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  1. #1
    Registered User ru8fru's Avatar
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    Off feed or fasting?

    Is this something BP's usually do around a certain weight or something. I have 3 BP's. A male pied, female pied, and normal female. My male pied and normal female are both sitting around 300+ grams and never refuse a meal. Where as my female pied, she was at 600 grams and is now down to 575 and has refused to eat for over a month. Ive tried feeding at night and multiple different methods of food (F/T, live, mice, rats, even those rats from africa that they supposedly love)

    If there is anything I can do to aid her back into feeding let me know because I want to get this baby ready for next season

  2. #2
    BPnet Veteran llovelace's Avatar
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    Re: Off feed or fasting?

    Hello, & welcome to BP.net, how long have you had the snake? What is your set up like? temps? humidity?
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  3. #3
    Registered User Classicrocker42o's Avatar
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    Re: Off feed or fasting?

    From what I've heard after they've become sexually mature they can sometimes fast.

    I had my female go off feed once and I didn't like that much so I ended up completely changing it up. I went from a glass tank to a boaphile 421D. She was also starting to outgrow her hides so I got bigger ones.

    I forget where or who said this on the forums, but a warm snake is a hungry snake. So try boosting up the temps a little.

    My female eventually took a mouse, and was more intimidated by the bigger rats. So also try smaller prey items and work her way back up.

  4. #4
    Registered User ru8fru's Avatar
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    Re: Off feed or fasting?

    Quote Originally Posted by llovelace View Post
    Hello, & welcome to BP.net, how long have you had the snake? What is your set up like? temps? humidity?
    The male pied and normal ive had since hatchlings. The female pied I got in the male last month? I gave her about a week to settle in before I offered her a first meal. And have tried offering about once a week since. Temps should be fine, humidity is roughly 30-50 usually. Thanks!

    Quote Originally Posted by Classicrocker42o View Post
    From what I've heard after they've become sexually mature they can sometimes fast.

    I had my female go off feed once and I didn't like that much so I ended up completely changing it up. I went from a glass tank to a boaphile 421D. She was also starting to outgrow her hides so I got bigger ones.

    I forget where or who said this on the forums, but a warm snake is a hungry snake. So try boosting up the temps a little.

    My female eventually took a mouse, and was more intimidated by the bigger rats. So also try smaller prey items and work her way back up.
    She has a nice heat pad and temps stay pretty good. She is in a glass tank until I finish my snake rack, even though I haven't started! lol. Yeah I have tried offering lots of different sizes of prey. I tried F/T with her once but my try leaving a F/T in there overnight and see what happens.
    Last edited by ru8fru; 06-12-2010 at 05:27 PM.

  5. #5
    BPnet Veteran sarahlovesmiike's Avatar
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    Re: Off feed or fasting?

    If I were you I'd go pick up a tub to house her in until your rack is done, wait a week and try feeding her something smaller than what she was eating before but the same type of prey.

    If that doesn't work I'd try the balled newspaper trick, does she do a lot of roaming?

  6. #6
    Registered User ru8fru's Avatar
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    Re: Off feed or fasting?

    Quote Originally Posted by sarahlovesmiike View Post
    If I were you I'd go pick up a tub to house her in until your rack is done, wait a week and try feeding her something smaller than what she was eating before but the same type of prey.

    If that doesn't work I'd try the balled newspaper trick, does she do a lot of roaming?
    Yeah ive been browsing the last hour, whats this balled newspaper trick I dont get it?

  7. #7
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    Re: Off feed or fasting?

    This is very common and you may not be able to anything but tear your hair out and lose sleep until she decides she's hungry.

    The newspaper thing is to fill the tank with crumpled up newspaper. I don't quite get it myself.
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  8. #8
    Registered User ru8fru's Avatar
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    Re: Off feed or fasting?

    Im thinking ill try a F/T again on more time then maybe try offering live from tongs. Anyone else have any ideas or input? Thanks!!

    Also I suppose I could take some pics of my snakes

  9. #9
    BPnet Lifer snakesRkewl's Avatar
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    Re: Off feed or fasting?

    Was the pied housed in a tub before being mailed to you?
    Maybe the tank is a complete shock to her?

    I try things out of the box sometimes, you never know what might trigger a snake to eat.
    I sent a large female to a friends house that hadn't eaten for me in 6 months,
    she ate for him twice the night he moved her, lol.
    Try a morning feed time, try covering a major portion of the tank, try giving lots of cover in the tank(newspaper or fake plants) make sure temps are right, not just "pretty close", offer smaller prey items and then as she eats go up in size slowly.

    Good luck
    Jerry Robertson

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