Hey all,
My BP hasn't eaten for about 6 months so I figured it was time to get some opinions. Some background info:
She's just shy of 2 years old.
I got her when she was approx. 8 months old. For the first 5 months she ate with absolutely no difficulties. I even got her to eat on the second day I bought her.
When she was about 13 months old, she started to get a little bit picky. Skipping feeding times. At about 15 months old, she stopped taking the young adult rats. I tried mice and all of a sudden she was eating great again. Taking 2 or even 3 adults at a time with no problem. I've always fed her live and have no problems with it.
She stopped eating mice in mid February and hasn't eaten since. My husbandry hasn't changed and is pretty much bang on with recommendations. Her sheds have all been single pieces with no issues. Captive bred, never any health problems.
She was 1.18 kg when she first went off her feeding. She's just starting losing some weight in the last 5 weeks or so. She's lost about 80 grams and is at 1.1 kg right now.
I continue to try an adult mouse every week. I've also tried small rats a few times but to no avail. Rats are a little more aggressive, and tend to make her defensive, so I am sticking with mice until she starts eating again and I can try switching back to rats.
She's been more active in the past few weeks. Roaming around more than before. She takes interest in the mouse scent for a few minutes but then loses it and just starts wandering around, ignoring the mouse.
Opinions? At first I thought maybe she was just going off feed for a few winter months, even though February seemed late, but it's obviously getting late into the summer. I figure it's about the time I start trying to get a little more creative. Maybe a gerbil? Lastly, I have always put the rodent in her enclosure, removed the hide she's not currently in, and let her grab whenever she's comfortable. Should I start trying to hold the mouse in front of her with forceps?
Thanks!
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