Another Feeding Help Thread

Ok my baby pastel was offered a f/t pinky mouse today and all she did was strike it repeatedly but not take it. This is my first try feeding her new home and i never had a snake do this. Any clue why? She is in a 6q sterilite tub. Here are pictures of her. (scroll down in the thread)
http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showthread.php?t=104531

bump ;)

What was she eating before?

That snake could easily eat an ADULT mouse. Try that in a week.

Repeated striking is an indication that she is scared. How many hides does she have? Are they tight fitting?

Is the tub stand alone or in a rack?

actually i just fed her a small live hopper (the only one the pet store had) and she took it

Quote:

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Originally Posted by reptidude1

actually i just fed her a small live hopper (the only one the pet store had) and she took it

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Based on her size in your hand, she can easily take a good sized adult mouse. Heck, my lesser, who weighs 54 grams took a rat fuzzy the size of a mouse hopper today.

Also i have two snakes not eating. A spider that i don't expect to eat because he is breeding one female that continues to eat. Also a smaller female spider that a dont understand why it wont eat... I have her in a 15q tub with a tight fitting hide about a 88-92 degree warm side, 78-82 warm side and aspen bedding. Any clue why she is off feed? Breeding season?

not a smaller female spider a normal. I wish it was a spider :P

I would add second hides if you can.

ok. ill give it a try, the only thing is there isnt alot of room

ok now 2 out of my 5 guys are eating, the 2 not eating are breeding, so thats expected. Now my new little pastel girl. I bought her a live mouse, she struck constricted killed then let go. I think me moving scared her... But i tried the dead one and she repeditly strikes and out of 20 strikes she maybe constricted once then let go. Any input?

Hi,

Sounds like you spooked her.

You could try heating the head of it up with a hairdrier and re-offering ( basically it's just P/K ) but if she does take it back away slowly then FREEZE.

At the moment I have to do that with my hatchlings - takes forever to feed the little baskets. :rolleyes:

You could also try leaving it in her tub overnight. If it is still there in the morning just throw it out.

But if she is too freaked to eat then just give it up as a bad job and try again next week - don't be tempted to offer more food tomorrow as that could end up stressing her even more and skipping one meal is no big deal.


dr del

yeah thanks i was actually going feed her tommorw, so thanks for answering but this thing with the strike and release- she has done this before, thats why i cant feed f/t... she just strikes and misses over and over again. I realy hope she outgrows this nasty habit...

Hi,

Well it's not really a nasty habit as such.

It's usually a defensive strike to get whatever is stressing it out to go away. ;)

Striking but missing can also be the prey item not being hot enough but striking, biting but not coiling is usually pure defensive.


dr del

thats what i thought at first too, until she struck and missed 3 times then struck and coiled on her first live mouse under my care

whell the baby pastel continues to do this with a f/t mouse im trying to feed her. Any clue why she keeps doing this?

Hi,


Same answers I gave 3 posts ago. :P


dr del