Feeding help

I have been trying to feed my BP for a week now and she will not take the food. She will follow the movement with her head and strike at it but not grab it and after a while she will crawl around without even paying attention to the mouse anymore. Is this normal?

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Is this normal?

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Yes.

As long as she is strong enough to strike she is not too weak to eat. A week is not a long time for a BP to go without eating.

I wouldn't worry about this but while you're here...

1)How much does the snake weigh?

2)What are your hotspot and ambient temps at? How are the temps controlled?

3)What is the humidity at?

4)What is the hide like?

5)What temp is the food item when you offer it?

6)What size of food item are you offering?

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Originally Posted by Velrys

Yes.

As long as she is strong enough to strike she is not too weak to eat. A week is not a long time for a BP to go without eating.

I wouldn't worry about this but while you're here...

1)How much does the snake weigh? Last weight was 340g

2)What are your hotspot and ambient temps at? How are the temps controlled? 88hot 79cold and with lights

3)What is the humidity at? 50-65%

4)What is the hide like? Big cave hide in thinking of putting her smaller one back in maybe that will help

5)What temp is the food item when you offer it? Live mice so should be warm enough?

6)What size of food item are you offering? Mama mice

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She weighs plenty so undernourishment is not an immediate concern. She could go for quite a while without eating.

Putting the smaller hide in sounds like a good idea.

Again everything seems fine, but while you're here...

As far as control goes I meant how are the temperatures controlled, by thermostat? Rheostat? Distance from light to surface? How are you getting those temp numbers, by infrared gun? Lame disc thermometer?

The days are controlled by a timer that goes off at 730pm I leave the cold side with a small 25w night on at all times just to keep the head somewhat warm I'm in jersey and its cold here now. I have 2 thermometers 1 on each side and I use a heat gun and they are within the same range. The other day when my apt heat kicked on she was a little dehydrated she had the sunken eye thing going on it lowered the humidity to 30 but after she drank and I misted it returned to normal. I called a vet too and he said it seemed ok. I just want her to eat it's been about a week and a half I had her on a 5 day feeding schedule and she has never refused for me over 5 months now so just concerned why now

Yeah, seems like everything is fine, BPs can go off eating this time of year. As you said its cold now and that can put them off eating.

Two things if it goes off eating it won't die right? And the lamps and such providing temperature would still make them do tHat? Sorry if that sounds dumb just my first snake and want it healthy

She isn't going to die if her husbandry is right and she's healthy.

But stop offering food more than once a week. Offer once a week. If she takes, great. If she doesn't, take it out and try again a week later. Offering more than that just stresses them out and makes them less likely to eat. The striking your seeing now is defensive - ie: you're annoying her with the rodent and she just wants it out of her face. that's NOT going to make her want to eat.

Yes those are just defensive strikes..just wait another week and try again :gj:

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Originally Posted by CptJack

She isn't going to die if her husbandry is right and she's healthy.

But stop offering food more than once a week. Offer once a week. If she takes, great. If she doesn't, take it out and try again a week later. Offering more than that just stresses them out and makes them less likely to eat. The striking your seeing now is defensive - ie: you're annoying her with the rodent and she just wants it out of her face. that's NOT going to make her want to eat.

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Could also be that the rodent is too cold. Sometimes my BP will strike, but won't eat until I take the mouse, warm it up under hot water, and let her strike at it again. Took 3 tries the other day. She's picky.