More questions from a beginner.

[ellie.the.strange]

For those of you who haven’t read my other thread, I am getting a bp from one of my friends who is no longer able to take care of him. This will be my first snake, so naturally, I have a lot of questions.

The girl who has the bp said she hadn’t fed him in almost six months. I’ve heard people mention snakes fasting, without loosing much weight. But what is the difference between a snake fasting, and the owner neglecting to feed it? Does the snake choose not to eat, or does the handler decide when the snake fasts?
And when I do bring him home, how will I get him to eat again? Is it as simple as tossing him a rat?

Thanks for you help!

[GirDance]

Hello there Ellie,

It depends if you are going to try feeding live or frozen.

Also, regarding the neglect, if your friend decided not to offer him food weekly over the past 6 months it would definately be that. If he's refusing food for 6 months it may also be, in that basic husbandry efforts had to be ignored to the extent that the snake was so stressed out he would not want to eat for that long. It could be that your friend did not educate herself enough to know what he required to meet his needs, and less a case of intentional neglect, however either way the responsibility most likely falls to your friend's care.

[ellie.the.strange]

I was planning on starting him out with live rats.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but from what I've read, it is easier to get snakes to eat live rats. Plus you don't have to do the "zombie rat dance".

[GirDance]

Well, it depends on the snake. Mine took them from the get go no problem, and I don't do any dance, I just warm it up in some warm water, hang it infront of her hide and she takes it no issue.

If you are feeding live make sure the rat is no bigger around than the snakes middle, you will have to stand and supervise it, don't leave the rat unattended etc. It may be a good idea to feed the rat first and give it some water so that's not overly stressed or aggressive as well. If he hasn't eatten in 6 months I might be temped to try an overly small prey item just to make sure he still remembers what a feeding response and strike-constriction is...

[Dcommander]

I agree with the fact that u should offer small live prey items if the snake hasn't eaten in 6 months, try giving a small fuzzy, with open eyes...

[nevohraalnavnoj]

agreed. i would settle on a smaller prey item (regardless of if you want to try frozen or live) and getting it to eat would be my first priority. 6 months...and it sounds like the husbandry may have not been that great...the snake may be very weak. if you have access to rat fuzzies, great. If not, maybe ask your local pet store if any of their rats are about to have babies and if you could get one or two of them. You could try the frozen/thawed...but after not having eaten for that long, I doubt the snake would readily go for the food. But who knows, it may readily take F/T.

Remember the most important factor in getting the snake to eat is making sure all of its husbandry needs are met: Temps, humidity, lots of hide boxes.

JonV

[littleindiangirl]

Try to find a 3-4 week old rat pup. They will weigh approx 60 grams. If you decide to do live, (which is often a great way to start a non eater into eating again) make sure to supervise the entire constricting and death of the rodent.

Before you decide to feed, it is best to get the husbandry of the snake set up before you get him, and make sure that he has Hands-Off time for 2 weeks. During this time, he will acclimate to his new surroundings, and it will give him a chance to settle in. The only handling, peeking, or any interaction should be for spot cleaning urine or urates (hard white chalky pee) or poop. Change his water once every few days, and monitor the temps and humidity, misting if needed.

After you know that his husbandry is all set temp and humidity wise
Hot spot temp: 88-90 degrees
Ambient air temp(or cool side): 80-83 degrees
Humidity: 60% or 70% for sheds

Make sure he has 2 identical hides on each side of the enclosure. The hides should touch him on all sides and make him feel snug inside. One on the cool end, and one on or near the hot spot. These can be fancy hides, or a simple flower pot water dish with a hole cut out. Even old tupperware will work.

You should have a thermometer/hygrometer to measure the temps. An accurite from walmart is 11$, it has a probe to go into the hot spot hide, the unit itself should be on the cool side, preferably in the middle of the tanks height. (Do NOT use tape inside any tank whatsoever) This same unit will also measure the ambient humidity as well.

After 2 weeks of no handling, you can offer the mouse or rat at night. Make sure to not disturb him on feeding day. You can prescent the room with soiled rat or mouse bedding on top of his cage, to get him in the mood.

I hope this helps, never hurts to ask