Won't Eat

I took Xena to the vet a few weeks ago she checked out healthy. No mouth rot wich is good. she usually eats every sat like clock work unless shes molting. but she wont eat now she might strike once ( Shes only ever eatin live food for me) but if she misses or doesnt get a good hold of it She acts like she embarrased and just gives up any ideas?

BPs can be bad strikers from time to time. When you present the rodent do you secure it with tongs or just drop it in the enclosure?

Ive tried it both ways she is usually more interested if i but her in the feed box and let the rat run around. i like to use tongs though because i think she less likely to get bit. But if tried it both ways ive even tried dead feed.

Sorry about the spelling that was really bad.

The reason I asked is because if they don't have great aim with their strike, holding the rodent with tongs can help the snake locate it and pinpoint the spot.

If your snake just doesn't want to eat, then there may be some husbandry issues to double check.

Tell us a little about your set up, Temps, Type of Enclosure, Substate, Hide, Humidity, etc.

And do you pre-scent the room?

Ive got aspen shavings for subsitrate. a tupperwear with water that i change daily. im looking right now and the temp is 80.9f and the humidity is 67%. I'm pretty sure the enclosure is 40 gals. the top of the enclosure is glass on both sides with screen in the middle. i put aluminum foil around the light so it covers the screen where the is not. There is one card board box with a hole cut in it on the hot side it sits on top of an undertank heat pad. on the cool side there is a stack of drift wood that she hides in very seldomly. shes been in this enclosure for about 3 months.

Nope, i havent ever pre-scented

Do you know what the temp is under the warm side hide? Do you have a similar hide on the cool side? Everything else sounds pretty standard.

Cardboard box on the cool side too, under the box on the warm side is about 87-88.

Hmmmm, well, could just be a mini fast. One thing you could try is to cover three sides of your tank with black foam-core just to add a little extra security.

Anybody else have any ideas??

The only other things i can ad is that i've been feeding her in the same box since i got here but i had to throw it away so now ive been using a different one, and her eyes and snout look really dry.

Hmm...

I'd skip the next meal, and then the week after that, leave the rodent in the room when you leave in the morning and come back at night. The snake should get an idea that the rodent is present.

Then just present the feeder animal INSIDE the snake's enclosure, so the snake can feel secure when feeding.

Good luck.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by womensitdown

Cardboard box on the cool side too, under the box on the warm side is about 87-88.

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You could also try bumping up the warm side temp a few degrees. A tad warmer may help ;)

I also agree with giving feeding in the enclosure a try. I used to feed in separate tanks, and once I switched to feeding everyone in their own enclosure - things have gone so much more smoothly. Just in case you are concerned about the aspen getting ingested, you could always put down a paper towel or a piece of cardboard to prevent that from happening.

You just have to see what works best for the snake :D