Re: when is the right time to assist feed?
Never.
Assisting is for animals that do not know how to eat or animals that are on death's doors.
At 1500 grams it could take a year before the animal resume feeding.
The key is to make sure the husbandry is optimum, to reduce handling to the bare minimum (maintenance only) and to offer the same type prey that used to be offered every 10 days (alternating preys is not helping).
This is a big male and there is several reason why he could be fasting, breeding mode, seasonal, fasting to catch up, stress, husbandry related or just for being a BP.
You can also try to take him on a car ride in a snake bag for 30 min or so,
Re: when is the right time to assist feed?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Mada
thank you. so would moving the females help at this point or just give it time?
Moving the females may help bc of the sexual maturity of the male and the approaching maturity of the females. The male can smell breedable females which can cause a food strike as the desire to breed in males supersedes feeding and is a very strong instinct. Definitely turns off the food clock. You should consider switching your substrate to 100% cypress mulch to help reset his feeding response. There is a lot in the literature to support switching to 100% cypress mulch in non- feeding ball pythons. Hope this helps. Also, consider rehydrating the animal with fluid before any attempt at assist feeding. Water bowl large enough for him to soak in if he chooses should be fine. It's much easier to administer fluids like pedialite or water through a gastric tube than trying to assist feed a 1500 + gm python.
Re: when is the right time to assist feed?
his water bowl is large enough that he is able to fit his body in there when he balls up... some times find him like that but this is a snake that as soon as you put him in his tub after doing a poop or pee check he always crawls over the water bowl and many times dips him self in it. I'm going to just keep an eye on him and try the every other week feeding schedule that was suggested. i do think trying to feed him every week has stressed him some as he tends to be more moody after we attempt to feed then he would be a few days after an attempt.
one question on new rack, i have seen some say 1/3 or tub should be on heat tape and others say you can use 3 inch heat tape on a 41 quart tub. what would be the right size for the rack set up i mentioned. one rack all 41's (35 inches by 16 1/2) was thinking 12 inches going width wise so +- 1/3 of it would be on it, and other rack would be 28q tubs with 12 quart tubs on other shelves was thinking 4 inches so i could have the 12's have it go width wise covering about 1/4 of the tub and the 24's would go long ways with it covering about the same. would this work or should the tape be different sizes.
and yes i understand now that assist feeding is a no go unless he is deathly malnourished.
