Snake won't eat.

[dakski]

Glad Imani ate. Sounds like he will not be issue.

Yeah, I don't think anyone is mad at you either. You are learning and eager to learn.

However, when BP's are young, like any young animal, the margin for error is smaller (not small with a 4 month old BP - but smaller). A full grown/adult BP can go 6-8 months without eating and I wouldn't think twice. However, at 4 months, I would begin to make sure they eat after 3-4 weeks max of missed meals. You should keep that in mind.

Just an observation, and not picking on you at all, and we all have done it. Slow down. Take a deep breath. Try to get all your ducks in a row and then do X, whatever that is. It seems you are doing a lot of trial and error and that's okay, as long as nothing dangerous is happening, which it does not appear to be, but it's better to put off feeding a young BP an extra day or two and ask all the questions you want, for example, then try to feed, stress the snake, and have to wait 4-5 days to offer again, which you should do.

If you don't know, eating is stressful on a snakes body, but also his/her psyche. For a shy creature like a BP, especially a young one, they have to be vulnerable and in the open to eat. Worse, if they are offered food, but do not want it, and are moved to another container in addition, etc. this compounds stress. The food becomes a stressor. You do not want that. You do not want to reinforce that food is stressful or negative.

Having said all that, a few, hopefully, helpful points.

1. I 100% agree that you should feed them in their enclosures. I have 4 different species of snakes (BP, Carpet Python, Corn Snake, and Boa) and 6 snakes in total. ALL eat in their enclosures for a variety of reasons. Some are for the snake's benefit and some are for my safety as well (don't feel like moving Behira - Female BCI back into her tank when in food mode when she's 6FT or so and 10-12 pounds). BP's are shy creatures and will find about any excuse not to eat. Your job as a keeper is to give them every reason to eat. Some other snakes will eat anything, anywhere, anytime (corn snakes and many colubrids and some Boids).

2. When you offer the food, are you just leaving the F/T prey in with the snake, or are you making it appear alive to them? The latter would be placing on tongs and gently moving a bit near the snake (but no in their face, etc. - let them come to it) to try to illicit a strike. If after a minute or two they do not seem interested, or do not strike, leaving is okay for up to overnight, but not longer. Some snakes do not care and will eat without much stimulation. My BP, Shayna, doesn't need much and is shy and actually prefers that I leave the rat for her to pull into her house and eat quietly on her own. However, most snakes want some stimulation. Again, gently move on the tongs, but not in a dramatic way or in the snakes face or intruding on his/her space. No lifting hides, blocking hide entrances, etc.

Also, remember, there are commonalities between species, but there are also differences within species. Different snakes can, and do, have different personalities as well. Keep that in mind. You will have to learn, over time, what you animals like the best.

3. In another post, I listed the best technique for defrosting and offering F/T prey. Did you follow that? It seems like you didn't, which is your prerogative, but I am not 100% sure you are defrosting and offering properly either.

I will list the steps again below. However, DO NOT defrost in hot water. Warm water at best. I prefer room temp to warmish water (70-90F to start) and let it cool down to room temp over time. If defrosting large prey, or many prey items, etc. I sometimes add a little warm water half way through the defrosting process.

Why not use hot water? Would speed up the process, right?

Yes, it would, but that's the problem. Snakes eat RAW food. They like raw food (actually live food stimulates them most) and digest raw food and are designed to digest raw food. If you put a prey item in hot water, it will start to cook (look up Sous Vide, if you do not know what that is). The smaller the prey item and the hotter the water, the faster it cooks. Snakes cannot properly digest cooked food and know this. Even if the prey item is 5% cooked medium-rare, it's a turn off for the snake and not good.

Room temp to slightly higher temperature water takes longer to defrost prey in, but it won't cook the prey item(s) either. They will stay raw. This is super important. So is the 30 seconds hot water trick or hair dryer trick at the end, especially for BP's, and most pythons, because of the heat pits. Smell alone may not entice a BP to eat. They want this heat pits picking up a nice, strong, heat signature as well.

Please see below for that step by step process, keep asking questions, keep learning, do not beat yourself up at all, and keep us posted.

GOOD LUCK!



This is my step by step list on defrosting F/T rodents.

Others may do it differently and that's fine. This how I do it and it works for me.


STEPS FOR DEFROSTING F/T RODENTS/PREY

1. Put prey item(s) into appropriate size plastic bag (1 for each). I use Quart size ziplock bags up to a medium rat. NOTE: Bags are optional. Some people just throw the prey in the water. I like the bags, but you have to squeeze the air out of them.

2. Fill the container/storage box 3/4 of the way with room temp to slightly warm water. If you have a temp gun (which you should, so if you don't, get one), make sure the water is not hotter than 85-90F, or there about.

3. Put F/T prey item(s) in water. Cover (optional) and leave for an hour +/-. Less if smaller prey and longer if bigger prey (however longer does not hurt smaller prey).

4. After an hour, rotate/flip prey. If in plastic bags, they often will stay on whatever side you put them in on. So if mouse is on left side, turn to right side, etc.

5. Leave for another hour +/- for a TOTAL of about 2 hours (up to medium sized rat - longer if bigger prey - Large rats, for example).

6. Check that prey is defrosted totally through. Squeeze at different sections of the preys body. Should be cool/room temp to touch, but be soft with no cold spots. If hard (except for bone), in abdomen, for example, or cold, put back in water until room temp and soft.

7. Take prey out of the container/storage box and put aside. THEN FOLLOW STEPS 8-11 OR STEP 12

8. Fill container with hot water from tap. If using temp gun, water temp should be 110-130F, not more.

9. Drop prey item into water for 30 seconds +/-. If multiple prey items, do one at a time. You want each item hot when you offer.

10. Remove (if hot water, with tongs).

11. Dry as best as you can, and is quickly as you can, with paper towels. I dry with paper towels while I am walking from the bathroom where I defrost to the snake tanks. I kind of wrap the prey item up in them. It's ten feet, so by the time I get to the tanks, the prey is drier, but still warm.

12. If not using hot water, use a hairdryer to heat rat so it entices snake

13. Open tank and offer ASAP on tongs. Wiggle gently to make it appear alive.