Quote Originally Posted by Gio View Post
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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