My little headache...

[Bogertophis]

So what do you do when the animal won't eat FT?? I have had snakes that will NOT eat FT.. Period, end of story.. Do you just let the animal die?? I do my due diligence in trying to get animals onto FT but there comes a time where the animal suffers because it doesn't know any better... Just seems cruel to me..

I agree...I've known some very stubborn snakes too, & when they lose noticeable weight & energy they aren't going to suddenly get an appetite back, any more than a
hospital patient would without an I.V. Snakes are "wild" animals that rely on instincts...& those instincts know what they're looking for- live prey. Most can be switched
& that's always best, but some will just go downhill & so does their immune system...then you have not only a starved snake, but a sick one. I'm all for kindness to
rodents, but the snakes are my pets & their needs come first. I think that's just being realistic.

I do understand that we don't all operate under the same set of rules about feeding live...I guess in that case, I'd do a tube-feed, but it's not the same thing as triggering
a snake's natural instincts with that first live meal. I've raised quite a few hatchlings & neonates of many kinds, including 4 BPs.