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  1. #5
    BPnet Senior Member Evenstar's Avatar
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    You really can't "rectify" it (other than correcting husbandry errors - see below). If your BP goes off feed, make sure your husbandry is correct, but if so, then you'll just have to be patient until it feeds again. If it goes too long (like 3-4 months) and you see that he's loosing weight, it's best to take him to a qualified herp vet to make sure there's no underlying issue causing him to not eat. Your vet may help you assist feed at this point. Assist feeding would be a last resort though. But if he just goes on a hunger strike for a few weeks (especially during breeding season), there's really no cause for concern.

    BUT you can take a few steps to help prevent hunger strikes from happening in the first place:

    1) Get your BP from a reliable source. If this is your first, I highly recommend you stay away from petstores and craigslist. Go with a reputable breeder and/or rescue group. Someone who will give you a healthy baby, acurate and up-to-date history on the animal, and continued support after the sale.

    2) Make sure your set up is appropriate for your BP before you bring him home. Read the Caresheet carefully and make sure temps and humidity is right, you have 2 secure hides, and that your BP's enclosure is not too large. Security is key for these shy snakes.

    3) When you do bring your snake home, leave him completely alone for a week so he can settle in and relax. Offer him food after 1 week. If he eats, wait another 48hrs for him to digest his meal, then you can try handling him gently for a few minutes a day for the next week until you feed him again. Ideally, he should eat 3-4 times before you start handling him longer and more frequently.

    Even if you follow these tips to the letter, there's no garuantee he won't at some point go off feed. But if he does, and you have followed this advice, chances are his hunger strike is normal at this point and you can relax and just wait for him to eat again. If your snake is healthy to begin with, he shouldn't drop weight if he stikes for a few weeks.

    And I totally agree with Robin that almost all BP fasts are directly related to husbandry issues. That's why I stressed getting this right before bringing him home in an attempt to prevent him going off feed in the first place.
    Last edited by Evenstar; 05-07-2012 at 08:11 PM.
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    Slim (05-07-2012)

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