Asking for trouble?

Hi all, I'm getting a little miffed with my young female albino carpet. She was hatched 6/22/16, and is only about 160g, but she just won't eat consistently :mad:. I got her on 1/11/17. She ate a rat fuzzy on 1/17/17 but didn't eat again until 2/11/17. She ate six more times consecutively after that but has now refused her last 3 meals. I've only ever fed her rat fuzzys and pups but did consider offering her a jumbo mouse just to see if she'd take it. Should I try the mouse and see if she likes them and worry about switching her back to rats a little later or do I just ride it out until she eats again? I'd like to get a little more size on her before trying the tough love approach but I don't want her to end up a "mouser" even though it wouldn't be the end of the world. All of my other snakes eat everything I give them. It's kinda frustrating having a picky eater.

Picky eaters can be frustrating, but trying to switch her back to rats once you offer mice could be as equally frustrating and sadly there is no guarantee that even if she take mice she will be ore consistent.

It's a hard choice if it was me I would keep her on rat, I have known the struggle of having to switch carpet from mice to rats and would not consider mice if the animal eats rats.

I don't have any experience with picky carpet eaters but have you tried some small quail? I would think that would be a better option than mice.


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Wait her out. She's eaten for you 8 times in three months. I think you're worrying about nothing. Do yourself a favor and do not offer mice.

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Originally Posted by DennisM

Wait her out. She's eaten for you 8 times in three months. I think you're worrying about nothing. Do yourself a favor and do not offer mice.

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My coastal has been almost as crappy an eater as our royal. usually 2 months between feedings, and constant refusals. Live, fresh kill, F/T, rats, quail (never mice) and she is still almost 7 feet long.

I'd wait.

I actually found my coasty was more interested when I offered larger prey so I quickly jumped to small rats. I think Will Byrd says something about offering larger meals on his page, but don't quote me there. I'll have to look. It helped here for a while but now I'm going into the 3 month zone. She's a picky one LOL!

You'll be fine.

My Bredli and JCP were fussy as for the first couple-few months, but since then they're my garbage disposals. Maybe give her a little more time?


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My Coastal will eat anything and everything at anytime....PIG! My JCP only mice...sigh :( It's ok right now because he is on the smaller size and he just gets any leftovers from the Colubrids but I'm not sure he will go to rats! My bad...I didn't realize. So my take is to stay with the rats, lol

I feed some of my carpets mice. However I thaw them out in water with frozen rats. That I feed my ball pythons and Boa's with. My thoughts are that when.I get ready to switch them over to rats full time. The rat sent will not be foreign to them. So far it's worked out well for me.

Thanks y'all. You guys are right. I'm definitely going to wait her out. I was offering food every 6-8 days. I spoke with the breeder today and he said to scale her back to every 14 days. I was concerned about her small size but he says she's fine and not to worry unless she's fasted for 3 months or more. He also said he would not give her a mouse.

Zig, are you offering live or f/t?