starving ball

[akaangela]

On April 1st I got a female pastel back that I had given to a friend. My friend said she couldn't get Paris (the female pastel ball) to eat. When she left here she was around 1300g, When I got her back she was 771g she left about a year and a half ago. She doesn't look good. So I put her in a tub and waited until evening and since I had an extra mouse I thought I would throw it in to see what Paris would do. She NAILED it. No hesitation at all. It has been almost a week and every time I offer food she eats (I have only offered mice). How often should I offer food? I am going to keep her on mice until I get some weight on her as she is eating and I don't want to chance her going off her food. She is hungry and slams food every time I have offered it. I have over feed her a bit as I offered her a mouse on the first (not a big mouse) then one on the 3rd (again a small mouse) Yesterday was normal feeding day so I offered her another mouse (a bit bigger but big mice are hard to find here). I usually feed once a week but I can get small mice during the week as needed.

Thanks for the help. Poor girl. She eyes me every time I open her cage, like she is asking for more food.

[Archimedes]

Mice are too small at this point, if she's 770. Much much too small. She should definitely be on rats, they have a higher fat and protein content than mice anyway. Hope you get her back up to weight!

[I-KandyReptiles]

On April 1st I got a female pastel back that I had given to a friend. My friend said she couldn't get Paris (the female pastel ball) to eat. When she left here she was around 1300g, When I got her back she was 771g she left about a year and a half ago. She doesn't look good. So I put her in a tub and waited until evening and since I had an extra mouse I thought I would throw it in to see what Paris would do. She NAILED it. No hesitation at all. It has been almost a week and every time I offer food she eats (I have only offered mice). How often should I offer food? I am going to keep her on mice until I get some weight on her as she is eating and I don't want to chance her going off her food. She is hungry and slams food every time I have offered it. I have over feed her a bit as I offered her a mouse on the first (not a big mouse) then one on the 3rd (again a small mouse) Yesterday was normal feeding day so I offered her another mouse (a bit bigger but big mice are hard to find here). I usually feed once a week but I can get small mice during the week as needed.

Thanks for the help. Poor girl. She eyes me every time I open her cage, like she is asking for more food.

Since you're worried about her going off
food, just offer her the same amount of mice (by weight) as you would for a rat.

If she's 770, offer her 10-15% of her body weight in mice. I have two stubborn feeders who will only eat mice. I just offer them more. Like 2-3 adults.

[el8ch]

^ agreed.

If she was off food for that long just stick to what is working and get her feeding on a regular schedule again. Many people have thriving adult mousers.

Wondering why she lost so much weight under your friends care in the first place? We're you in regular contact or aware of husbandry or feeding issues...

[akaangela]

Thanks. I have a friend that raises mice, so I am going to get a small rat and house it in mouse bedding for a few days then offer it to her. I am worried about her, but I am also worried about offering her too much too fast. Last thing I want to do is make her sick because she hasn't eaten in almost a year. Should I feed her once a week if I can get her to eat rats and/or twice a week if she will only eat mice?

I asked her a few times how Paris was doing and she always said fine until a month ago and then admitted she hadn't eaten in 7 months and that was when someone at a pet store force fed her. . So it has been almost a year with only one meal. I wish I knew why she stopped eating. I am just glad she fessed up and gave her back before she died.

[Sita]

I work with underfed rescues often, and I generally do 10% of their body weight once a week. I think you might be ok doing something like 5% twice a week if you can only get mice.

It's amazing how much better a feeding response can be when a snake is housed in a proper cage, with the correct temps, and is generally feeling ok. I've had rescues that didn't really have anything wrong with them other than super skinny, usually with a stuck shed and/or mites, that the owner claimed refused to eat for months, yet I get them set up properly and get the shed off and in a week have them eating F/T with no issues whatsoever.

[KMG]

I'm with Sita. It sounds like your friend was not providing the proper care so the snake didn't want to it. To go a year and a half without eating to eating every time food is offered makes me think her husbandry was really off.

I would try a rat of proper weight or like suggested feed the same weight in mice. I would stick to weekly feedings.

[PitOnTheProwl]

Mice are too small at this point, if she's 770. Much much too small. She should definitely be on rats, they have a higher fat and protein content than mice anyway. Hope you get her back up to weight!

I have two mousers that are a couple years old and over 1000g on nothing but mice


akaangela, at this point just feed whatever she will take. I have a male spider that goes off for 9 months to a year and has never lost that much weight. Wonder what was going on on the other end. Good luck and keep us posted.

[kitedemon]

Don't attempt to switch a snake that is having issues just feed her. I would suggest the first two meals to be light (you already are) but then start with bigger meals some will not take the second or third but will in a few days I would suggest the biggest mice you can get and feed every 5 days until she slows a bit. If she will take multiples 10% every 7 days.

[jcoylesr76]

i would run a few smaller meals in her for a few weeks, once it is clear things are working and it is not stressing her out i would start working the sizes up to what she should be taking over the next few feeding from there. good luck