force feeding

ok i have a normal male that hasnt eaten and wont. iv tryed every thing i can think of and even came to a few board and ask for other ways that didnt work. hes not looking good and im afraid the only thing i can think of left would be force feeding. what is the best way to do this with the least amount of damage to the snake?:(

How often do you try to feed?
What do you offer?
What are the living conditions? Temp? Humidity? Glass or tub?
How long has it been since he's had a meal?
What is his weight?
Do you have any pictures?

The last resort is force feeding. If it's really that bad, try to assist feed, not force.

If it's been a few weeks, or even a couple months, don't freak. I've heard countless stories of BP's fasting for months, and as long as their weight doesn't drop more than 10-15% then don't worry too much. I'm not for certain on how to force-feed, I've been fortunate not to run into that problem.

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Originally Posted by Steveoo

ok i have a normal male that hasnt eaten and wont. iv tryed every thing i can think of and even came to a few board and ask for other ways that didnt work. hes not looking good and im afraid the only thing i can think of left would be force feeding. what is the best way to do this with the least amount of damage to the snake?:(

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DONT resort to force feeding it stresses out the snake more than it is. Leave the snake alone pretend that he/she isnt even there for one or two weeks, then try to offer food. Ball pythons will go off feed somtimes as long as you dont notice weight loss, you shouldent worry. Check your husbandry and be sure everything is perfect. Tell me how your husbandry is.

I wish you the best of luck my friend,

-Payson!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by A.VinczeBPs

How often do you try to feed?
What do you offer?
What are the living conditions? Temp? Humidity? Glass or tub?
How long has it been since he's had a meal?
What is his weight?
Do you have any pictures?

The last resort is force feeding. If it's really that bad, try to assist feed, not force.

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ft, live, and i cant find soft fur?
80-90f 60-75, tub
never
http://i634.photobucket.com/albums/u...4/IMG_8603.jpg
http://i634.photobucket.com/albums/u...4/IMG_8603.jpg
as you can see hes really small and unhealthy thats why im resorting to force feeding

http://i634.photobucket.com/albums/u...4/IMG_8602.jpg

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Steveoo

http://i634.photobucket.com/albums/u...4/IMG_8602.jpg

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I've heard this i'm not sure if it works but if you try a live Gerbil he might take. My friend some of his most pickyest eaters will take a nice live gerbil. Just somthing to consider if you cant find asfs.

Good luck man!

Payson!-

Is this a 2010 baby?

If so when did it hatch?

You said your snake has never had a meal? If not, you're going to need to get some nourishment in him soon.

Instead of force feeding, you can try assist feeding. In order to do that you will need a F/T rat pup or medium mouse. Hold the snakes head and gently open his mouth using the rat pup. Once the rat pup is firmly inside his mouth, close his jaw and gently pull pack on the rat pup so his teeth catch. Hopefully the snake will do the rest and swallow the meal.

If not, try it again and maybe place the rat pup head a little deeper inside of the snakes mouth. The snake may try to reject it by opening his mouth and shaking the rat pup out, so you may have to try several times. Just be very gentle and try not to stress the snake out any more than needed. It's a pretty stressful procedure, but sometimes young snakes need to be taught out to eat.

Good luck!

ok ill try that thanks

steveo pm me I have some asf if your willing to travel and I have xp force feeding ( not much but it how I got one of my hatchlings to start after losing 1/2 weight.)

i was able to assist feed him today. i suppose ill see how things go from here hopefully he has enough to sustain him self for an other 5 days till i feed him again

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Steveoo

i was able to assist feed him today. i suppose ill see how things go from here hopefully he has enough to sustain him self for an other 5 days till i feed him again

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Sweet, I had to assist feed my Fire male the first time, he went 2+months without eating before I got him, I assist fed one time and he has blossomed into a 500 gram boy in 8 months, hopefully your takes right off like mine did :)

yeah i can only hope!

have you tryed putting it in a cup with a lid and a rat pup in it, ive also done it with a lunch bag, but if you must force i also would do the assist way.
steve

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Originally Posted by mechnut450

steveo pm me I have some asf if your willing to travel and I have xp force feeding ( not much but it how I got one of my hatchlings to start after losing 1/2 weight.)

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force feeding is bad

iv got one little guy that jsut wont eat on his own, however he does assist eat pretty well. just as was described earlier