Feeding issues

[patientz3ro]

definitely some really interesting points you make. I double checked the hot side and it remains at 87 and humidity 70%. her cold side is 73 at the moment. The belly thing is something i didn't think of for sure although when i handle her or sometimes when i catch her roaming she does slither normally. The fasting i know happens I just worry about her weight dropping too much but i know they eat when they want to. The last feeder i gave her was 84 isn so I made her frozen rat 88 of course it began to cool down and what not. What is very interesting that i have started to notice is that she seems quite afraid of the rat. I tried the tongs idea and such but if the rat comes close she will back away fast and coil up. if it touches her she does the same and will bury her head under her body or just try to coil up tight. She really avoids it to be honest. So I'm not sure if something is wrong with her or what to do. This feeding I just did today was two weeks since my last attempt, also a refusal, so should i just keep trying?

My best suggestion would be to bring the humidity down to 45-50% to start, assuming she's not going into shed. With the weather being cooler, higher humidity can trigger mating behaviors, even in sexually immature snakes. That could explain the odd feeding changes. Seasonal barometric changes may play a part as well, although I don't know that it's been conclusively proven. When you're feeding frozen, try to mimic the behavior of a live rat when confronted with a predator. Get it close enough for her to smell, and then move it away. It's goofy, but it sometimes does the trick. Another possibility is that she's just not interested in frozen anymore. No explanation for it, wierd stuff just happens sometimes. You might just have to switch to live.

If you check her belly and find nothing wrong, consider changing your substrate. It's a long shot, but snakes have sensitive bellies. I had to get some faux wool blankets from some paramedics because Ajja freaks out if she's cruising around on one of my soft fuzzy ones. Of course, she IS a bit of a diva. She also won't drink warm water. Room temp or she's not having it.

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