Male going off feed?

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Originally Posted by mcavana

Ok, I switched him to a 15 quart sterilite tub that fits into one of my racks. no hide (there isn't room for him in that tiny tub AND a hide) and a small water bowl. He is on the top of the rack where it is warmest... hot side of 93 degrees

Will see how that goes. The next feeding attempt (in one week)... What size rat and how should I feed it? Should I get a live pup and drop it in the tub with him over night? Or should I hold a small live rat in front of his face and give up if he doesn't strike in a couple minutes??? Or should I drop a small live rat in the tub with him and check back in 5 minutes? I am assuming dropping the small rat in with him would be a bad idea... too cramped in there, it would probably just scare the hell out of him!

he was eating small live rats when he went off feed. in the 24 attempted feedings since he went off feed, probably half the time I offered normal rats, half the time I offered ASF's.

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Why dont you try mice.

I have a picky Het albino male that was not feeding after the breeding season ( I knew of this ahead of time when i bought him!) and tried mice a few weeks later or so and BAM has been eating for me ever since.

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Originally Posted by Freakie_frog

1: Offer a live mouse. I've had animals that wouldn't touch rats nail mice and then switch back to rats

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I'd agree with this one. I have a male that likes to go off feed, and it's a bugger to get him started again.

I've found that after a many month fast one of the ways to get him started is to give him a mouse "treat". It kicks in his feeding response and he'll pound a f/t rat like nobody's business right after.

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Originally Posted by Freakie_frog

3: Take him for a car ride. I know its sounds weird but there's something about the vibration that will spur feeding in some animals.

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Ive heard this before! its a GOOD trick! :D

OK... I plan to try feeding a mouse. What size mouse should it be????

X breeder??? (not going to leave it in overnight of course... just 5 or 10 minutes)

Or a hopper or somthing to leave in over night???

Male BP breeding behavior

"I got my mind on the ladies and the ladies on my mind":hump:

I'll eat when I've had my fill;)

It seems like you have a lot of good suggestions, but I just wanted to offer one more. Try filling the tub with balls of newspaper for added security. Keep the balls of paper in the tub for a few days then drop in a rat that is almost ready to be weaned from mom (leave the balled up paper in the tub). I have used this trick for the past two years for a male I have after he has been off feed for approx. 3 months during "breeding season" and it seems to work. Good luck with everything.

LOL....

6 months of frustration trying each and every week to get this snake to eat.... Put him in a 15 quart tub for 4 days, and he nails an ASF the second it is dropped in.

LOL... if I only would have listened sooner.... guess I will leave him in there for a month or two, then try to put him back in his normal slightly larger home...

That's great man, I'm glad it worked out for you; I was just as shocked when it worked for me! Make sure you offer this guy a nice tight hide when you bump him up in enclosure size again.

Fantastic! glad to hear you got him rolling again.. give him a couple of weeks even a few months like that then try and switch him back over to the larger tub.

:gj:

Could you please give me the measures of a 15qt ? I´m not used to those this side of the Atlantic
Thanks in advance

And, Mcavana,
Congrats on the feeding