Chicken Broth? Opinions/Experiences appreciated!

Boots is acting very strange. He ate only 4 or 5 days ago and only took 1 mouse (he's a 1400g 4ft big boy). He's been quite the problem feeder due to his past situation. Lately he has been pacing like you wouldn't believe and shows great interest in his feeding tub. I read on here and several other places that chicken broth helps stimulate a snake to eat and I am tempted to try it on a f/t rat for him. Does anyone have any experience to share on this? Any objections? I really want him to eat normally!

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He ate 4 or 5 days ago - do not start messing around with the food.

Males at this time of year can be more interested in breeding than eating.

You shouldn't even be offering food again if he ate 4 or 5 days ago, let alone scenting with chickrn broth.

I agree with the others about not changing "scent". Just curious, how old is he? And I've tried the chicken broth thing a couple of times, on boas and balls. Didn't work for me. I'd be curious to hear if it's worked for anybody, and on what kind of snakes.

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Originally Posted by dr del

He ate 4 or 5 days ago - do not start messing around with the food.

Males at this time of year can be more interested in breeding than eating.

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I don't think it's the breeding. He is terrified of his food because his previous owner let rats attack him

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Originally Posted by hungba

You shouldn't even be offering food again if he ate 4 or 5 days ago, let alone scenting with chickrn broth.

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He's a big snake that has just started eating after a 4 month strike so I am worried

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Originally Posted by Sonny1318

I agree with the others about not changing "scent". Just curious, how old is he? And I've tried the chicken broth thing a couple of times, on boas and balls. Didn't work for me. I'd be curious to hear if it's worked for anybody, and on what kind of snakes.

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He is 6. I just really feel concerned and want to see him eat the right sized food this upcoming Saturday

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If he ate one 5 days ago, he clearly can eat when he wants to.

You don't need to do anything besides put the food in the enclosure. He knows how to do the rest if he's in the mood to eat.

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Originally Posted by 200xth

If he ate one 5 days ago, he clearly can eat when he wants to.

You don't need to do anything besides put the food in the enclosure. He knows how to do the rest if he's in the mood to eat.

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I know but he isn't eating the proper amount and he hasn't pooped at all and I've had him much more than a month. He also paces in his cage a lot and acts antsy when he is near his feeding bin

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Originally Posted by SCWood

I know but he isn't eating the proper amount and he hasn't pooped at all and I've had him much more than a month. He also paces in his cage a lot and acts antsy when he is near his feeding bin

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Well, let's find out what type of enclosure you are working with and what are your husbandry numbers? Maybe this will shed some light on things. Maybe he isn't hungry also! Maybe he wants a different prey item? Or offered in a different fashion? :confusd:

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Originally Posted by SCWood

I know but he isn't eating the proper amount and he hasn't pooped at all and I've had him much more than a month. He also paces in his cage a lot and acts antsy when he is near his feeding bin

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The proper amount is relative, some snakes eat more, some snakes prefer smaller prey, etc, and in many cases, the proper amount is overstated; they need less food in general than you probably think.

Doublecheck your environment. If the temps are correct, humidity is correct, he's got enough places to hide and feel secure, etc, then there is nothing else to do but offer food on the regular schedule.

The fact that he did eat something indicates he will eat if he wants to. What he will not do is eat just because you think he needs more food.

If you're worried about him not eating, monitor his weight. If you see no loss or trivial weight loss, there is usually nothing to worry about.

When it comes to food it's not about what YOU want them to eat (prey type, how big and how often), it's about what THEY want to eat.

Over the years I have had animals that preferred very small prey less frequently and so long the animal is healthy and eating there is nothing wrong with that.

As far as bowel movement, well there is no schedule I have animals that can go 8 weeks without a bowel movement so there is o worry there.

Here are the important things

Make sure your husbandry is optimum, downsize if necessary and feed in the enclosure.

And keep in mind that if you want him to eat more it does not necessarily mean getting a bigger prey, you can offer two mice next time and two adult mice for an adult male is more than enough.

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Originally Posted by Albert Clark

Well, let's find out what type of enclosure you are working with and what are your husbandry numbers? Maybe this will shed some light on things. Maybe he isn't hungry also! Maybe he wants a different prey item? Or offered in a different fashion? :confusd:

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He is in a 55gal glass tank humidity stays between 50 and 70 on a bad day between 60 and 80 on a good day and temp usually stays between 75 and 80 on cool and 80 and 90 on hot side

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A six year old 1400 gram male will eat on his schedule, not yours. I have a 2000 gram male about that age that last ate for me the weekend before Halloween. Even when he is eating he takes a small rat every two weeks.

Also, you keep mentioning "feeding tub". Feed him in his enclosure where he feels comfortable. A picky eater will be further put off by being handled right before you offer a feeder. Also try offering in the late evening when he would normally be active.

And yes, if he ate 4-5 days ago it's way too soon to try again.

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Originally Posted by 200xth

The proper amount is relative, some snakes eat more, some snakes prefer smaller prey, etc, and in many cases, the proper amount is overstated; they need less food in general than you probably think.

Doublecheck your environment. If the temps are correct, humidity is correct, he's got enough places to hide and feel secure, etc, then there is nothing else to do but offer food on the regular schedule.

The fact that he did eat something indicates he will eat if he wants to. What he will not do is eat just because you think he needs more food.

If you're worried about him not eating, monitor his weight. If you see no loss or trivial weight loss, there is usually nothing to worry about.

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That makes sense. I think I'm just an over worried mommy

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Originally Posted by Deborah

When it comes to food it's not about what YOU want them to eat (prey type, how big and how often), it's about what THEY want to eat.

Over the years I have had animals that preferred very small prey less frequently and so long the animal is healthy and eating there is nothing wrong with that.

As far as bowel movement, well there is no schedule I have animals that can go 8 weeks without a bowel movement so there is o worry there.

Here are the important things

Make sure your husbandry is optimum, downsize if necessary and feed in the enclosure.

And keep in mind that if you want him to eat more it does not necessarily mean getting a bigger prey, you can offer two mice next time and two adult mice for an adult male is more than enough.

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I definitely found out he loves live mice way more than rats. If I could get him to eat 4 that would be awesome but the most he took was 3 which I guess is better than nothing!

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Originally Posted by bcr229

A six year old 1400 gram male will eat on his schedule, not yours. I have a 2000 gram male about that age that last ate for me the weekend before Halloween. Even when he is eating he takes a small rat every two weeks.

Also, you keep mentioning "feeding tub". Feed him in his enclosure where he feels comfortable. A picky eater will be further put off by being handled right before you offer a feeder. Also try offering in the late evening when he would normally be active.

And yes, if he ate 4-5 days ago it's way too soon to try again.

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Yes he is very picky. And now that you mention it, he was previously fed in his cage! So what I'm wondering is, will this cause aggressive behavior if I begin feeding in the enclosure? Also, I use eco earth and it's wonderful but would ingestion be a problem?

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Also, his other mommy (who claims ownership over him ) 😧 refuses to let me feed in the enclosure because her mom and dad drilled it into her skull that this causes aggressive behavior. We have never practiced feeding in the cage, it's always been in a separate container.

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Originally Posted by SCWood

Also, his other mommy (who claims ownership over him ) �� refuses to let me feed in the enclosure because her mom and dad drilled it into her skull that this causes aggressive behavior. We have never practiced feeding in the cage, it's always been in a separate container.

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Doesn't happen. All of mine eat in their enclosures without any aggression. I only have 21 BP's right now, but other people have far more snakes and feed in their enclosures without issue as well. Just a basic example, big breeders with hundreds of BP's are not moving them all to feeding tubs, and they sell hundreds of snakes that are not aggressive.

And if this cage aggression idea was true, and BP's learned to be aggressive because of feeding in their enclosure, would they not also learn to be aggressive when picked up because they associate it with being fed?

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Originally Posted by 200xth

Doesn't happen. All of mine eat in their enclosures without any aggression. I only have 21 BP's right now, but other people have far more snakes and feed in their enclosures without issue as well. Just a basic example, big breeders with hundreds of BP's are not moving them all to feeding tubs, and they sell hundreds of snakes that are not aggressive.

And if this cage aggression idea was true, and BP's learned to be aggressive because of feeding in their enclosure, would they not also learn to be aggressive when picked up because they associate it with being fed?

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Makes sense. What about the substrate? Is that something to worry about?

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Originally Posted by SCWood

Makes sense. What about the substrate? Is that something to worry about?

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You mean like impaction from swallowing bits of aspen or pine while eating?

It possibly can be for small snakes, although it is extremely rare. They've evolved over tens of millions of years to successfully eat off the jungle floor which is covered in all kinds of undigestible crap. If hatchlings had any sort of common issue swallowing undigestible bits of junk, there wouldn't be a lot of BP's in the world. My hatchlings have gotten mouthfuls of pine while eating and are fine. But if it's going to be an issue, the smaller, younger snakes are where it will be more likely to happen.

Older snakes it can happen, but I've only heard (or read) account where it happened due to another underlying issue with their system, not due strictly to swallowing a mouthful of substrate, and even those cases are incredibly rare from what I've seen.

They also don't need help cleaning bits of junk out of their teeth. They know how to rub their mouths until they get the bits out if needed.

Simply put, for my own self and my own snakes, it is nothing that I worry about at all, not even for very young/small hatchlings.

You are more likely to get bitten moving your snake for feeding than you are feeding in the enclosure, and you are more likely to risk a regurge moving a snake that has just been fed. It's safer for both of you to feed the snake in the enclosure.

Ask yourself why people who keep venomous snakes feed them in the enclosure, or why people with hundreds of snakes feed in the enclosure, or why people with larger snakes (burms, retics, anacondas, etc) feed them in the enclosure.

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Originally Posted by 200xth

You mean like impaction from swallowing bits of aspen or pine while eating?

It possibly can be for small snakes, although it is extremely rare. They've evolved over tens of millions of years to successfully eat off the jungle floor which is covered in all kinds of undigestible crap. If hatchlings had any sort of common issue swallowing undigestible bits of junk, there wouldn't be a lot of BP's in the world. My hatchlings have gotten mouthfuls of pine while eating and are fine. But if it's going to be an issue, the smaller, younger snakes are where it will be more likely to happen.

Older snakes it can happen, but I've only heard (or read) account where it happened due to another underlying issue with their system, not due strictly to swallowing a mouthful of substrate, and even those cases are incredibly rare from what I've seen.

They also don't need help cleaning bits of junk out of their teeth. They know how to rub their mouths until they get the bits out if needed.

Simply put, for my own self and my own snakes, it is nothing that I worry about at all, not even for very young/small hatchlings.

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Ohh because I use eco earth

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Originally Posted by SCWood

Ohh because I use eco earth

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Eco earth is fine, too.

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Originally Posted by 200xth

Eco earth is fine, too.

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Great thanks!

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It's great that you care so much about your snake, but sometimes when you are overly worried you do all sorts of things that isn't necessary and end up making things worse, because a lot of times, reptiles just want to be left alone. I was guilty of this myself at one time. It seems that reptiles for whatever reason attract keepers which tend to be a little on the over protective side, but they really are not as delicate nor fragile as we often think.

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Originally Posted by hungba

It's great that you care so much about your snake, but sometimes when you are overly worried you do all sorts of things that isn't necessary and end up making things worse, because a lot of times, reptiles just want to be left alone. I was guilty of this myself at one time. It seems that reptiles for whatever reason attract keepers which tend to be a little on the over protective side, but they really are not as delicate nor fragile as we often think.

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I know x.x I just think that maybe I'm inadequate and it takes a lot for me to admit that sometimes it's just the snake

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