Need Some Advice On My Albino Carpet... :(

[Wes]

Ok, so it has been about 3 weeks since I got the little Albino Carpet from Ben Siegel Reptiles. Night before last was the third time trying to feed him and he doesn't seem to show any interest in the live rat pinks I have tried offering... He looks so skinny and I am starting to worry. All of my carpets have always been amazing feeders so this is really my first time with one not eating. I tried feeding him a couple days after he came in, then 7 days later, then night before last... The last feeding I left the live rat pinky in with him over night. I checked this morning and he was curled up in the back of the tub right next to it.

He is in a 6qt tub, 78f ambient, 90f hot spot in back, on aspen, with one hide and water bowl...

I have informed BSR and this is what I got...

Me-
Sunday 11:12am
"Hi, I am having trouble getting the Albino Carpet male I puchased from you a couple weeks ago to eat. I was just wondering if you might know when the last time he ate was? and what he was being fed? I tried to feed him for the third time last night leaving him alone over night with a live rat pinky. He doesn't seem to show any interest in it."

BSR-
Sunday 3:51pm
"Try frozen thawed"



I'm going to try a FT mouse pinky in a few days, since I don't want to offer to much and stress him out more than he already is. Does anyone else have any advice? Comforting words? I am just getting worried since he looks so skinny...

[Inknsteel]

I would also be curious what he was started on, mice or rats. From what I've read specifically on carpet pythons, once they're started on a food source, they can be nearly impossible to switch. A couple years ago I rescued an adult IJ carpet who came to me as a mouser. He was being fed 5 adult mice in one sitting every month or two. I got him on 5 mice every 10 days and he's been fine with that, and a very aggressive mouse eater. I then tried to switch him over to rats since that's what I'm breeding. I tried EVERY trick I could think of from live, PK, brained, prescented, etc and my carpet python doesn't even look twice at a rat, but he'll strike a mouse within 5 seconds every time...

[reptileexperts]

Try a mouse, try frozen thawed, try live. Make sure that you little guy has enough room, 6 qt sounds awfully small for even a baby carpet as they tend to be arboreal during the younger years - saying that I used a 6qt to QT my IJ hatchlings when I first got them . . . hmm. . . .

Never the less, carpets are extremely picky as young snakes, and if they were use to mice, they will stick with mice, if they were use to baby cat fetus, they probably wouldn't touch anything else. You shouldn't worry quite so much yet, these guys go long periods without food, but definitely attempt mice when you can and see if that triggers it. If that was it, you're good to go.

[Wes]

I would also be curious what he was started on, mice or rats. From what I've read specifically on carpet pythons, once they're started on a food source, they can be nearly impossible to switch. A couple years ago I rescued an adult IJ carpet who came to me as a mouser. He was being fed 5 adult mice in one sitting every month or two. I got him on 5 mice every 10 days and he's been fine with that, and a very aggressive mouse eater. I then tried to switch him over to rats since that's what I'm breeding. I tried EVERY trick I could think of from live, PK, brained, prescented, etc and my carpet python doesn't even look twice at a rat, but he'll strike a mouse within 5 seconds every time...

Thanks, I am really curious about what he was started on too. Looking at him now, I am kinda wondering if he has ever eaten... But I definitely know what you are talking about with mousers. My girl Jimma is a mouser and I have tried everything in the book to switch her as well, but as long as I feed her mice she eats like a champ.

[dillan2020]

I had a very hard time getting my carpet to eat. what finally did the trick was a live mouse hopper. at the time a hopper actually looked way to big for him to eat but he hammered it within a few seconds in the tank. I didn't have any trouble switching him to rats either and he was eating mice only for at least 6 months before I switched him to rats.

[bigt0006]

Yeah try a mouse my guy eats a ft fuzzy mouse weekly. One week a left a live rat pink in over night and he avoided it like the plague. I think bsr mainly feeds mice unless its to big for a mouse

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[John1982]

I'd stay with mice on future attempts until he is eating well for you; most carpet breeders start their hatchlings on mice anyway. If he shows no interest in the F/T I'd give him some good perch options and wait til he's on one for the next offering. He might need more movement but you'll want him to be able to stalk his prey without getting bumped in the nose every few seconds in case he's stressed and defensive. Wouldn't hurt to add some fake foliage to those perches, give him a bit more security.

[Wes]

Ok, I feel stupid.... I jumped the gun on this thread. I just got home from work and decided to go ahead and try a FT mouse pinky and he took it right away...

Thanks all for the advice/info and sorry for wasting your time. I should have known to try these things first but I guess with everything else that is going on right now(work being busy as all hell, planning this wedding/honeymoon) my anxiety is through the roof and I'm worrying more than I should...

To those saying he might need a bigger tub and stuff to perch on, I moved him to the 6qt from a 32qt with some plastic rods to perch on since I thought that the bigger tub could have been stressing him out and thought that might have been the reason he wasn't eating. So once he has eaten a few times I will move him back to the 32qt.

Thanks again.

[reptileexperts]

Good move Wes, as long as your snake is eating and happy, he can probably do OK in a 6 qt for the first couple of months as long as you have some kind of perch in there. - tiny Im sure lol.

And yeah, we all stress over non-feeders, and carpet young are notorious for it. Just have to find the sweet spot food wise ;-) and its usually mice.

[bigt0006]

Have mine in a 16qt sterilite he uses his water bowl to perch got to make him one of those little pvc perches. Glad he ate for you

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