Feeding issues

[Crazymonkee]

I have never done the water either, I wouldn't try it though, after the water maybe the blow dryer??

[steve_r34]

just keep offering every week she will eat when shes wants .. u can always but the rat back in the freezer if she declines .. thats what i do.. 4 of mine have been not eating as much since the season started so i offer if they dont take with in the first min or 2 i pull out and just leave them

[Megz]

On a side note, is it odd that she spends all her time on the cold side? Temps remain as stated and two identical hides but she is consistently sleeping on the cold side all day and night and I'm not sure if thats odd behaviour. Anyone else have this?

[patientz3ro]

On a side note, is it odd that she spends all her time on the cold side? Temps remain as stated and two identical hides but she is consistently sleeping on the cold side all day and night and I'm not sure if thats odd behaviour. Anyone else have this?

GENERALLY that's a good sign that your hot side is too hot, although your earlier posts don't look that way. I'd check ground temp in a few different spots with a temp gun just to be safe. Make sure you check inside the hot hide as well. Temps inside there can be a bit higher because it's somewhat enclosed and right over a heat source. Kinda like an oven.

If your BP is staying in cooler areas of the cage, that could have some impact on feeding frequency as well. With constantly cooler temps, metabolism and digestion are slower. Just out of curiosity, if she's willing to eat live, shoot a temp on one of her live feeders. Next time you try to feed frozen, try to get the prey at least the same temp, maybe a few degrees warmer. I'm going to agree with the "no boiling water" crowd. I'm sure someone has done it successfully, but getting it that hot that fast runs the risk of cooking the rat. That's not healthy, AND if you've never smelled boiled rat...it's every bit as bad as it sounds. You might also consider her size and weight. She's only about one good meal over the 1000g mark, so you could be seeing the notorious fast that seems to happen.

The movement thing is odd. Check her belly for any signs of burns or injury. It almost sounds like that might be a possibility, especially if she's avoiding the warmer side of the cage and not eating.

I'm just brainstorming here, but if none of those are a problem, at least we've ruled some things out.

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[Megz]

GENERALLY that's a good sign that your hot side is too hot, although your earlier posts don't look that way. I'd check ground temp in a few different spots with a temp gun just to be safe. Make sure you check inside the hot hide as well. Temps inside there can be a bit higher because it's somewhat enclosed and right over a heat source. Kinda like an oven.

If your BP is staying in cooler areas of the cage, that could have some impact on feeding frequency as well. With constantly cooler temps, metabolism and digestion are slower. Just out of curiosity, if she's willing to eat live, shoot a temp on one of her live feeders. Next time you try to feed frozen, try to get the prey at least the same temp, maybe a few degrees warmer. I'm going to agree with the "no boiling water" crowd. I'm sure someone has done it successfully, but getting it that hot that fast runs the risk of cooking the rat. That's not healthy, AND if you've never smelled boiled rat...it's every bit as bad as it sounds. You might also consider her size and weight. She's only about one good meal over the 1000g mark, so you could be seeing the notorious fast that seems to happen.

The movement thing is odd. Check her belly for any signs of burns or injury. It almost sounds like that might be a possibility, especially if she's avoiding the warmer side of the cage and not eating.

I'm just brainstorming here, but if none of those are a problem, at least we've ruled some things out.

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definitely some really interesting points you make. I double checked the hot side and it remains at 87 and humidity 70%. her cold side is 73 at the moment. The belly thing is something i didn't think of for sure although when i handle her or sometimes when i catch her roaming she does slither normally. The fasting i know happens I just worry about her weight dropping too much but i know they eat when they want to. The last feeder i gave her was 84 isn so I made her frozen rat 88 of course it began to cool down and what not. What is very interesting that i have started to notice is that she seems quite afraid of the rat. I tried the tongs idea and such but if the rat comes close she will back away fast and coil up. if it touches her she does the same and will bury her head under her body or just try to coil up tight. She really avoids it to be honest. So I'm not sure if something is wrong with her or what to do. This feeding I just did today was two weeks since my last attempt, also a refusal, so should i just keep trying?

[patientz3ro]

definitely some really interesting points you make. I double checked the hot side and it remains at 87 and humidity 70%. her cold side is 73 at the moment. The belly thing is something i didn't think of for sure although when i handle her or sometimes when i catch her roaming she does slither normally. The fasting i know happens I just worry about her weight dropping too much but i know they eat when they want to. The last feeder i gave her was 84 isn so I made her frozen rat 88 of course it began to cool down and what not. What is very interesting that i have started to notice is that she seems quite afraid of the rat. I tried the tongs idea and such but if the rat comes close she will back away fast and coil up. if it touches her she does the same and will bury her head under her body or just try to coil up tight. She really avoids it to be honest. So I'm not sure if something is wrong with her or what to do. This feeding I just did today was two weeks since my last attempt, also a refusal, so should i just keep trying?

My best suggestion would be to bring the humidity down to 45-50% to start, assuming she's not going into shed. With the weather being cooler, higher humidity can trigger mating behaviors, even in sexually immature snakes. That could explain the odd feeding changes. Seasonal barometric changes may play a part as well, although I don't know that it's been conclusively proven. When you're feeding frozen, try to mimic the behavior of a live rat when confronted with a predator. Get it close enough for her to smell, and then move it away. It's goofy, but it sometimes does the trick. Another possibility is that she's just not interested in frozen anymore. No explanation for it, wierd stuff just happens sometimes. You might just have to switch to live.

If you check her belly and find nothing wrong, consider changing your substrate. It's a long shot, but snakes have sensitive bellies. I had to get some faux wool blankets from some paramedics because Ajja freaks out if she's cruising around on one of my soft fuzzy ones. Of course, she IS a bit of a diva. She also won't drink warm water. Room temp or she's not having it.

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[Megz]

My best suggestion would be to bring the humidity down to 45-50% to start, assuming she's not going into shed. With the weather being cooler, higher humidity can trigger mating behaviors, even in sexually immature snakes. That could explain the odd feeding changes. Seasonal barometric changes may play a part as well, although I don't know that it's been conclusively proven. When you're feeding frozen, try to mimic the behavior of a live rat when confronted with a predator. Get it close enough for her to smell, and then move it away. It's goofy, but it sometimes does the trick. Another possibility is that she's just not interested in frozen anymore. No explanation for it, wierd stuff just happens sometimes. You might just have to switch to live.

If you check her belly and find nothing wrong, consider changing your substrate. It's a long shot, but snakes have sensitive bellies. I had to get some faux wool blankets from some paramedics because Ajja freaks out if she's cruising around on one of my soft fuzzy ones. Of course, she IS a bit of a diva. She also won't drink warm water. Room temp or she's not having it.

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lol i had actually just increased the humidity because it was at 55% and i heard increasing it may help. I'll try bringing it back down and mimicing behaviour again. How many times do you think i should attempt frozen before making a switch? She's on aspen shavings but I'll definitely try switching for a change

[patientz3ro]

lol i had actually just increased the humidity because it was at 55% and i heard increasing it may help. I'll try bringing it back down and mimicing behaviour again. How many times do you think i should attempt frozen before making a switch? She's on aspen shavings but I'll definitely try switching for a change

I don't know that there IS a correct answer to when you should switch. I CAN tell you that I've used a 2 week fast every time I've made a change to Ajja's feeding routine. If your snake has a specific behavior that she does when she's hungry, you can use that as a gauge. Ajja gets restless during the day and starts trying to tunnel her way out of the tank if she has to wait.

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[Megz]

So I go get a love feeder put it in and she couldn't care less. She went up to it and sniffed its body and face like literally touching faces and nothing. Zip. So now I have a pet rat and now I don't understand why she won't eat. I'm actually really worried and on a side note does anyone know what to feed a rat?

[Crazymonkee]

In a pinch any hamster/ rodent type food will do. If you plan on keeping it I'd invest in some quality food.