Quote Originally Posted by Riv View Post
I mean, I totally get why they would feed F/T. Less danger to the snakes(not that rat pups could do anything, but as a principle) I did find and go over their feeding chart as soon as I got the oppertunity. They really did attempt to feed, the were just unsuccessful something like eight times in a row at one week intervals. I couldnt find anything before that point, but I know they had him longer than that and there was not a single successful feeding.

I do have a bandfield in my store actually! I didnt think to take him there because he isnt really sick. Just extremely malnourished.
I can understand f/t for convenience and safety, but these animals were designed to eat live prey and with proper supervision during feedings the risk of injury is fairly low. Anyone who has ever owned any number of ball pythons knows that they can be some of the hardest snakes to get switched to f/t. Not all balls are going to take to f/t right out of the egg, especially farm raised balls from overseas (which is where PetSmart gets them). I've never seen anything but baby balls at PetSmart and 8 weeks is a long time for them to go without food, especially since they usually arrive underweight and dehydrated. In my opinion it is far more crucial to get them established feeding with a little weight on them before forcing f/t on them (unless you luck up and they accept f/t without any issues). I'd be willing to bet money if they are not too far gone already and you put a live rat pup in there and leave it overnight it would be gone by morning, if not sooner.

I would think malnourishment would be perfect reason to go to the vet. It might not be as simple as a picky eater. It could have parasites or a host of other problems.

To me this is nothing but neglect on their part and it sickens me to no end!