BP Not eating, afraid of food?

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Originally Posted by 200xth

I have never heard of, nor seen, forcing a BP to swim for 35 to 40 mins as a way to get them eating again. I don't think it'll do anything but stress them out even more.

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Originally Posted by h20hunter

A forced swim? What?

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Hey guys, RiverDragon459 is asking for help and suggestions. Lets try to keep to the topic of a fellow herp enthusiast who admits to being new to the industry and having concerns about her bp not feeding! None of us know everything but all of know something! Its not to be looked at as forcing a bp to swim, but to get the most out of a proven therapy that is worth a try. Personally, it worked for me here at aareptiles after a breeding bp of mine went off feed after breeding to several females. The treatment is also researched at Darkman Reptiles. com . It may work and it may not. Its not a one size fits all approach. Remember, water is the staff of life for all living organisms. Also, remember its the benefits of appetite stimulation, rehydration, though the respiratory tract and the cloaca. Peace, A.C.

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Originally Posted by Albert Clark

GM to all. RiverDragon459, make sure to include a hide for your bp, one that is of an appropriate size to make the animal feel secure. That would mean a hide where the bp can feel the sides of the hide when coiled inside. This is very important especially for problem feeders. Another tactic is to fill a container of appropriate size with warm water [88- 90 degrees], make the water deep enough so the bp will have to swim. Cover the container for security and safety for the bp and make sure you have adequate holes in the container for air and oxygen exchange. A Styrofoam container is a good choice. Let the bp swim for 35 to 40 minutes. Periodically check on him or her. The results are threefold, appetite stimulation, rehydration through the respiratory tract , rehydration through the cloaca. Good Luck! Switch from trying to feed from weekly to every 10 days. Be patient, as long as the bp is getting fluid the greater the chance the appetite will return. A.C.

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Less stress is the goal here.
Please don't believe everything you read on the internet.

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Originally Posted by Albert Clark

Hey guys, RiverDragon459 is asking for help and suggestions. Lets try to keep to the topic of a fellow herp enthusiast who admits to being new to the industry and having concerns about her bp not feeding! None of us know everything but all of know something! Its not to be looked at as forcing a bp to swim, but to get the most out of a proven therapy that is worth a try. Personally, it worked for me here at aareptiles after a breeding bp of mine went off feed after breeding to several females. The treatment is also researched at Darkman Reptiles. com . It may work and it may not. Its not a one size fits all approach. Remember, water is the staff of life for all living organisms. Also, remember its the benefits of appetite stimulation, rehydration, though the respiratory tract and the cloaca. Peace, A.C.

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Your right, this is a public forum and there people here to help.
Questionable advise WILL be questioned.

OP, what is the weight (incase I missed it)
Photos and temps would be good.
My first thought is to just leave her alone for a couple days.

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Originally Posted by PitOnTheProwl

Less stress is the goal here.
Please don't believe everything you read on the internet.


Your right, this is a public forum and there people here to help.
Questionable advise WILL be questioned.

OP, what is the weight (incase I missed it)
Photos and temps would be good.
My first thought is to just leave her alone for a couple days.

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OK, less stress is always paramount. Research is accomplished in a variety of ways including the internet. Believe what you've researched after you try it and it proves out! Weight and temps are in your primary assessment. We know little to no handling is also paramount after your corrective measures and treatment. Peace. A.C.

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Originally Posted by 200xth

I have never heard of, nor seen, forcing a BP to swim for 35 to 40 mins as a way to get them eating again. I don't think it'll do anything but stress them out even more.

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Remember, you are creating a form of exercise for the bp. What happens after you workout? Most living organisms will develop a appetite and be thirsty. Usually both. Have you gone swimming and left the pool or beach? How did you feel? Hungry?

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Originally Posted by Albert Clark

Remember, you are creating a form of exercise for the bp. What happens after you workout? Most living organisms will develop a appetite and be thirsty. Usually both. Have you gone swimming and left the pool or beach? How did you feel? Hungry?

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Totally the wrong way to look at this.
They do not have the same metabolism that we do, much less any other active animal.
They are not active.

Apples and oranges. Totally unrelated. As a comparitive novice to some but not "unlearned" I would suggest that people have far more options than putting a snake through this. I'll just say it....I think the suggestion of making your BP do a forced swim is absurd.

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Originally Posted by Albert Clark

Remember, you are creating a form of exercise for the bp. What happens after you workout? Most living organisms will develop a appetite and be thirsty. Usually both. Have you gone swimming and left the pool or beach? How did you feel? Hungry?

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Equating your snake to how mammals, and humans in particular act, is not terribly useful, IMO. They certainly don't need the interaction mammals need, and they do not require the exercise mammals require. They have numerous psychological and biological differences in their requirements.

You're assuming snakes find swimming enjoyable rather than stressful. Humans enjoy going to the beach and swimming. Do BP's enjoy being stuffed in a styrofoam container and forced to swim around for 40 mins? I've never seen anything to indicate they enjoy that. I've seen far more evidence to indicate that something like that will stress them out, further reducing their chances of eating in the near future.

If you're trying to get your snake to feed again, your snake is far better off being left alone for a week in relative peace and quiet than he is being dropped in a container of water and forced to swim around for 40 mins a day like he's a dog, hamster, or horse in need of exercise.

Not only does the swim theory sound off base, the temps are crazy!

88-90 degrees, really! That will surely crank up the stress.

Water temps doe not feel the same as air temp or objects. In fact, water amplifies temperature. It is very deceptive.

You get in a tub of 90 degree water and see if feels comfortable for swimming. A relaxing bath is one thing, but a swim would be miserable.

Same goes for cold water. Have you ever swam or skied in 50 degree water? You would swear it is in the 30's.

Yeah, you'd have to put a lid on the tub of water all right. That snake is desperately trying to get out of that hot water.

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Originally Posted by 200xth

Equating your snake to how mammals, and humans in particular act, is not terribly useful, IMO. They certainly don't need the interaction mammals need, and they do not require the exercise mammals require. They have numerous psychological and biological differences in their requirements.

You're assuming snakes find swimming enjoyable rather than stressful. Humans enjoy going to the beach and swimming. Do BP's enjoy being stuffed in a styrofoam container and forced to swim around for 40 mins? I've never seen anything to indicate they enjoy that. I've seen far more evidence to indicate that something like that will stress them out, further reducing their chances of eating in the near future.

If you're trying to get your snake to feed again, your snake is far better off being left alone for a week in relative peace and quiet than he is being dropped in a container of water and forced to swim around for 40 mins a day like he's a dog, hamster, or horse in need of exercise.

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O.K., this is all moving away from the point. Thank you all for your input and I hope RiverDragon459 can peruse these threads and make a informed decision on what she is going to pursue to correct the problem feeding of her reptile. No one ever said to "stuff" anything or to ''force" anything. It was offered up as a tried and proven treatment for problem feeders along with all the other primary and secondary interventions that were intelligently expressed by Eric Alan. Thank you BP community. " Stay in peace and not pieces". A.C.

Okay guys first I would like to say thank you for all the options you have given me, now I don't feel so helpless or panicked that she's not eating. For now I think I'm going to leave her be but I will do more research as far as the swimming option goes before I do that for her. So far though I followed someone's advice (I can't find your comment to give you credit at the moment, sorry!) and I left her with the rat that was now dead at this point and she still didn't eat it, she actually ended up laying her head on it? I left her alone a little longer to see if she would eat it but she did everything possible to avoid the now dead rat. SO I've given up trying to feed her for this week, as many of you have said it's not totally uncommon for them to stop eating for a while especially after a move so I think I'll watch her to see if she stops wandering around her cage and becomes my 'pet rock' as Eric Alan stated she should be before I try feeding her again.