has NEVER missed a meal EVER in the 2 1/2 years I've had her- eve while in shed-from the time she was a week old.

PLEASE AND THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!

[rabernet]

What are your temps? What is the enclosure set-up like?

You have a LONG way to go before even beginning to think about force or assist feeding. I had a male, less than a full year old that fasted for 8 months before he started to eat again. Not once did I consider force feeding.

[Stewart_Reptiles]

As long as your BP does not loose too much weight he will be fine, try to proceed by elimination to find out if there is anything that can be done so your BP resume feeding.

What type of enclosure do you use?
How big is your enclosure?
Is your enclosure in a low traffic area?
What are your temps (cool & warm side)?
What is your humidity?
What type of thermometer/hygrometer do you use (dial,stick,or digital)?
What kind of hides do you provide (log, homemade, cubbyholes etc) and How many do you have?
Are your hides tight (all side touching your BP's body) and identical?
What do you usually feed to your BP (Rat, Mice and size)?

[mischevious21]

Well I really dont want to and I didnt think it would be this soon- I just wanted an estimate- I would prefer not to stress her out.

The tank is a 55 gal. long, 80 on the cool (with a hide) and 91 on the warm (and another hide), and a water bowl in the middle. Also, her bedding is reti-bark.. She's been in it for awhile now and theres never been a problem- I could see it if she was stressed because of temps or too much handling or something- but it just seems like shes afraid... So any ideas, please?

Oh yea, and I had tryed f/t for the first few weeks before this, but even though she would eat them (before this fast), she never really liked them.. I just dont know whats wrong with her

[rabernet]

55 gallon is HUGE. Mine fasted in a glass tank (20 gallon long). Once I moved him to a smaller tub set-up - he started to eat again within a week.

[mischevious21]

What type of enclosure do you use?
glass

How big is your enclosure?
55 gal. long (4 ft long, to be exact)

Is your enclosure in a low traffic area?
Yes

What are your temps (cool & warm side)?
80/91

What is your humidity?
60-65%, and 70-75% if shes in shed

What type of thermometer/hygrometer do you use (dial,stick,or digital)?
digital

What kind of hides do you provide (log, homemade, cubbyholes etc) and How many do you have?
two log hides, one on each side

Are your hides tight (all side touching your BP's body) and identical?
Well each end is open, but shes had the same hides for a long time now, and one is a little bit bigger than the other, but not much.

What do you usually feed to your BP (Rat, Mice and size)?
small/med sized rat

[Noek]

I have heard that some snakes instinctively go off feed when it begins cooling down. I wouldn't say 6 weeks is excessively long but if she normally eats on schedule I'd revisit everything GA posted.

If everything checked out, I would consider buying f/t and using tongs, maybe the rat is too aggressive?

If she's healthy and everything in her environment is normal, she will eat when shes ready

[mischevious21]

55 gallon is HUGE. Mine fasted in a glass tank (20 gallon long). Once I moved him to a smaller tub set-up - he started to eat again within a week.

Shes been in it for over a year, I have branches/vines/rocks and stuff, so shes never had a problem with it. It started right after I got rid of the snake that was housed with her.. Thats makes no sense, I know, but its true.

And I did do f/t with tongs for a few weeks and she wouldent take it. And this rat isnt agressive at al- curious- but not as bad as some of the other rats that she has ate.

[Stewart_Reptiles]

She's been in it for awhile now and theres never been a problem

Well there is now, even if house in the same enclosure for a while it can cause stress over time

As far as for feeding it is only done as last resort, if the health of the animal is declining and after everything else as failed.

[mischevious21]

I can see that, but I got her into that tank about a year and a half ago.. Could it be that she felt more 'secure' with the other snake with her? I wouldent think so- I know their not social animals, but that was the last time she fed is before we got rid of him.

Or before it got really cold I shuold say- but her temps have stayed the same.