Any tricks to get stubborn males back on food?

[carlisleishere]

My adult male has been off food since the beginning of October and he weighed in at 1498 grams. He took one small f/t rat in January but that is the last time he's eaten. Today he weighed in at 1276 grams. He seems healthy and interested in food, but right before I think he'll strike, he appears to lose interest. Any suggestions? He used to be a great feeder. Never missed a meal. His usual prey before the hunger strike were f/t medium rats.

[The Serpent Merchant]

What are your hot side, cool side temps? I have found that cools side temps between 80-82 degrees and a hot side of 90 makes my Bp's eat more readily.

Have you tried pre-killed or live? I'm not a fan of feeding live, but it can help get BP's eating again.

How warm are you getting the F/T rodents before you offer them? slightly increasing the temp of the rodents might help as well.

[carlisleishere]

My temps haven't changed all year. 91 hot 79-82 cool. I'm sort of reluctant to try him on live, but I'm looking into getting a few to try him on. Do you think that amount of weight loss is something to be concerned about? I might book a vet appointment for him just in case.

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My temps haven't changed all year. 91 hot 79-82 cool. I'm sort of reluctant to try him on live, but I'm looking into getting a few to try him on. Do you think that amount of weight loss is something to be concerned about? I might book a vet appointment for him just in case.

[Solarsoldier001]

Patience :/


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[Solarsoldier001]

We had our boy go for months without feed. And then we tried a mouse (mind you he's only eaten rats) and he took that. It might just be that you snake wants to eat live. Patience my friend. He'll eat again I'm sure.


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[The Serpent Merchant]

My temps haven't changed all year. 91 hot 79-82 cool. I'm sort of reluctant to try him on live, but I'm looking into getting a few to try him on. Do you think that amount of weight loss is something to be concerned about? I might book a vet appointment for him just in case.

- - - Updated - - -

My temps haven't changed all year. 91 hot 79-82 cool. I'm sort of reluctant to try him on live, but I'm looking into getting a few to try him on. Do you think that amount of weight loss is something to be concerned about? I might book a vet appointment for him just in case.

I don't think that a vet trip is necessary, but I would have moved to more extreme methods (trying live, etc.) awhile ago personally.

[carlisleishere]

I'm going to try live this week I haven't done it earlier because my past experiences with feeding live haven't been too pleasant, and I was trying to be patient with him. He's used to switching between f/t ASFs and f/t rats, so should I try him on the live ASFs first, before going for the mice? Live norways are illegal here.

I was also considering bringing him to a vet because his behavior is a little different than normal. He's been really jumpy and defensive and the last time one of my snakes behavior changed like that, it was because of an ri... Maybe I'm just a little paranoid...

[The Serpent Merchant]

I would try a live ASF

Do you see any symptoms of RI? That makes things different. A vet can't do much about a snake that isn't eating.... but if you suspect something else is wrong then a trip to the vet might be worth it.

[carlisleishere]

I didn't notice any symptoms but he just seems.... off. I had a female with an RI last November so I'm on high alert for anything out of the ordinary, no matter how minor it is.

No lethargy, whistling, popping, cracking, gaping or mucous, but I'd rather pay the money and know for sure.

[The Serpent Merchant]

I would hold off on the vet for a week or so then and give live a try first. he may just be acting weird because of not eating. taking him to the vet potentially could reduce the chances of him eating so I would try live 2 or 3 times then take him to the vet. (unless symptoms start showing up of course)