Mona's on a strike...

[Lolo76]

I'm not sure what's going on with Mona's feeding, as she hasn't eaten since August 11th. I had her in a 20gal tank at first, but switched her into a 41qt tub (not in a rack yet) over a month ago. She ate a couple of live rats in her tub, then I tried switching her to F/T... She refused for three weeks, so I gave her a live rat, which she ate happily. Since that time, however, she has been refusing both live and F/T, rats and mice. I do handle her frequently, and have done so since getting her - never seemed to be an issue. Here are her iHerp records for the last month, and I'd appreciate some input...

08/30 - Refused Food, Live mouse
08/30 - Weight, 1920g
08/25 - Refused Food, Live rat
08/18 - Refused Food, Live rat (killed but didn't eat)
08/11 - Feeding, Live rat <----- only waited a day, since I thought she just had a mishap with the last one.
08/10 - Refused Food, Live rat (killed but didn't eat)
08/10 - Defecated
08/06 - Weight, 2056g
08/05 - Feeding, Live rat
08/02 - Weight, 1903g
07/29 - Feeding, Live rat
07/26 - Defecated
07/25 - Shed
07/22 - Refused Food, F/T mouse (in shed)
07/16 - Refused Food, P/K rat (in shed)
Prior to 7/16 - Ate live rats regularly once a week

Any ideas what her problem might be??

P.S. On a good note, Delilah ate FOUR mice and Toby ate three... they got Mona's leftovers, aside from one that's still in her tub (checking on it every few minutes).

[Lolo76]

I was just thinking, could her strike be related to cold temperatures? I've had trouble maintaining her heat, even with the new tub... she's going in my new rack with flexwatt & a thermostat (helix) soon, as it should be arriving later this week. Should I just wait for another feeding attempt until she's in the rack, and her temperatures are stabilized?

[pavlovk1025]

Shes almost 2k grams...and you've had the temps a little colder than normal? My advice is...if you're planning on throwing Toby in with some girls this year, go ahead and stick him with her...

[Lolo76]

Shes almost 2k grams...and you've had the temps a little colder than normal? My advice is...if you're planning on throwing Toby in with some girls this year, go ahead and stick him with her...

Really?? Do you think they're ready? He was about 440g last time I weighed, and then he pigged out on 3 adult mice tonight... so he could be at "breeding weight" pretty soon! And yes, I was planning to breed Toby this year.

[pavlovk1025]

Hmm if he's that small I dont know. But she sounds like she's ready for some action. I posed the same question about one of my bigger girls and that is the exact advice I got. When it gets to be around this time of year and they go off feed, doesn't hurt to throw a male in with her to see what happens. But like I said, I dont know if Toby'll be ready. =/

[Lolo76]

Well, I'd wait until he's at least over the 500g mark - which could be this month, since he's eating like a hog.

[pavlovk1025]

Good luck either way!

[Lolo76]

Thank you! Maybe she's confused about the seasons, since we only have one season in San Francisco - COLD!

[pavlovk1025]

Blech I was stationed in Monterey for a bit, I dont understand that whole central part of California. It looks nice and warm in pictures but there's nothing colder than that damn fog.

[Lolo76]

Blech I was stationed in Monterey for a bit, I dont understand that whole central part of California. It looks nice and warm in pictures but there's nothing colder than that damn fog.

I love it, but I'm weird like that... plus, it's funny to watch the tourists shivering in their shorts.