She Wont Eat

My royal Carmen wont eat,i thaught it was because she was shedding but she isnt shedding.she had a nice round body when i got her about 5 weeks ago but now its beginning to look triangular.
iv tired feedint her many times but she refuses to eat what ever i present to her.iv tried different colours and sizes but still wont eat,i split the brain of one mouse and left her in a box with the mouse but stil she didnt eat.
humidity and temps are perfect so i dont knwo what the problem is,she has ni signs of illness, no wheezing or no mucus coming from the mouth.she just wont eat and is losing weight.

Double check your temperatures and humidity (92 warm end, 82 cool end, 50-60% humidity).

I've seen rats/mice walk up to and walk over ball pythons w/o them being ready to eat. It might freak them out, and shut down their feeding response. Try and raise the temperature a degree or two, and try again in a week. Attempting to feed day after day is stressful and will probably cause him to continue to refuse food.

done all that,and i dont feed live mice as it is illegal here..temps and humidiidty are perfect like i said.and i dont try and feed the day after.i always leave it a week before trying again.

Do you think that she could only want a live mouse? How is that illegal?

i was going to try live mice but it is ilegal so im told,because of animal cruelty or something like that.everything is perfect, temps,humidity, hides,water, evrything,thing just wont eat and losing weight.i dont have an exact weight but going from a nice rounded body to a triangular body is an obvious sign but no other ileness signs.

Five weeks isn't really that long. I have one male who hasn't eaten since November, and two others who have gone off feed every winter for the last four years. As long as they are drinking I try not to stress over it too much. I have never had one go longer than five months though.

Where are you from? I was having problems too feeding my girl, They say that sometimes in the winter they just fast and wont eat. Just keep trying once a week, when she gets hungry, She will eat.

Did she used to be fed live rats from her previous owner? If she has been fed live rats her whole life it might be hard to switch her to a dead one. I have read that around these boards too

nope,he was feeding her frozen thawed hoppers.im from kilkenny in ireland.
she is losing weight fast so it is a worrying cause,like i said earlier, she had a nice rounded body but no a triangular shaped body.
she is only 3 months old or so.

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Originally Posted by Reptile_Man

i was going to try live mice but it is ilegal so im told,because of animal cruelty or something like that.

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Feeding live rodents, as far as I know, is not illegal in any state. It is frowned upon, and possibily illegal in UK, but I actually read an article a while back examining the law, which found that it wasn't even totally illegal there either. I'll dig around and see if I can find it again. There were some clauses and exceptions for animals that required feeding on live prey - basically it contained a lot of ambiguous language that wouldn't make me worry about getting arrested or fined for feeding live prey over there.

Back to the point, again, check your temps and humidity and make sure everything is spot on. If so, chalk to up to being wintertime.

How big is your snake? There's been discussion about a slow down phase from around 700-1100 grams...a "teenage" phase for balls where they often get picky...

ok without sounding ungreatful, PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!! read all the posts in this thread.im tired saying this : TEMPS AND HUMIDUTY ARE FINE!!!!! EVERYTHING IS PERFECT!!!!!!!!!!!!

What are your temps and humidity exactly? Whats your cage setup?

93 warm end, and 82.5 at d monent cool end.humidity is at 68% as i was told by reptile experts not only on here but locally aswell.

Whats your setup? What size cage? Do you have 2 hides?

She could not be eating also becuase she doesnt feel secure, i was told that if they feel unsafe or over exposed they may skip a feed

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Originally Posted by Reptile_Man

ok without sounding ungreatful, PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!! read all the posts in this thread.im tired saying this : TEMPS AND HUMIDUTY ARE FINE!!!!! EVERYTHING IS PERFECT!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Just to clarify why people keep asking about that...is that while you say they're "fine"...you haven't exactly said what they are. Some people unwittingly think 75-85F and 30% humidity is fine...so unless you state the actual temps/humidity you're measuring, we're never really sure.

And saying things are "perfect" is rather ambiguous as well. What IS "perfect?" What kind of enclosure is the snake in? Is it different than what it was kept in before? A large, glass enclosure can easily freak out a shy ball python and make them refuse to eat....even if the temps/humidity are fine.

Does the snake have hides that are solid (opaque) and very snug fitting?

Is the enclosure in a high-traffic area of the home? Is the snake being handled much?

How often are you attempting to feed? Frequent offereings of food to a snake that already feels a bit stressed will only increase the trouble. Offer no more than once per week.

There are all sorts of reasons why your snake might not eat. If you can offer more specific details about what's going on, that would be helpful.

Nicely said Judy, im trying to help the best i can but i dont know everything lol

its 2.5 feet klong by 15 inches wide and bout 20 inches deep.plenty of hide space,one cave,and branches and log 2 hide behind and under.secure set up.like i said earlier numerous times,everything is perfect!

You need to have 2 identical hides in your setup, One on the cool side and one on the warm side, that way she doesnt have to choose between temps and feeling secure.

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Originally Posted by JLC

Just to clarify why people keep asking about that...is that while you say they're "fine"...you haven't exactly said what they are. Some people unwittingly think 75-85F and 30% humidity is fine...so unless you state the actual temps/humidity you're measuring, we're never really sure.

And saying things are "perfect" is rather ambiguous as well. What IS "perfect?" What kind of enclosure is the snake in? Is it different than what it was kept in before? A large, glass enclosure can easily freak out a shy ball python and make them refuse to eat....even if the temps/humidity are fine.

Does the snake have hides that are solid (opaque) and very snug fitting?

Is the enclosure in a high-traffic area of the home? Is the snake being handled much?

How often are you attempting to feed? Frequent offereings of food to a snake that already feels a bit stressed will only increase the trouble. Offer no more than once per week.

There are all sorts of reasons why your snake might not eat. If you can offer more specific details about what's going on, that would be helpful.

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if u read previous posts,you wil see i did post temps and humidity.iv said in other posts on this thread liek i said earlier weekly i attempt to feed.pleaseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee read other posts befor eposting replies,yes im great ful for all replies but its tiring having to post everything 4 or 5 times.

Your getting awefully snappy at people who are trying to help ya bro

No it seems that way because i have to post things a number of times.iv mentioned ebverything and im stil being asked to post them up.i AM greatful if anyone reads all the posts then maybe i would seem so snapppy.

Judy was posting from an earlier post, she was probably typing that when you were poseting the correct temps, shes not gonna stop mid type and read what you wrote. she quoted a post from earlier. you gotta watch for that. shes not sitting there trying to make you repost

What I would ask is do you use a digital thermometer/hydrometer, stick and dial are not acurate, which could lid to a false sense of having PERFECT temps?.

For the hides ideally you want to have 2 identical tight hides so your BP does not chose between security and thermo-regualtion as previously said. Also log hides do not make good hide as they are open on both side, not providing enought security.

Ideal hides must be tight so your BP can snug in (all sides of the hide touching your BP's body.

Fianally you can try to

1/ Add some crumble newspaper in your enclosure to provide added security.

2/ Or switch to a plactic tub which will provide added security due to the opacity and low ceiling.

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Originally Posted by Reptile_Man

i said earlier numerous times,everything is perfect!

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No need to be defensive, we ask questions because we want to help and narrow it down.

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Originally Posted by Reptile_Man

No it seems that way because i have to post things a number of times.iv mentioned ebverything and im stil being asked to post them up.i AM greatful if anyone reads all the posts then maybe i would seem so snapppy.

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Dude, if everything is fine, then stop worrying. If your snake has been eating great for you long term, then it is not unusual for them to take a break now and then. These are reptiles with very different metabolisms than us and get fed in captivity many times over what their wild counterparts would.

We could dig deeper...how big is your snake (in weight)? What size prey are you feeding it? How often? Answering these questions might shed a little more light on why its gone off feed.

in addition to the above, if everything in your husbandry is "perfect" i would schedule a vet appt, get cultures done to test for infections, and test for parasites, just to rule them out.



vaughn

i only have her 5 weeks,she ate no problem for the guy who sold her to me.she hasnt eaten since the week before i braught her home.
im trying to find a vet near me who knows about snakes.

it could also be just the new home, give her time to adjust.... shes probaably getting used to the new smells and stuff

i forgot to mention, she sometimes waits untill i take the moiuse away before opening her mouth,or sometimes licks and smells the mouse,then places her head underneath the mouse waiting for me to drop it in her mouth,but even then she just drops it.

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Originally Posted by Reptile_Man

i forgot to mention, she sometimes waits untill i take the moiuse away before opening her mouth,or sometimes licks and smells the mouse,then places her head underneath the mouse waiting for me to drop it in her mouth,but even then she just drops it.

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I would suggest to change the hides like I previously mentioned, add some crumble newspaper, wait a week so you BP adjust to the changes and feed when dark and if your BP does not take the prey, leave the prey overnight, and see what happen.

thats what im doing at the moment,leaving it with hr over night,i just read in a thread about changing from frozen to live that a 3 to 4 month old royal can take an adult mouse or close to it,the biggest i have tried is a hopper.should i try an adult mouse next week?i seen some in the shop today but they seemed a little big, but some of them seemed ok to give her but i didnt want to try a big one just incase.i have also tried different colours but nothing works.shows a little interest but then ignores it.

Maybe she wants to be a vegitarian? Just playing...


try chagning those hides man! she prob just doesnt feel secure enough to want to eat.

did all that.did everything apart form eatin the mouse myself infront of her to show her what to do.

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Originally Posted by Reptile_Man

did all that.did everything apart form eatin the mouse myself infront of her to show her what to do.

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So since I posted you changed the hides??? So no more log hide, and both are identical and tight, and you also place crumble newspaper???

If so all you need to do now is wait because your BP will need time to re-adjust (At least a week) before you attempt offering again. It just will not happen overnight. And offering too soon can lead to additional stress and more refusal.

i should have explained better sorry,iv changed the hides before,tried to find a set up that would make her feel better but nothing worked, same as it ever was.

What should i try feeding it then?some people say on this site and iv seen this in a thread on frozen to live mice(thread name) that she can be fed adult mice.once they are not too big for her.

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Originally Posted by Reptile_Man

i forgot to mention, she sometimes waits untill i take the moiuse away before opening her mouth,or sometimes licks and smells the mouse,then places her head underneath the mouse waiting for me to drop it in her mouth,but even then she just drops it.

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Actually that's kind of intresting - are you saying she gets below it then opens her mouth and waits?

The best idea if thats the case would be to get the original owner to describe EXACTLY how he fed her - and show you if at all possible. I'm suggesting this because he may have offered the mouse in a radically (to the snake) different manner than you are doing - I have one female who is reluctant to take a meal suspended by the tail but will snatch at one held from behind with my thumb in its belly and the head flicked towards her for example. Other factors may be the method he used to prepare the meal - how hot, wet or dry etc.

Also remember that after each of the changes you made to enclosure to find the best layout some snakes will once again take a week or so to settle back in and feel secure. They are all slightly different and some are just nervous nellies at heart.

Can I ask if you have used any "tricks" to persuade her to eat? and how often do you handle her - probably not the cause bit I didnt see it listed in the post. Sorry in advance if I'm asking for duplicate information man - if I am have a sip of bushmills and tell me so. :)



dr del

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Originally Posted by lillyorchid

I've seen rats/mice walk up to and walk over ball pythons w/o them being ready to eat. It might freak them out, and shut down their feeding response. Try and raise the temperature a degree or two, and try again in a week. Attempting to feed day after day is stressful and will probably cause him to continue to refuse food.

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Yeah, I've got a white rat inhabiting the smaller hamster cage thanks to Osiris' pickiness!

:snake:Nope, sorry, I ordered a white with BROWN spots, extremely rare and lazy and plump. This one clearly has NO spots and is quite energetic and muscular. Take it back, I simply can not eat something so robust and colorless. I am NOT amused. The service here has really just gone to the dogs, I mean, can you IMAGINE getting my order wrong AGAIN?!

Nothing like standing there waiting for a snake to eat who is already making reservations elsewhere, cooling eyeing you and your stupid "are you gonna eat it or what" hover.

Just my experience.... I'm a new bp owner and mine did not eat until I left the snake alone with the mouse for a while. I had tried wiggling the mouse and making this huge deal of it, but I finally just left the mouse and the snake alone together for an hour, and the mouse disappeared. :)

I would suggest to stop trying to feed him for at least a week. I dont know if your offering everyday, but if thats the case theres your problem right there.

nope dat aint d problem i got it sorted kind of,i have her showin more interest in small rat pups,and its partly jealousy of my corn snake,she always comes out when im feeding the corn,and goes back into her hide once the corn hasbeen fed.so next week im gonna try feedingher the same day.