Still wont eat

As some of you may remember, I posted awhile ago about one of my females not eating. Oh yea, and so that there is no confusion- it is NOT the female that I'm breeding right now.

Well, it's been a little over three months now, and she has visible lost weight. Before she went off feed, she was as big around as my wrist, and able to take a small/med rat comfortably. Now she's a little over half of that size, and I wouldent even want to feed her a small rat. I would say she's lost about 80g's.

I'm getting very worried, so I'm trying to look at other options. I would rather not force feed her, because I feel like it would put too much stress on her. But I did see one thread about someone kind of 'half-force feeding' their snakes. Like, just kinda put the mouses head into the snakes mouth, to kind of help them out and give them a head start... Should I try it?

Some help, please...

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Originally Posted by mischevious21

I'm getting very worried, so I'm trying to look at other options. I would rather not force feed her, because I feel like it would put too much stress on her. But I did see one thread about someone kind of 'half-force feeding' their snakes. Like, just kinda put the mouses head into the snakes mouth, to kind of help them out and give them a head start... Should I try it?

Some help, please...

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sounds like the thread i started when i baby blood refused to eat and doing that got her started eating again. if you're that worried, i say go for it.

i may have to do that too... got my snake dec 2 and hase eaten 1 smale 8g mice scince i got her.
got more questions but i don wanna highjack"

What have you been trying to feed to her, Frozen, live, pre-killed, mice, or rats? I had a wild caught male go 9 months without touching a thing, all it took to get him eating again was a live small adult mouse.

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Originally Posted by worldcupkeeper

What have you been trying to feed to her, Frozen, live, pre-killed, mice, or rats? I had a wild caught male go 9 months without touching a thing, all it took to get him eating again was a live small adult mouse.

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Good idea. Try live adult mouse? Might be more appealing than F/T. If you already tried that, provide more details.

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Originally Posted by MelissaFlipski

Good idea. Try live adult mouse? Might be more appealing than F/T. If you already tried that, provide more details.

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For any snake in my collection that goes off feed, sometimes it just takes a change of prey to get them going again.

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Originally Posted by MelissaFlipski

Good idea. Try live adult mouse? Might be more appealing than F/T. If you already tried that, provide more details.

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I was feeding her small/med rats, and now I've been offering her adult mice. And I feed live, all the time. She's always taken F/T though- when Ive offerd it two her three or four time, but she wont take those either right now. She seems afraid of the rats now, and acts like the mice arnt there... I just dont kno what to do with her.

Has anything recently changed with your husbandry, ie. temps, enclosure, etc...?

GOod luck with your eating problem. hope everything turns out well.

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Originally Posted by mischevious21

I was feeding her small/med rats, and now I've been offering her adult mice. And I feed live, all the time. She's always taken F/T though- when Ive offerd it two her three or four time, but she wont take those either right now. She seems afraid of the rats now, and acts like the mice arnt there... I just dont kno what to do with her.

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Would a rat pup be more enticing, left in her enclosure over night for privacy? Our girl recently decided she won't eat for show anymore - only in her tank in the dark.

Or you could go with opening her mouth and placing just the nose of the rat pup in - I'm no expert, but I've heard it done before to provoke the feeding response.

She's not breathing hard is she? Like with her whole body? I haven't read your other threads, I don't think; but has her behavior changed at all?

My only other thought is that maybe she is sick. Refusing to eat could be a symptom. IMO, you should take her to a good herp vet if she doesn't eat soon and continues to lose weight.

Yea, I just had her in (becasue of this; to see if she was sick), along with another snake. The otherone had RI (I thought it did, I rescued it)- but she turned out negitive for everything.. And no, nothing has changed in her enclosure.. Well, aside from the fact that I had her housed with another snake for a little bit- but she was still eating great then. The last time she ate was two days before I took the otherone out of the enclosure..

But yea, nowhere around here has rat pups- but I will in a few weeks.. So I'm going to keep offering her food, then try the rat pup in with her overnight, and see if it works.I just dont understand why she wont eat!!

You say it's been three months, so it's probably not the winter-time fast. How are your temps - they haven't dropped have they? Was she housed with a male BP and you were planning on breeding? Is it possible she is gravid? Gravid females frequently don't eat, from what I hear. (I'm not an idiot, I know you said she is NOT your gravid female, but what if one got by...?)

We have a young Kenyan Sand Boa that we picked up from the Chantilly, VA show in late October. Once we got him home, we found out he wouldn't eat F/T pinkie mice - he was only eating live at the breeder's. Now, it means he doesn't eat as often; and I frequently have to drive 45 minutes to get his dinner. Maybe you can try calling around to a bunch of pet stores. The independent ones, I've found, are better at selling live feeders. ;)

By the way, do you have a digital scale that measures in grams? Sounds like a good investment. We got one from WalMart and love it. What did the vet have to say about her weight loss?

Good luck! I'll keep her in my thoughts! :snake:

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Originally Posted by MelissaFlipski

You say it's been three months, so it's probably not the winter-time fast. How are your temps - they haven't dropped have they? Was she housed with a male BP and you were planning on breeding? Is it possible she is gravid? Gravid females frequently don't eat, from what I hear. (I'm not an idiot, I know you said she is NOT your gravid female, but what if one got by...?)

We have a young Kenyan Sand Boa that we picked up from the Chantilly, VA show in late October. Once we got him home, we found out he wouldn't eat F/T pinkie mice - he was only eating live at the breeder's. Now, it means he doesn't eat as often; and I frequently have to drive 45 minutes to get his dinner. Maybe you can try calling around to a bunch of pet stores. The independent ones, I've found, are better at selling live feeders. ;)

By the way, do you have a digital scale that measures in grams? Sounds like a good investment. We got one from WalMart and love it. What did the vet have to say about her weight loss?

Good luck! I'll keep her in my thoughts! :snake:

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I'm going to sart by saying- I know your not an idiot :) lol.
But my temps are great, 91 on the warm and 82 on the cool, and the ambient (sorry- cant spell), temp is 80-85, dependsing on what side (warm or cool) of the glass.

And the snake she was housed with was the only snake that I did not know the sex of- but the I gave it to a friend (spur of the moment thing), and he got it shexed and its a female. It was a temporary thing- he kept getting out of his enclosure (and we couldnt figure out how), so I had to build a rack... But then I gave her to my friend, as Ive already said.

So I'm 99.9% positive shes not gravid, unless shes just prodcing them to re-absorb them or something. And as much as I'm hoping for babies this season- not rom her, not yet. Though she could do it, I want to get some more weight on her and wait for the male I'm getting..

The strange thing is, she has NEVER refused a meal before this. Rather it was during shed, during winter, whenever- its never happend. Oh yea, and the vet said that she's probably just fasting, and that she may untill spring- but that if she doesnt eat in another month (god that just seems so long!), then to bring her back...

And thank you so much for your help- and about the scale, I dont have one, I just borrow my friends on occasion. But I'm going to the store tomorrow to get some tubs, and I think Ill stop by walmart on the way ;)