BP not eating

[Renigaed]

Hi, my BP has been off feed since December and it’s starting to be pretty concerning. She was eating frozen thawed rats well and then she went of feed for a few months so I switched her to live. She was eating live for a good while and then in December she went on another food strike. She’s no longer interested in live food so I’ve tried switching her back to F/T but she’s having nothing to do with that. I’ve tried different size rats, different colors, I feed at night and I don’t handle her or take her out of her cage. I’m going to try a F/T mouse tonight, and I got some gerbil litter but I’m not sure I want to try that yet. The last time I weighed her was in December and she was 715 grams. I weighed her today and she was 655. She’s lost almost 10% of her weight.
Husbandry: Humidity stays on average between 45-60%. Cool end is between 76-80 and warm end is between 85-90. She’s in a standard 20 gallon tank but she’s rather long for her tank, so I’m building a small snake rack so she will soon be moved into a 33.5x17.5x7” tub.
Any suggestions to get her feeding again?

[bmwood]

Hi, my BP has been off feed since December and it’s starting to be pretty concerning. She was eating frozen thawed rats well and then she went of feed for a few months so I switched her to live. She was eating live for a good while and then in December she went on another food strike. She’s no longer interested in live food so I’ve tried switching her back to F/T but she’s having nothing to do with that. I’ve tried different size rats, different colors, I feed at night and I don’t handle her or take her out of her cage. I’m going to try a F/T mouse tonight, and I got some gerbil litter but I’m not sure I want to try that yet. The last time I weighed her was in December and she was 715 grams. I weighed her today and she was 655. She’s lost almost 10% of her weight.
Husbandry: Humidity stays on average between 45-60%. Cool end is between 76-80 and warm end is between 85-90. She’s in a standard 20 gallon tank but she’s rather long for her tank, so I’m building a small snake rack so she will soon be moved into a 33.5x17.5x7” tub.
Any suggestions to get her feeding again?

you can try ASF, its like candy to a python, just to try and jump start the feeding response, or could also try force feeding to kick start the feeding response.

[Sunnieskys]

She could just not want to eat. This is normal. And 10% is not a lot of weight loss. That's only one meal loss in 6 mo. She will eat when she is ready. And her husbandry is correct so again normal.

- - - Updated - - -

And there is no reason to assist feed a normal healthy snake. So please don't do it.

[Lord Sorril]

There could be any number of issues.

If she was eating fine and then suddenly decided against it: I would only offer her food once a week for about 5-10 minutes and then remove the prey item. I would also get any rodent scent out of her cage in between feedings if possible to create more of a lure at feeding times.

Note: 650-700 grams is about where most of my male bps start to slow down growth and start to become erratic eaters.

[Renigaed]

you can try ASF, its like candy to a python, just to try and jump start the feeding response, or could also try force feeding to kick start the feeding response.

AFS is illegal in my state unfortunately, so that's not really an option. I'm not super comfortable with force feeding. I've watched a co worker do it at work (I work at a pet store), but even then he was using a pinkie plunger.

[Renigaed]

I'm pretty solidly sure I've got a female. I'm planning on take her/him to the vet though to see if she can give me some advice, so I can find out for sure at that point.

[Bogertophis]

I used to raise Russian dwarf hamsters (they're easy) and BPs (as well as some other snakes) tend to like them. Just don't feed live...even the
babies with EYES CLOSED will growl & bite. Never having tasted or tried using an ASF, I cannot say how similar they are (or aren't?) but just an idea.

I originally raised RDH's for a few picky snakes I had, but was so successful that I ended up selling the surplus to local pet stores: and nothing makes
them happier than hamsters that come with a temperament guarantee: I already culled the 'bitey' ones for snake-food, but if they got a hamster from
me that became a biter for any reason, I cheerfully & freely exchanged it for one that was cute & friendly. It helps to have an "outlet"... And
that way the stores never lost money on grouchy hamsters* that bit people & that they couldn't sell. A win-win!

[Bogertophis]

... I'm not super comfortable with force feeding. I've watched a co worker do it at work (I work at a pet store), but even then he was using a pinkie plunger.

Force feeding any size prey is a no-go for me too. Same for pinky-plungers, they can stick & be dangerous to the snake when they forcefully 'let go', also have
to be concerned about bone fragments, or so I've read?

If you ever do need to stimulate the appetite of a snake, I'll be happy to give you tips on the correct way to gently tube-feed liquid food to a snake. Think of
it like the IV of nutrition that a human gets in the hospital: without that energy, they remain in a downward spiral, feeling too poorly to eat, & won't recover.

But we cannot give an IV to a snake....the next best thing is a tube-feed. (I only use Gerber's 2nd stage chicken & gravy baby food, many other products that
seem similar have sugar or corn syrup & other unnatural things for snakes. I've pulled many snakes through over the years using this method.)

[Renigaed]

I used to raise Russian dwarf hamsters (they're easy) and BPs (as well as some other snakes) tend to like them. Just don't feed live...even the
babies with EYES CLOSED will growl & bite. Never having tasted or tried using an ASF, I cannot say how similar they are (or aren't?) but just an idea.

I originally raised RDH's for a few picky snakes I had, but was so successful that I ended up selling the surplus to local pet stores: and nothing makes
them happier than hamsters that come with a temperament guarantee: I already culled the 'bitey' ones for snake-food, but if they got a hamster from
me that became a biter for any reason, I cheerfully & freely exchanged it for one that was cute & friendly. It helps to have an "outlet"... And
that way the stores never lost money on grouchy hamsters* that bit people & that they couldn't sell. A win-win!

The only Russian dwarf hamsters that are available to me are at the pet store I work at and they are $20 a piece..

[Bogertophis]

the only russian dwarf hamsters that are available to me are at the pet store i work at and they are $20 a piece..

omg! :o