need some help with my temps

Excellent, I would prefer that I don't have to take her out. Thank you so much! I appreciate it. Will work on my temps, then give her a bit of time and then use this method. Thanks again. I'm so relieved - I should have come back here months ago!

kc

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Originally Posted by 4theSNAKElady

A 50g tank is probably a bit big even for an adult. She may be intimidated by the open space. And I agree about keeping your temps stable. That's important. Now how bout LIVE rats? Have your tried a small live rat? Pre-killed? How bout an ASF? Theres lots of different choices available before you forcefeed. That's should be your last option after you've exhausted all other choices. I do have a question, however. Do you weigh your snake? A 5 year old BP should be in a certain weight range(barring issues of course). Keeping a weight record on your snake will let you know if it is losing a lot of weight or just a little. Plus, it will give you an idea of what weight range is normal for that individual. IMO, that kind of data is important.

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She has always had mice. She was eating three small mice every 10 days or so. I have tried pre-killed rats, but she has passed. But I haven't since all this started. I'm not sure live rats are an option for several reasons. First, the teeth. I would hate to see her get bit, the second, well, I used to have pet rats, I'm not to the point quite yet that I can do that to a baby rat. I sometimes have trouble with the mice. Hence my daughter taking care of her snake.

We have weighed her, I have a running weight starting I believe in February, so I have a baseline. What is an ASF? I won't forcefeed her. Not since I've gotten so much info. I feel a lot better about getting things stabilized. I think the vet said that if she won't eat she can give her a shot, but she didn't want to do that, and after hearing how long they can go I'll wait. Thanks.

kc

Once you get the temps dialed in, my recommendation would be to black out/cover up her tank for a few days and leave her completely alone during that period. Then offer her a live mouse (since that was her usual prey) in her tub, at night, in the dark. I would just put the mouse in, cover the tank and come back in 15 min. That has been my go to method for getting picky eaters to eat for years.

If you want to try a rat, you don't want to use a baby. You'll want a small rat (so just past weaned). My experience has been that small rats are actually less likely to bite than adult mice (I am not a fan of mice). An ASF is an African Soft Furred Rat. They are smaller than regular rats, but sometimes they are hard to come by. BPs seem to like them, though.