Dumeril's Feeding Dilemma

[WarriorPrincess90]

Hey guys!


So after posting on a thread about Dumeril's feeding habits, and talking about how my girl was a beast, she stopped eating. The very next feeding, she refused. It was like divine intervention pointing and saying "Ha! Stop bragging!" She's never refused before, but now she hasn't eaten in a month and has refused three separate times. She was on small rats, and after the first feeding refusal of a small rat, with her striking and hissing like she was afraid of it, I got her a rat pup. Much too small, but zero threat to her. Same response. And the same tonight. I open her tub and she tries to get away from it by squiggling up my arm. She shows no aggression toward me, just fear toward her food. Or perhaps defensiveness is more appropriate.

She is about 700g and three feet long. She's a little over a year old. Humidity is 50-55%, cool side temps are 78-80 and hot side 88-90. She's always been a power feeder. This is very strange. She just shed, so I thought maybe that had something to do with it, even though she normally eats in shed. I haven't been holding her to reduce stress on her until she eats again. She isn't losing weight yet or anything. I know they are different than BCIs, and more prone to fasts, but it's still weird that she'd shift from this voracious feeder to a regular refuser. :/ She is still producing urates and had her post shed BM. Should I calm down? My male BP is fasting right now too, but that's normal for him so I'm not worried. But her?

Any Dum owners with some experience with this that can offer insight? She's my baby...I'm just worried. All her other behaviors are still completely normal...except the feeding refusals. Help?

[The Serpent Merchant]

when I first got mine she would only eat live mice, and only if she was under a layer of aspen. Since then I have gotten her onto frozen rats, and so that she doesn't have to be submerged in aspen... but if she ever turns her nose up on a meal I can put her under some aspen, and offer a live mouse a few hours later with 100% success.

Might just be mine but worth a shot.

[WarriorPrincess90]

I offer live because she won't take frozen for anything. And she gets fed on a layer of aspen. :/ Very strange.

[WarriorPrincess90]

*Bump*

[zach_24_90]

Mine started eating better when I put her in aspen and she could bury herself and "ambush" more. Pretty crazy to watch actually haha it's like... No snake... BOOM... Whole snake.

[fortoday634]

I had a feeding attempt a while back where mine responded in a similar way. I pushed the next feeding back 7 days and she took it with no problems. She had also just come out of a shed now that I think about it. My advise would be to do the same before you try another feeding. Most importantly, don't panic. This is just part of owning a Dumeril's.

[fortoday634]

Here's her schedule of that time to help give you an idea. Now she is back eating without any issues.

6/23 - Fed (1) P/K Rat - Medium

7/7 - Refused Food

7/19 - Refused Food

7/24 - Turned Opaque

7/29 - Turned Clear

7/30 - Shed

7/31 - Refused Food

8/07 - Fed (1) P/K Rat - Medium