Quote Originally Posted by Kymberli View Post
Are you using dial gauges or digital hygrometers? The dial ones are only good for throwing at the person who sold them to you. Walmart has Accu-rite thermomter/hygrometers with a probe, so it reads two temperatures and the humidity. About $14, GREAT investment!

If she hasn't lost weight, that could possibly rule out parasites, but not completely. It would be best if you tracked her weight using a scale in grams because she could lose quite a bit of weight before it becomes apparent to the eyes.

As for feeding live, it's perfectly fine as long as the mouse or rat isn't too big and you don't leave it in for too long. There are many threads on here you can search for about feeding live. Many are against it, but for a picky eater live may be the only way to go! When they first come out of the egg they are fed live then sometimes switched to f/t. Think of big breeders with hundreds or thousands of snakes.. do you think they thaw out hundreds or thousands of mice/rats each time they feed? Heck no! They toss in live rodents but take them out if they aren't killed in a certain amount of time. If you're worried, keep an eye on it and if the snake seems scared of it, doesn't kill it, or doesn't pay attention to it go ahead and take it out after about 15mins. If the live rodent was properly fed it will likely not feed on the snake, may take a quick nip at it if the snake doesn't coil around it correctly, but that's a risk you have to take to get her eating regularly. If you're completely uncomfortable feeding live, rodent breeders often offer "pre-killed" rodents, rather than live or frozen. They humanely euthanize it right before you take it home. Fresh killed is better than frozen/thawed to some BPs.


And don't worry about names...I have three who are all nameless.
Our bigger snake has a digital hygrometer/temp combo thing. The smaller one has digital temps, but the stupid crappy analog hygrometer. I'm going to buy her the same one I have in the other tank (I inherited this second snake, whereas the bigger guy was ours from the start). Both are on thermostats rather than a rheostat to keep the temps appropriate.

I may try the fresh killed first before the live, as I would prefer to keep her on dead prey if possible (our closest supplier is over an hour away and is only there twice a month). Since she still eats, just not as frequently, I just wonder if it really is the prey or something else. When she is hungry she is a quick striker and doesn't waste time. When she is not hungry, she is REALLY not interested.

One other question - both snakes are fed in a separate feeding box since they have loose substrate (I don't want to risk impactions). Should I try laying down a towel and feeding her in her tank instead of the separate feed box?