Ugh..help?

I have an albino female that is 83 grams. She was hatched on Oct. 5th so she's about 2 months old at this point. The breeder that I bought her from fed her live, but there's no way that I can feed live, so I have to feed f/t. The third day that I had her, I put a f/t fuzzy in her tank and an hour or 2 later it was devoured. She didn't strike at it, but I walked away and checked about 2 hours later and it was gone. This occurred on Nov. 18th.

Tomorrow will be 3 weeks from the time that she has eaten, and she's starting to lose weight. After her first meal with me, she jumped up to 92 grams, and then she pooped and dropped down a little bit. I can't seem to get her even interested in the f/t mice anymore. I dangle them in front of her face and she turns away from it. I leave it outside of her hide and it goes untouched the whole night. Luckily, my little guy Akeda is a garbage disposal and will eat the mouse the following morning.

Husbandry is all good; UTH is at 91, Ambient temps at 88 and 83, and humidity is at 60% and I don't bother her. The only thing that I can think of that would stress her out is the mite treatment that I've been giving her. I've been spraying her down with a 30:1 distilled water to NIX Cream rinse because it has permetherin in it. I got this solution from my other breeder (of whom I trust WAY more than the first one) and sunday she received her last treatment.

What can I do to entice her to eat? I don't have mouse shavings so I can't rub the f/t down with mice scent, and it's extremely hard to find rat pups where I live in NH.

Why cannot you feed live? How many times have you tried to feed her since getting her?

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Originally Posted by Daybreaker

Why cannot you feed live? How many times have you tried to feed her since getting her?

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I have no way of housing live mice. I also have a cat. The closest pet store to me is about 40 minutes away so it's way easier to stock up on frozen mice/rats. Secondly, I'm a teacher/dorm parent at a boarding school, and it's already iffy that I have a cat and 2 snakes in my apartment. IF dorm parents have pets, its usually only 1. Because my boss really likes me, she lets me have snakes (she just loves watching me feed Akeda since he'll eat all the time).

I have tried feeding her once per week ever since she ate. She was eating on Tuesdays, but since she stopped eating, I gave the mice to Akeda and subsequently, his feeding days switched to Tuesdays/Wednesdays so that he can eat whatever Cleo won't eat.

Feeding a snake is about feeding what works regardless of what YOU want to feed.

While BP can go a while without food this is not really the case with an animal that size so you need to do what you have to do until this animal feeds with consistency, later on when she does you can attempt to switch again.

Anyone owning a snake MUST be prepared to feed live if necessary.

Yeah sorry to say but if f/t isn't working at the moment you should try live for the sake of the snake. I drove an hour and a half round trip for months until most of my snakes either switched to frozen or grew enough to a rat size that I could find closer to my home. It sucked but it had to be done at the time

Same here. I have to drive about 1 hour round trip every 3-4 days to get Dot a live pinkie rat as that's the closest place to me that has them that small all the time. And I guess im in the minority as I prefer to feed fresh killed vs frozen as I see it as home cooked meal vs tv dinner :D I cant wait till Dot grows big enough to eat small rats as my normal supplier who I buy medium rats for my red tail boa is much closer but the smallest she has is small rats.

Agree with the above advice. Make the sacrifice and drive to get the live food weekly for now. After a few good meals and a good eating habit is forming, you can try to transition to F/T again.

Also - it wouldn't cost much to buy a small critter keeper and some mice food and keep a few alone for a few weeks if you prefer.

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Originally Posted by Fireproof

Agree with the above advice. Make the sacrifice and drive to get the live food weekly for now. After a few good meals and a good eating habit is forming, you can try to transition to F/T again.

Also - it wouldn't cost much to buy a small critter keeper and some mice food and keep a few alone for a few weeks if you prefer.

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The thing is that I'd have to clean up after them, and it's just more animal husbandry on top of a cat and 2 snakes. I did read that you can provoke a snake to eat if you dip the f/t in chicken broth. Does anyone have any experience with that? Does it work? It's just so puzzling that this snake ate a f/t for me the first time I tried to feed it, and won't eat another one. Then again...it is a BP. I'll try the chicken broth trick tomorrow if someone thinks that it'll give me a 50/50 chance. If not, I'll be able to go to a pet store and get some live mice on wednesday.

You could also try craigslist to see if theres anyone closer to you that breeds feeder rodents. You have to be a little more careful with that site, but depending on where you are there are usually some breeders listing extra feeders.

I'm not sure why no one has pointed this out yet, but are you making sure the f/t is good and warm before you offer it? Ball pythons hunt by heat. If you aren't getting her attention first, then heating the food up really nice and hot and then offering it, I'm not surprised she won't eat. The whole " drop in a thawed rodent and wait ", is the reason why most pet shop snakes won't eat.

Take her hide out first, heat the food up really good and hot, grasp it with tongs and offer it. Chances are, she'll hit it hard and fast if you do it correctly.

While it would be a little bit of extra trouble to get a small plastic critter keeper and fix it up to hold a couple of mice, if heating the prey doesn't work you have no choice. A baby this small cannot go without food for long. It lacks the metabolism to deal with long periods of fasting. You will do permanent damage if you don't feed soon. You can buy three or maybe four mice at one time, feed them lightly and offer one every 5 days to a week. That will keep the number of trips to the store to a minimum.

Gale

I drive 2 hours for food twice a week. My babies like the heart still beating. I hold the mouse by its tail and smash it against the wall quick to break their neck. That way they don't injure my friends. A lot of time the twitching from the neck break stimulates feeding response. If she still won't eat, take her out for a half hour while someone else cleans everything I'm her cage. They won't eat if it smells like their filth. If they smell it prey smells it so it shuts them off. Clean everything out, add a hide for her. Break the mouses neck, throw it in tank, put your baby in the tank and cover it with a towel for 2 hours. I did this step by step and broke a 3 week no eating habit on my smallest girl. Cheers.

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I drive 2 hours for food twice a week. My babies like the heart still beating. I hold the mouse by its tail and smash it against the wall quick to break their neck. That way they don't injure my friends. A lot of time the twitching from the neck break stimulates feeding response. If she still won't eat, take her out for a half hour while someone else cleans everything I'm her cage. They won't eat if it smells like their filth. If they smell it prey smells it so it shuts them off. Clean everything out, add a hide for her. Break the mouses neck, throw it in tank, put your baby in the tank and cover it with a towel for 2 hours. I did this step by step and broke a 3 week no eating habit on my smallest girl. Cheers.

I 2nd try heating it up. also wiggle it around in front of the snake. I have read on some post that you can bump the snake on the side with the mouse to induce a strike, they say just stay away from the head. I have not had try this method and not sure if others would agree with it. I understand the frustration for a while there I had one snake on rat pups the other on mice, one would do F/T the other would not. now they both take rats, but still cant get one to take F/T so I started breading rats to keep them all happy.

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Originally Posted by Foolish1

I drive 2 hours for food twice a week. My babies like the heart still beating. I hold the mouse by its tail and smash it against the wall quick to break their neck. That way they don't injure my friends. A lot of time the twitching from the neck break stimulates feeding response. If she still won't eat, take her out for a half hour while someone else cleans everything I'm her cage. They won't eat if it smells like their filth. If they smell it prey smells it so it shuts them off. Clean everything out, add a hide for her. Break the mouses neck, throw it in tank, put your baby in the tank and cover it with a towel for 2 hours. I did this step by step and broke a 3 week no eating habit on my smallest girl. Cheers.

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I drive 2 hours for food twice a week. My babies like the heart still beating. I hold the mouse by its tail and smash it against the wall quick to break their neck. That way they don't injure my friends. A lot of time the twitching from the neck break stimulates feeding response. If she still won't eat, take her out for a half hour while someone else cleans everything I'm her cage. They won't eat if it smells like their filth. If they smell it prey smells it so it shuts them off. Clean everything out, add a hide for her. Break the mouses neck, throw it in tank, put your baby in the tank and cover it with a towel for 2 hours. I did this step by step and broke a 3 week no eating habit on my smallest girl. Cheers.

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Really??? You smash the poor mouse up against the wall!!! There are far more humane ways to kill a prey item. This is just barbaric. Please find better ways to euthanize a mouse. To the OP, please DO NOT do this to a live mouse. Stick with other advice you have been given.

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Originally Posted by angllady2

I'm not sure why no one has pointed this out yet, but are you making sure the f/t is good and warm before you offer it? Ball pythons hunt by heat. If you aren't getting her attention first, then heating the food up really nice and hot and then offering it, I'm not surprised she won't eat. The whole " drop in a thawed rodent and wait ", is the reason why most pet shop snakes won't eat.

Take her hide out first, heat the food up really good and hot, grasp it with tongs and offer it. Chances are, she'll hit it hard and fast if you do it correctly.

While it would be a little bit of extra trouble to get a small plastic critter keeper and fix it up to hold a couple of mice, if heating the prey doesn't work you have no choice. A baby this small cannot go without food for long. It lacks the metabolism to deal with long periods of fasting. You will do permanent damage if you don't feed soon. You can buy three or maybe four mice at one time, feed them lightly and offer one every 5 days to a week. That will keep the number of trips to the store to a minimum.

Gale

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I do thaw it out and make sure it's nice and hot. I put the f/t into a plastic bag and let it sit in hot water for anywhere between 15-20 minutes. Then I'll run hot water over the f/t to get the "Freezer smell" off of it.

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Originally Posted by ballpythonluvr

Really??? You smash the poor mouse up against the wall!!! There are far more humane ways to kill a prey item. This is just barbaric. Please find better ways to euthanize a mouse. To the OP, please DO NOT do this to a live mouse. Stick with other advice you have been given.

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Is it more humane to put a live mouse in a plastic bag and spin it around so the mouse gets all dizzy and disoriented? I did see someone on youtube do that and it seems somewhat more humane than smashing a live animal against a wall or table.

To OP: what we do to our ones who eat live is go to pet store the feeding day or the day before if necessary and feed directly from the plastic box the pet shop sells them in. E travel over an hour each way. My babies are worth the hassle even though I'm disabled and have to arrange a driver etc. Once the feeding response is well established I change to f/t but go back to live every now and then to freshen their response. I have no idea if this is correct but it works for mine. As far as frozen thawed goes I have never been able to get mine to take a wet rodent. I leave it out in the snakes room with other pets out of there all day to defrost. The smells get everyone "drooling". Then I use the hair dryer to heat the rodent to the required temp, especially the head. This is what has worked for me.

As for fresh killed, I made a CO2 tank and used it once. F/T is easier in my opinion.


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Originally Posted by calmolly1

To OP: what we do to our ones who eat live is go to pet store the feeding day or the day before if necessary and feed directly from the plastic box the pet shop sells them in. E travel over an hour each way. My babies are worth the hassle even though I'm disabled and have to arrange a driver etc. Once the feeding response is well established I change to f/t but go back to live every now and then to freshen their response. I have no idea if this is correct but it works for mine. As far as frozen thawed goes I have never been able to get mine to take a wet rodent. I leave it out in the snakes room with other pets out of there all day to defrost. The smells get everyone "drooling". Then I use the hair dryer to heat the rodent to the required temp, especially the head. This is what has worked for me.

As for fresh killed, I made a CO2 tank and used it once. F/T is easier in my opinion.


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Maybe I'll try the hair dryer trick. My question is: what do I do with the mouse if the snake isn't interested? Akeda eats only f/t and has only ever eaten f/t. I'm sure if I attempted to give him a live he'd probably eat it, but I've seen horrible pictures of snakes that have been attacked by the mice.

I personally have never had a mouse try to hurt my snakes but of course they still can and do. If he won't take it get a small box with a lid, a bowl of water and some peanut butter. Wait a few days (? Not sure what's recommended) and try again. If it's a fail then you may have to head to the vet. As others have said, babies can't fast like adults.


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Originally Posted by calmolly1

I personally have never had a mouse try to hurt my snakes but of course they still can and do. If he won't take it get a small box with a lid, a bowl of water and some peanut butter. Wait a few days (? Not sure what's recommended) and try again. If it's a fail then you may have to head to the vet. As others have said, babies can't fast like adults.


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OKay, I have 2 hours off in the afternoon so I might go buy a live mouse. I sent pictures of the snake to my breeder (the more trusted one) and they said that Assist Feeding is an absolute last resort. They said that if she got down to somewhere in the range of 65 grams to try assist feeding.

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Originally Posted by Reed12321

OKay, I have 2 hours off in the afternoon so I might go buy a live mouse. I sent pictures of the snake to my breeder (the more trusted one) and they said that Assist Feeding is an absolute last resort. They said that if she got down to somewhere in the range of 65 grams to try assist feeding.

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That's what I've read too.


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Barbaric? I run an organic farm. I love and care for every one of my animals. Snapping it's neck is the fastest way for it to not feel pain. Takes literally a half a second before it's stops sending electrical impulses. I would rather break the mouses neck quick than have it take a chunk out of a two thousand dollar snake. Barbaric! Haha. Send them off to the showers for gassing. That's humane right. Last time humans did that everyone was really happy. Please.

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Barbaric? I run an organic farm. I love and care for every one of my animals. Snapping it's neck is the fastest way for it to not feel pain. Takes literally a half a second before it's stops sending electrical impulses. I would rather break the mouses neck quick than have it take a chunk out of a two thousand dollar snake. Barbaric! Haha. Send them off to the showers for gassing. That's humane right. Last time humans did that everyone was really happy. Please.

Honestly blown away right now. There's proper protocol for humanely killing feeder mice? I understand not torturing them, but the amount of time they realize they have been picked up to the time they are unable to process thought or pain is within a second. Ever been chocked by someone trying to kill you? I have. It is very fun to say the least. Jokes. You literally gasp and fight for every last breath hoping it isn't your last. Hell when it's my turn to go, PLEASE break my neck. Don't let me suffer.

Edit. Spelt unable wrong.

Are either of the breeders close enough that you could take the baby to them so they can feed it live and then convert it over to f/t for you?

Also, if you're on Facebook look for local reptile forums and see who is breeding their own feeders local to you, someone may have a few extra they could sell you.

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Originally Posted by Reed12321

OKay, I have 2 hours off in the afternoon so I might go buy a live mouse. I sent pictures of the snake to my breeder (the more trusted one) and they said that Assist Feeding is an absolute last resort. They said that if she got down to somewhere in the range of 65 grams to try assist feeding.

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I would not trust either breeder that would say if it gets down to x weight you need to assist....it's not about the weight it's about a overall condition of the animal.

At least he is right about one thing assisting is the VERY last resort, you do not assist an animal that knows how to eat you provide it with proper husbandry and the right food even if that means live.

BTW how is your husbandry?

According to the AVMA Co2 is considered the only humane way to euthanize. I tried it, I hated it. So I feed f/t if possible. I let the company supplying the rodents do the CO2. I can't break their necks either. That's just me.


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I guess life and death are hand in hand on the farm. I am not worried too much about it. To me is how fast they go. Gassing takes time. That's mean to me.

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Originally Posted by Foolish1

Honestly blown away right now. There's proper protocol for humanely killing feeder mice? I understand not torturing them, but the amount of time they realize they have been picked up to the time they are unable to process thought or pain is within a second. Ever been chocked by someone trying to kill you? I have. It is very fun to say the least. Jokes. You literally gasp and fight for every last breath hoping it isn't your last. Hell when it's my turn to go, PLEASE break my neck. Don't let me suffer.

Edit. Spelt unable wrong.

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Be blown away all you want smashing an animal's head against a wall is inhuman.

You either let nature take it's course or you respect the prey and euthanize it humanely this means cervical dislocation (only people efficient at it should attempt it) and CO2.

Let nature take its course on captive born and raised animals. Okay hun. I don't want to derail this thread and I am not trying to offend. The English method of killing chickens is a quick neck break. Wonder why.

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Originally Posted by Foolish1

Let nature take its course on captive born and raised animals. Okay hun. I don't want to derail this thread and I am not trying to offend. The English method of killing chickens is a quick neck break. Wonder why.

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Number 1 not your Hun number two read again, cervical dislocation is considered human not throwing an animal on a wall.

And than people wonder why people have such a negative view of snake keepers....could not possibly be because of people like you?

If c02 was humane. We would use it on death row inmates.

Quoted from other forums
One of the main objections to gas chambers in general is that the person being executed doesn't cooperate (which really shouldn't be a surprise). If the person being executed would breathe normally, or even close to it, the currently used methods are painless and humane. What happens instead is that the victim struggles painfully not to breathe and ends up thrashing around and gasping for breath. I've never watched a gas chamber execution (and have no desire to do so) but from what I've read they are quite gruesome to watch. It's definitely not a quick and painless death in practice.

Carbon monoxide was one of the gases used by the Nazis in WWII. It is currently used in some animal shelters, but there is a push by animal activists to ban gas chambers for animal euthanasia which is causing a decline in their use.

CO₂ ??? What inhumane idiot suggested that? Of course the animals go nuts. Their entire respiratory system is telling them that they are dying. They die frantic and in pain. CO is, as the OP suggest the humane gas. Or N₂. I can't help but wonder if somewhere down the line somebody with less than useful knowledge in physiology missed the significant distinction.

In all seriousness, I would be wanting a talk with the ethics committee overseeing the research.

There have been threads before on this, and generally N₂ seems about as humane as you could get. A gradual increase in concentration over time might avoid the worst issues. Given this is GQ I will grit my teeth and refrain from further comment on executions.

Pjen wrote: "The unspoken rule is that the person must be aware of what is happening and suffer enough to satisfy death penalty proponents, but not so much that it offends death penalty opponents."



This is me talking now. Again I don't wish to derail or offend. I love chemicals and physics and biology. C02 is cruel.

I have a farm too but I'm a softie. I've had to despatch various animals as quickly and humanely as possible. I hate every second of it. But it's one kindness we can do by making it as fast and painless as possible. I happen to agree with you Foolish1 about Co2...it wasn't quick. Painless I guess but I still hated it


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Originally Posted by Foolish1

If c02 was humane. We would use it on death row inmates.

Quoted from other forums
One of the main objections to gas chambers in general is that the person being executed doesn't cooperate (which really shouldn't be a surprise). If the person being executed would breathe normally, or even close to it, the currently used methods are painless and humane. What happens instead is that the victim struggles painfully not to breathe and ends up thrashing around and gasping for breath. I've never watched a gas chamber execution (and have no desire to do so) but from what I've read they are quite gruesome to watch. It's definitely not a quick and painless death in practice.

Carbon monoxide was one of the gases used by the Nazis in WWII. It is currently used in some animal shelters, but there is a push by animal activists to ban gas chambers for animal euthanasia which is causing a decline in their use.

CO₂ ??? What inhumane idiot suggested that? Of course the animals go nuts. Their entire respiratory system is telling them that they are dying. They die frantic and in pain. CO is, as the OP suggest the humane gas. Or N₂. I can't help but wonder if somewhere down the line somebody with less than useful knowledge in physiology missed the significant distinction.

In all seriousness, I would be wanting a talk with the ethics committee overseeing the research.

There have been threads before on this, and generally N₂ seems about as humane as you could get. A gradual increase in concentration over time might avoid the worst issues. Given this is GQ I will grit my teeth and refrain from further comment on executions.

Pjen wrote: "The unspoken rule is that the person must be aware of what is happening and suffer enough to satisfy death penalty proponents, but not so much that it offends death penalty opponents."



This is me talking now. Again I don't wish to derail or offend. I love chemicals and physics and biology. C02 is cruel.

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And there we go comparing apple to oranges last time I check the national veterinary association was not in charge of death row inmates????

Comparing humans to animals in this case just made you lose the very little newbie's credibility you had ;)

I don't bludgeon them against a wall. I know how to quickly snap their neck with a fast precise motion. I feel like we are attacking each other for no reason. People don't like snake keepers because of me? That's not quite the moderator response. Do you know me? Do you know how passionate I am about animals and predators who are cast bad judgment. I don't run a shelter for Wolf dogs or take people's snakes they can't care for. That wouldn't be me. I don't go around my town and talk with locals every day about reptiles. I don't change people's minds and lives by letting them experience my best friends. That isn't me. Come on. Let's not get personal. I called you hun as a way like I would call someone bud, or darling. Just my way of speaking. Again no offense was intended.

Humanely means giving human characteristics to other things and try to treat them how we would treat a fellow human. Correct?

Make a nitrogen chamber if you want to be humane. Hell make an oxygen chamber. C02 is cheap and easy. That's why they consider it humane. The nva wouldn't recommend something that costs them more money.

Also back to thread. OP mentioned they were getting a live one today. Clean your babies cage first. If it smells at all like her she won't want to eat. Their own smell shuts off their feeding drive. If they can smelm themselves others can smell them and that means they are vulnerable. They are at their most defenseless eating. Try to make her feel as safe as possible.

Controlled atmosphere killing (CAK) or controlled atmosphere stunning (CAS) is a method for slaughtering animals such as chickens by placing the animals in a container in which the atmosphere lacks oxygen and consists of an asphyxiant gas (one or more of argon, nitrogen or carbon dioxide), causing the animals to lose consciousness. Argon and nitrogen are important components of a gassing process which seem to cause no pain, and for this reason many consider some types of controlled atmosphere killing more humane than other methods of killing.^[8][9] If carbon dioxide is used, controlled atmosphere killing is not the same as inert gas asphyxia, because carbon dioxide at high concentrations (above 5%) is not biologically inert, but rather is toxic and also produces initial distress in a number of animals species.

​I bolded the imporant parts. I am done now. There really is nothing to discuss the science is there. Sorry to the original poster and the community if I derailed the thread. I gave my advice and was attacked.

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Originally Posted by Deborah

I would not trust either breeder that would say if it gets down to x weight you need to assist....it's not about the weight it's about a overall condition of the animal.

At least he is right about one thing assisting is the VERY last resort, you do not assist an animal that knows how to eat you provide it with proper husbandry and the right food even if that means live.

BTW how is your husbandry?

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I painstakingly agonize over the husbandry. I lose sleep at night because I worry that my husbandry is not up to par. I wake up multiple times per night to check the conditions of the tanks. I'm super anal about the way I care for my snakes and so far it has really paid off for one of them. He shed in one solid piece, he eats every time I offer him food, and he acts like a typical BP. I did buy a live mouse, i cleaned the tank and everything in it so that nothing smelled like the snake's pee or poop, and I am planning on dropping the live mouse in there and watching it so that the snake doesn't get hurt.

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Originally Posted by Foolish1

Also back to thread. OP mentioned they were getting a live one today. Clean your babies cage first. If it smells at all like her she won't want to eat. Their own smell shuts off their feeding drive. If they can smelm themselves others can smell them and that means they are vulnerable. They are at their most defenseless eating. Try to make her feel as safe as possible.

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I did this. Thank you!

I like to cover the tub so they feel like nobody can see them when they are vulnerable. They can't do a thing while eating to protect themselves. The need to feel secure. Hope it all works out for you. I read somewhere removing them from their cage for a half hour. Dropping food in then putting them back in stimulates feeding also. Basically they go, who's in my house! Then attack. The towel covering, and clean house broke my 3 weeks baby's no eat strike. Best of luck.

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Originally Posted by Reed12321

I painstakingly agonize over the husbandry. I lose sleep at night because I worry that my husbandry is not up to par. I wake up multiple times per night to check the conditions of the tanks. I'm super anal about the way I care for my snakes and so far it has really paid off for one of them. He shed in one solid piece, he eats every time I offer him food, and he acts like a typical BP. I did buy a live mouse, i cleaned the tank and everything in it so that nothing smelled like the snake's pee or poop, and I am planning on dropping the live mouse in there and watching it so that the snake doesn't get hurt.

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Next thing you may want to try since it is a very small animal is to keep her in breeder setup condition since this is how it was kept until very recently and do so until she eats for you a few times consecutively.

I have seen a few times with some of my customers, they receive the snake have it in a small tank and it just does not work, once they set it up in the conditions I keep my hatchlings in , their animals start eating for them and once the animals feeds with consistency they move the animal back in the tank.

If that is the case and it's still a no go when it comes to food try this

6 quarts tub
Aspen bedding to allow the animal to burrow
6 inches plastic flower pot saucer
88 on the warm side

No handling for a week, and a week later live mouse (small adult)

When you offer the food do it in the enclosure drop the prey and move away (remove if un-eaten after 15 min)

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Originally Posted by Deborah

Next thing you may want to try since it is a very small animal is to keep her in breeder setup condition since this is how it was kept until very recently and do so until she eats for you a few times consecutively.

I have seen a few times with some of my customers, they receive the snake have it in a small tank and it just does not work, once they set it up in the conditions I keep my hatchlings in , their animals start eating for them and once the animals feeds with consistency they move the animal back in the tank.

If that is the case and it's still a no go when it comes to food try this

6 quarts tub
Aspen bedding to allow the animal to burrow
6 inches plastic flower pot saucer
88 on the warm side

No handling for a week, and a week later live mouse (small adult)

When you offer the food do it in the enclosure drop the prey and move away (remove if un-eaten after 15 min)

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That's how she was kept before me. I've had her for almost a month at this point in the 20G tank. I'm going to bring her to the vet sometime soon for a general exam and to see if she's sick or something.

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Originally Posted by Reed12321

That's how she was kept before me. I've had her for almost a month at this point in the 20G tank. I'm going to bring her to the vet sometime soon for a general exam and to see if she's sick or something.

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If you have money to waste go for it but I can tell you that it will be a waste of time most likely and that depending on how honest and qualified your vet is you could be taken on for a serious ride anything from blood work to x-ray etc.

Again it's a simple and common problem for new owner with limited experience with a very simple solution :gj:

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Originally Posted by Reed12321

That's how she was kept before me. I've had her for almost a month at this point in the 20G tank. I'm going to bring her to the vet sometime soon for a general exam and to see if she's sick or something.

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Try what Deborah said and forget the vet. Taking her to the vet will create stress which is the opposite of what she needs. Some babies will thrive in a 20 gallon but many won't in such a "large" tank. I have customers that try a larger tank and the snake is stressed and won't eat. Switch to a small bin and that fixes the problem most of the time.

Okay. She ate!!! it's the first time she's done this since the middle of november. I put the mouse in the tank with her and watched very closely. I put a towel over the tank so that she couldn't see outside, but I peeked over the top to make sure the mouse wasn't attacking her. Then she was sniffing around for a loooong time, and the mouse was hiding in the fake plants that I have. Eventually, the snake went into her hide. So i took the hide away, and took the fake plants away and dangled the mouse in front of her face. She didn't seem interested, so I put the mouse down. I looked after about a minute, and the mouse was snuggling with the snake. I just covered the tank and was actually messaging my breeder, and while I was saying, "She's not eating....ugh" I heard squeaks coming from the tank and she was wrapped around it. She finally swallowed the mouse and has a somewhat noticeable bulge. I'll try a f/t in 4-5 days and see what happens.

So you have a live feeder on your hands. Not the end of the world. At least she ate!

If I were you, I'd offer her live again in 7 days or so, and repeat for about a month or so. She needs to put some weight on and feed on a regular basis. Then try f/t again in about 6 weeks.

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Originally Posted by JaYdEd

So you have a live feeder on your hands. Not the end of the world. At least she ate!

If I were you, I'd offer her live again in 7 days or so, and repeat for about a month or so. She needs to put some weight on and feed on a regular basis. Then try f/t again in about 6 weeks.

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Well she ate the live mouse. But I'm going to try a f/t in a few days because I have a ton of them and my guy Akeda will eat the f/t if she doesnt. I'm hoping that this sparked her interest in eating so maybe a f/t will be more appetizing. This was my first time ever feeding live, and it wasn't as bad as I had thought. The mouse was really young and it barely knew what was going on. It looks like the mouse barely had its eyes open. I thought that I would have felt bad about "killing" an animal, but I don't feel bad at all. I feel relieved that my snake ate and finally has a full belly.

Yay! Glad it all worked out.

Great news! I was told ; correct me if I'm wrong) that 4 days is minimum between feeds. I have one who strikes and wraps f/t but won't actually eat it unless you cover tank with towel and leave the room. But ice just moved her into a tub in a rack and she is much more confident :). Understanding why folks use tubs now. So much easier on snake and owner


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I am very glad she ate.

Now, ignoring all the rigamarole bashing of each other done by so many on your thread, the next step is to try and get her to eat f/t.

I will let you know I've never had any luck getting a snake to eat a dripping wet rodent. A big problem is also not thawing completely through.

Here is how I do it most of the time: Select the rodent to be thawed; if you have time, let it stand at room temperature in the same room with your snake for 4 - 5 hours. If you don't have the time, place in a small container and run a thin stream of hot water into the container and over the rodent for 10 - 15 minutes. If you had to wet the rodent, use an old rag or towel to blot off most of the water and then use a hair dryer to dry it completely. If you did not wet the rodent, you can use the hair dryer to just warm the rodent all over. It is best to do this right near the snake tub, if possible blow the air in the direction of the snake tub. The warm rodent scented breezes should have the baby good and ready to go. Carefully remove the hide, and if necessary any decor in the way. Grasp the rodent with tongs just behind the head. By the scruff of the neck and hit just the head with the hair dryer for 15 - 20 seconds. You want that rodent putting off a massive heat signature. Gently offer the rodent to one side of the snake's head, and not too close. Chances are good she'll hit it right away. If not, gently wiggle the rodent back and forth a little bit. We call this the "zombie dance". The goal is not to make the rodent into a Rockette, but to fool the snake into thinking it's alive. If a few good wiggles doesn't entice a strike, you can try re-heating the head an offering again in much the same way. You want the rodent close to the snake, but not right on top of her. If she still refuses, you can gently lay the rodent down nearby, cover the tank, turn off the lights and leave the room for about 20 minutes. Most of the time when you return the rodent will be gone. If not, you can try re-heating the head one last time. If this fails completely, and it sometimes will, trash the rodent or feed it to another snake if you can. Wait at least 3 or 4 days before trying again.

One last thing. These guys can really key in to your mood. If you are anxious and nervous and " What if she doesn't eat ?" I can just about promise she won't eat. Calm yourself down before you go into her room. Breathe deep and tell yourself, if she eats that's good, if she doesn't no big deal. And MAKE yourself believe that. I've stressed out more than one snake to the point of not eating, just by being worried they would not eat. They can sense your moods and they will react to them.

I wish you and your baby all the best.

Gale