I give up

[Terminal]

Two or three times I've felt a little smug and thought to myself I've got these snakes figured out...NOT!

So I switched my little jungle to fuzzy rats and after a refusal on the first offering she pounded the next two. Well I was out of town last week meaning there was a couple of extra days between this feed and the last one. She is in a hunting posture earlier than usual so she is going to pound it for sure...NOT! While she was very interested she would not take it so I just let it lay there for her to consume later. When I go to bed she is hovering a 1/4" from it but it was still there the next am.

So today I'm going to feed my 800g female bullsnake and just like the jungle there has been a couple of extra days between feeds and she is very active in her inclosure which I assume is her hunting. I take out a 40g quail chick and two small weanling rats. She takes the quail chick, not very enthusiastically, and refuses the rats. I let them lay there for an hour and a half and pull them. She usually is a voracious eater. A maniac.

As said they both appeared to be hungry and in hunting mode but hey, what do I know anyway?

[EL-Ziggy]

Don't give up brother . Snakes do crazy things like taking unexpected food breaks! All we can do is provide the proper conditions for them to thrive. Hopefully your other critters disposed of the refusals. When my snakes refuse a meal, and my husbandry is on point, that means they wait a little longer for their next meal and that's usually smaller than normal meal. That'll learn em . My male bull ate his chick but refused his medium rat 3 weeks ago. He normally eats every 10-14 days. You should have seen him a couple of days ago. He was eating, smashing, and thrashing about like a madman! I'm sure your snakes will be back on track soon.

[BigLou3]

Like Ziggy said, just hang in there. I haven't been in the game very long but one thing I have observed is they always do exactly what you don't want them too. As long as your husbandry is on point and they are healthy you are doing a great job. Beyond that they have a mind of their own. Our one BP was constantly refusing meals and not thermoregulating properly. We lowered her temps and changed up her enclosure a little and now she slams her mice and wants more lol.


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[Terminal]

Thanks guys. When I said I give up I meant I give up on thinking I've got them figured out. That was the first meal in 14 days for my 830g bullsnake and she would only eat the 40g rat. And reluctantly at that. Weird.


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[EL-Ziggy]

Thanks guys. When I said I give up I meant I give up on thinking I've got them figured out. That was the first meal in 14 days for my 830g bullsnake and she would only eat the 40g rat. And reluctantly at that. Weird.


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In that case, GIVE UP Term . We'll never fully understand these creatures. We just have to go with the flow and enjoy the ride .

[Terminal]

In that case, GIVE UP Term . We'll never fully understand these creatures. We just have to go with the flow and enjoy the ride .

Agreed.


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[John1982]

Thanks guys. When I said I give up I meant I give up on thinking I've got them figured out. That was the first meal in 14 days for my 830g bullsnake and she would only eat the 40g rat. And reluctantly at that. Weird.

One of my male holdback sayi decided recently that he no longer wants to eat while opaque. He'll start refusing a week or two before he even goes blue. As soon as he sheds though this boy is back to pounding food like a typical bull. Many will eat regardless of shed cycles but sometimes they like to throw you a curve and change up their style completely.

[Terminal]

One of my male holdback sayi decided recently that he no longer wants to eat while opaque. He'll start refusing a week or two before he even goes blue. As soon as he sheds though this boy is back to pounding food like a typical bull. Many will eat regardless of shed cycles but sometimes they like to throw you a curve and change up their style completely.

Don't think she is close to shedding because she just shed on 7/20. Just weird.


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[Gio]

You can write a book,,,, and there have been books written on the subject.

One great advantage about starting with a royal python is you get the food frustrations out right away. It is simply a guessing game as to what and when they'll eat in many cases.

My boa constrictor got me excited, and I figured my carpet, coastal/mutt would be voracious like the boa.

My carpet is almost as bad as the royal.

The good news is that when snakes, at least established captives, refuse food they are self regulating their own metabolisms.

When 90% of captive snakes are overfed without many of us knowing it, a captive that decides when and what they are eating is generally healthy. That said it still is frustrating!!

Right now the only thing my boa will refuse is rabbits. BUT,,,,,,,,, he will eat them when he is very, very hungry. I typically waiting him out and know that if he takes a rabbit he truly was ready.

I certainly don't have anything figured out as far as what triggers a mid summer eating shutdown. Today it's blazing hot and extremely humid but I'm certain if I offer the royal or carpet food they'll refuse.

Hang in there, and if your carpet is young and small, keep trying.


Good luck.

[Terminal]

You can write a book,,,, and there have been books written on the subject.

One great advantage about starting with a royal python is you get the food frustrations out right away. It is simply a guessing game as to what and when they'll eat in many cases.

My boa constrictor got me excited, and I figured my carpet, coastal/mutt would be voracious like the boa.

My carpet is almost as bad as the royal.

The good news is that when snakes, at least established captives, refuse food they are self regulating their own metabolisms.

When 90% of captive snakes are overfed without many of us knowing it, a captive that decides when and what they are eating is generally healthy. That said it still is frustrating!!

Right now the only thing my boa will refuse is rabbits. BUT,,,,,,,,, he will eat them when he is very, very hungry. I typically waiting him out and know that if he takes a rabbit he truly was ready.

I certainly don't have anything figured out as far as what triggers a mid summer eating shutdown. Today it's blazing hot and extremely humid but I'm certain if I offer the royal or carpet food they'll refuse.

Hang in there, and if your carpet is young and small, keep trying.


Good luck.

Thanks Gio. The crazy thing is she went from a maniac that came racing at you (startling if you weren't prepared for it) as soon as she detected prey to this in a couple of feeding cycles. I would have thought she would surely be hungry after two weeks instead of the usual 5/7 days. Oh well.


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