What shall I do ?

If your snake is 4 months old I wold say pinkies are probably too small of a meal. I have a couple of hatchlings that were hatched in the beginning of June and are on hopper mice. :confused:

you want your prey item to be a bit bigger than the fattest part of your snake... i agree that a pinkie is too small.

sometimes it can take a few weeks to get a new snake to eat. nothing to worry about and no need to run to a vet (as IMO that's just going to stress it out unless of course you feel there is something wrong with him)

take some newspaper and ball it up (one sheet at a time) and fill your enclosure. this assists your ball to feel safer. next week attempt to feed again. most snakes won't take a wet prey item so i don't agree with holding it under hot water. i put mine in a glass and then set the glass in a container with boiling hot water in it. i cover the whole thing with a towel and leave it alone for 15 minutes. at that time, i dump the water and add more hot water and recover.

after 30 minutes i dump out the prey items and check them for warmth. if there's any chill left to them, back into the glass and the hot water is added again. it's very very very bad for your snake to get a slightly frozen prey item!

once i get the prey item thawed... i set them under a heat lamp (as i have lots of different critters who use heat lamps) and allow the prey item to get even warmer... then i pop them into the enclosures.

my ball and hog island boa don't need me to dangle their food... i just put the f/t prey item near their hide and close up the enclosure.

my cornsnakes... the smaller ones need the pinkie set down right next to their nose or they won't take it and the larger ones... i feed just like my ball.

i've never had a snake refuse more than 3 feeds (that's 3 weeks) - patience is important. they'll get good and hungry as the weeks go by so they do take the prey item eventually.

also... i don't hold them at all until they eat (and then leave them alone to digest for 48 hours after they eat). so some snakes are not held for 4 weeks after i get them. i believe it assists them to feel less stressed when i leave them alone!

hope this helps.
aleesha

My ball has never refused a meal. I actually have mine sit in bare hot water. Check for cold spots, and when hot and ready, dry him up with a clean towel. The use a pair of tongs bought at the 99cent store (why use special tongs?), hold it into the feed container (I feed in separate containers) and watch him snatch it and swallow it.

I have tried all of the above, the little dance, leaving the fuzzy in a plastic bag & leavng it in hot water for a few mins, left it by his hide over night,made the room as dark as possible to ensure he feels comfortable enough to eat.. etc etc, & I dont think that there would be anything seriously wrong with my Deebo, untill it gets into months of refusing food..

I just like to know that I am doing everything within my power to ensure he is as comfortable as he could be in his set up.

I just gotta be patient I think..its only early days..

Thanks for all your help guys ;)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Wild Bill

If your snake is 4 months old I wold say pinkies are probably too small of a meal. I have a couple of hatchlings that were hatched in the beginning of June and are on hopper mice. :confused:

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Sorry, did I say pinkies? I meant fuzzies. He has only ever had pinkies according to his feed sheet. So I was advised to try him on a large fuzzy for a couple of times, & then tackle the small mice.

Cheers Wild One !! :sweeet:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by recycling goddess

you want your prey item to be a bit bigger than the fattest part of your snake... i agree that a pinkie is too small.

sometimes it can take a few weeks to get a new snake to eat. nothing to worry about and no need to run to a vet (as IMO that's just going to stress it out unless of course you feel there is something wrong with him)

take some newspaper and ball it up (one sheet at a time) and fill your enclosure. this assists your ball to feel safer. next week attempt to feed again. most snakes won't take a wet prey item so i don't agree with holding it under hot water. i put mine in a glass and then set the glass in a container with boiling hot water in it. i cover the whole thing with a towel and leave it alone for 15 minutes. at that time, i dump the water and add more hot water and recover.

after 30 minutes i dump out the prey items and check them for warmth. if there's any chill left to them, back into the glass and the hot water is added again. it's very very very bad for your snake to get a slightly frozen prey item!

once i get the prey item thawed... i set them under a heat lamp (as i have lots of different critters who use heat lamps) and allow the prey item to get even warmer... then i pop them into the enclosures.

my ball and hog island boa don't need me to dangle their food... i just put the f/t prey item near their hide and close up the enclosure.

my cornsnakes... the smaller ones need the pinkie set down right next to their nose or they won't take it and the larger ones... i feed just like my ball.

i've never had a snake refuse more than 3 feeds (that's 3 weeks) - patience is important. they'll get good and hungry as the weeks go by so they do take the prey item eventually.

also... i don't hold them at all until they eat (and then leave them alone to digest for 48 hours after they eat). so some snakes are not held for 4 weeks after i get them. i believe it assists them to feel less stressed when i leave them alone!

hope this helps.
aleesha

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Thanks for taking the time out for such a detailed resonse, Im going to defo give the newspaper suggestion a try..

& your right, I just need patience..!

Thank you :colbert2:

the newpaper trick isn't my idea actually and here's a thread to better explain it to you!

Great, Thanks..sure seems to work so I will give it a try !

OK. You've only had him for a week. It's not unusual for Royals to turn their noses up at food to start with. Leave him alone for a couple of weeks, only going near him to change his water or substrate. He needs time to settle in to his new home. He may well be defensive because he's young and thinks everything bigger than him is going to eat him. My Byron (who I've had since a hatchling) bit me once. Very quickly learnt I did not fancy putting snake on my menu and has never even hissed at me since. They can bite but it is not malice, only that they are scared.


What are you feeding him on? Rat pups or mice?

My Royal, Byron as a baby wouldn't even look at rat pups. He would only eat mice. I started him off with fuzzies, then when he ate that for a while, put him onto small mice, then as his appetite increased, larger mice. He went off feed for about 3 months during the winter months which is quite common with Royals and provided the snake doesn't lose weight, or appears ill is nothing to worry about. It's got something to do with a hibernation instinct. When he decided it was time to start eating again, he turned his nose up at mice, but will whack back a weaner rat or two and positively lick his lips:D

I warm his dinner up with my hairdryer, which works fine if the rodents are small. Heat them up in a watertight freezer bag in hot water if the rodents are bigger, then finish them off with the hairdryer. I've found my Royals won't look at the rodents if they are wet. They definitely prefer blow-dried rodent!!!

I handle my Royals quite a lot. Bobby (who was a rescue) is quite shy but is getting less jumpy when being handled now. Sadly, he'd a very bad start to life and due to neglect and ignorance, he nearly died:mad: Happily, he was rescued by caring people who nursed him back to health, then we gave him a permanent home and he's gone from strength to strength and is beautiful now.

Byron (the one I've had since a hatchling) seems to like being handled. He is an exception to the rule. If I don't handle him, he doesn't eat. If I handle him he eats like there's no tomorrow, but he is the exception to the rule.

I'd give your Royal time to get accustomed to his new home. If he won't eat rat, try him on mouse but make sure it is warmed up thoroughly. Royals tend to turn their noses up at food items that are not at the right temperature.

If you want to talk more off forum, then please do not hesitate to PM me.

As an afterthought, make sure your temps are set right. I have my Royals at 92 deg F warm end, no less than 84 deg F cool end. Humidity is usually about 50% except when they're shedding and I bump it up to 55% - 60% by using a fine spray several times a day. No problems with shedding.

I havnt tried it yet, still trying to get my ball to eat frozen, I've tried everything form the newspaper trick to the blow dryer, to chicken broth to heat lamp and everything, he wouldnt have anything to do with them. My last resort (which I'm gonna feed him live another week or two to get some weight back on him, and so he doesnt have to go over a month without eating) Is going to be cutting the mouse's head open, so that he can smell the mouses brain. i've heard the smell of the brain just triggers the instinct in the snake and it'll gobble it down!