BP Not eaten in 4 weeks

I'm seconding Zinc that maybe another plant of two, even the silk ones from dollar stores or craft stores are fantastic! Providing they are non-scented and no glitter. Something to sorta block our view of her hides so she feels more secretive, and/or a bit more shelter. There's a lot of 'unprotected' open air space so having something that makes it feel where she can't be attacked from above will help.

Ok well I can see if I can find some branches, but it would be really helpful if someone could give me instructions on exaclty what to do and what branches to use.

I can check at my job if we sell any plastic plants as well.

What I dont get is her old tank was way more open (given it was smaller) and she still didnt mind it. The way her tank is now is a lot more crowded and her hide is big enough.

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Originally Posted by FeathersRuff

Ok well I can see if I can find some branches, but it would be really helpful if someone could give me instructions on exaclty what to do and what branches to use.

I can check at my job if we sell any plastic plants as well.

What I dont get is her old tank was way more open (given it was smaller) and she still didnt mind it. The way her tank is now is a lot more crowded and her hide is big enough.

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They're all so different ..

I had one that ate every week but it had outgrown the viv so I moved her into a near identical viv with her own hides / branches : foliage and water dish .

She stopped eating for months !

Only thing that worked was to move her back into her old small viv - she ate again days later ..


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I cant move her back to her old tank, its way too small for her and her new hide wont fit in it. Plus her old UTH and temps in that tank werent the best.

This is seriously stressing me out to the point where I can't sleep. Cause Im worried if she doesnt eat she'll starve herself or I'm gonna have to give her up because she'll die.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by FeathersRuff

Ok well I can see if I can find some branches, but it would be really helpful if someone could give me instructions on exaclty what to do and what branches to use.

I can check at my job if we sell any plastic plants as well.

What I dont get is her old tank was way more open (given it was smaller) and she still didnt mind it. The way her tank is now is a lot more crowded and her hide is big enough.

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As far as wood goes, if you're not confident in identifying wood, I'd say go look for the woods offered at pet stores. Driftwood, Mopani wood, grape vine and cork bark are popular picks. Leaf litter (Oak leaves, Magnolia and Indian almond leaves) can also be an option to add for clutter. Basically avoid pine and cedar.

This may be me being paranoid but as a precaution but I usually like to pretreat/bake my wood (250-275 F for 2-3 hours) or spraying it with PAM (prevent a mite) before adding it to the enclosure because I'm not always sure what it's been exposed to at petstores. SDA also mentioned boiling as another method which is probably best for leaves (and maybe cork bark?) since I'm unsure if they'd burn if baked unless someone can clarify this? Up to you of course.

As a personal preference I also like to apply sealant to help make the wood last longer, easier to clean and less prone to molding. Just make sure the sealant is non toxic/low voc, water based and at least water resistant or water proof if possible.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by FeathersRuff

I cant move her back to her old tank, its way too small for her and her new hide wont fit in it. Plus her old UTH and temps in that tank werent the best.

This is seriously stressing me out to the point where I can't sleep. Cause Im worried if she doesnt eat she'll starve herself or I'm gonna have to give her up because she'll die.

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Hi ... at three years old there's no way she's gonna starve to death .... I had a female albino go 9 months with no food and she didn't even lose weight . Started eating again and hasn't stopped since .

As I understand it - the record for a Royal / Ball to fast then start eating again is 2 years 2 months !!!


Fear not !!


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I guess I could look for the wood they use in aquariums since they're meant to be underwater, keeps them from getting mold.

And thank you for reassuring me. It doesnt seem to me shes lost any weight. Last time I handled her she seemed just as much as before. She's not moving around or coming out of her hide very much anymore so I'm guessing shes trying to save her energy?

Im also gonna try feeding her tonight, its been about 10 or so days since my last attempt so Im hoping shell eat.

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Originally Posted by FeathersRuff

I guess I could look for the wood they use in aquariums since they're meant to be underwater, keeps them from getting mold.

And thank you for reassuring me. It doesnt seem to me shes lost any weight. Last time I handled her she seemed just as much as before. She's not moving around or coming out of her hide very much anymore so I'm guessing shes trying to save her energy?

Im also gonna try feeding her tonight, its been about 10 or so days since my last attempt so Im hoping shell eat.

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I know a guy who finds branches and ties them down in flowing streams for a few days or so . He reckons it cleans everything out of them and off them .. Seems a but extreme to me ...


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Ok well this time went better than the last. She didnt eat though. But she came out of her hide, looking ready like she always does when she used to eat. But she just licked the mouse with her tongue and then decided to go back into her hide. Like it was right infront of her face.