How long to wait before trying a feed again?

[Craiga 01453]

Hey.

I'd say a minimum of 5 days but ideally another 7. He won't starve for 7 more days and reptiles are often slow to settle in. Double check your husbandry and temps, and try again in 5 days minimum.

Some tips:

Try to feed in the dark at night, they are nocturnal so have an instinct to feed when it's dark.

Minimise your presence. If you can, stand as far 'behind' your snake as possible, holding the mouse ahead of you with tongs. Some snakes will not eat if they are nervous, and your heat signature will be a big tell even in the dark.

You can try defrosting the feeder in the same room and 'braining' the rodent by sticking a toothpick through its skull. This will release a scent of blood and brain matter, which can trigger a stronger feeding response.

Heat up the feeder with a hairdryer to around 37c, rodents have a fast metabolism and are very hot, and pythons have heat sensing pits, the heat will hopefully induce a feeding response.

Hold the rodent by the body with tweezers and not the tail. In the wild, mice don't hang down from above.


These are just what helped me - every snake is different.

Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk

I agree with most of the above, with the exception of "braining". I've actually never heard of this actually working in the 20 years or so I've been around this hobby.


Make sure you're getting the prey good and warm. Use your temp gun to make sure it's heated up to approx 100°. Keep in mind smaller prey cold quickly so you may have to reheat and offer more than once.

Wait at least 5 days to offer again.