Snake not hungry or rejecting rat?
My poor snake threw up on Sunday. We tried to feed her on schedule Wednesday but she didn't eat so we figured it was because she was sick and froze it again. However, the past couple of days she has been acting like she may be hungry - hanging out between her hides, looking at us when we enter the room. I gave her the rat again this morning but after sniffing it she turned her head and went to the other side of her tank.
Is she not hungry or just not pleased with the rat?
We've only had her a month so I am still nervous about making sure we are keeping her happy.
Re: Snake not hungry or rejecting rat?
First off, I assume your snake regurged on Sunday, then you tried feeding it the following Wednesday, then you tried again the next Wednesday. It's actually pretty normal for a snake to not eat for several weeks (usually 2-3 weeks) after regurgitating, but if he's still not interested in the rat after a month and you notice him starting to lose weight, feeding live should at least be considered.
To answer your question, he's likely still stressed from the regurge and just doesn't feel like eating. It's also possible that he isn't pleased with the rat like you suspected. Make sure you have thawed it properly and that there aren't any ice chunks or frozen parts on the rat. Also, warming it up to body temperature (aboyt 100°F) with a blowdryer or just on the heat source of your snake's enclosure will help a lot with his interest. Then again, you should take my advice with a pinch of salt as I've never fed f/t, I prefer live [emoji14]
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Re: Snake not hungry or rejecting rat?
We have two theories about why she regurged.
Mine is that it's because I handled her too soon before her shed (which makes me feel like the worst snake mommy ever).
The man we bought her from says it may be because she was cold, since she she shouldn't have had anything solid to regurge so close to her feeding date. We did have an unusually cold week, but we added a heating pad over her tank and she spent a lot of time on her cool side.
Re: Snake not hungry or rejecting rat?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Lirenn
We have two theories about why she regurged.
Mine is that it's because I handled her too soon before her shed (which makes me feel like the worst snake mommy ever).
The man we bought her from says it may be because she was cold, since she she shouldn't have had anything solid to regurge so close to her feeding date. We did have an unusually cold week, but we added a heating pad over her tank and she spent a lot of time on her cool side.
Handling prior to shed would have nothing to do with regurge. It would only be handling to soon after the snake ate and the prey wasn't fully digested enough.
What are your temps and how are you heating? How are you measuring the temps?
Actually, what is your setup like? The more you tell us the more we can help you and your snake.