7 months and my BP hasn't eaten-is it time to force feed?

[gigideluxe]

Hello Everyone!
My Male BP (Leviathan) is from a petstore, I know, I know- never buy from a petstore-anyway....I purchased him around october, and he still hasn't eaten yet. He appears to be in good health, minus the ticks I spent weeks removing from him - this is why people say "never buy from a petstore"!lol-lesson learned.
He is active, looks good, does not appear to be losing weight-doesn't seem to be growing either though.
Is it hibernation? Pet Store trauma? Should I force feed him-or wait?
Thanks-
Gigi

[jamesw]

I wouldnt force feed him.
How old is he, and whats his weight?

[Freakie_frog]

He is active, looks good, does not appear to be losing weight-doesn't seem to be growing either though.
Is it hibernation?

Depending on the age and size of the animal wait if its not loosing weight and is still active your snake could be recovering from overfeeding. An older larger animal going off feed isn't unusual, if your setup is spot on and you keep an eye on his weight you sould be ok. But a younger smaller animal could be something more going on there.

[lillyorchid]

If he came in with ticks on him, then he probably have internal parasite's too. Most Petstore BP's are either captive hatched, or wild caught. internal and external parasite's can cause a snake to go off feeding. I'd get him to a vet and have them run a fecal swab on him to see what may be going on in there. If he does have parasite's then getting him wormed will help him out. Also bring it to the vets attention that he has yet to eat for you and you bought him back in Nov of 06.

[Freakie_frog]

If he came in with ticks on him, then he probably have internal parasite's too. Most Petstore BP's are either captive hatched, or wild caught. internal and external parasite's can cause a snake to go off feeding. I'd get him to a vet and have them run a fecal swab on him to see what may be going on in there. If he does have parasite's then getting him wormed will help him out. Also bring it to the vets attention that he has yet to eat for you and you bought him back in Nov of 06.

Bingo I read to quick..

Yes get that animal to the vet Pronto.

[gigideluxe]

Hi-
Well no one knew how old he was exactly, but the guess was 6 months, I weighed him this morning, and he's 1 pound 8 ounces.
Thanks- G

[JLC]

If he's not eating on his own, I don't think force-feeding is going to help. That is an extremely stressful event. I would only consider force-feeding for a snake too starved or sick to actually eat on its own, and then it would be under the advice and supervision of a qualified vet.


Rather, take a look at your husbandry and let's see if we can figure out WHY he won't eat. It he had ticks when you bought him, chances are he's wild caught and therefore even more difficult to get established than a captive bred snake that has only ever known captivity. In this case, it's even more critical that your husbandry be spot-on and directed toward the snake's feeling SECURE, rather than any keeper's enjoyment of watching and/or handling them.

So...that being said...if you want to give us a detailed description of your set-up, we'll see if we can help you get him eating.

• What size/type enclosure is it?
• What temps do you maintain in there?
• How do you achieve those temps and how do you measure them?
• Same for humidity...what is it and how do you measure it?
• What sorts of hides do you have in there?
• Is the enclosure in a high-traffic area or near any loud speakers?
• Do you handle the snake often?
• What are you offering it to eat, and how often?
• Has it been checked out by a vet for internal parasites?

Those are just a few questions that will help us get started.

[Spaniard]

At a pound and a half I would think he was older than a year, probably closer to two. I bought my female from a petstore and she just ate for me after a 6 month fast. I did however take her to the vet when I first got her so I knew she was parasite free. If you haven't taken him to a vet yet, it would probably be a good time.

[Freakie_frog]

At a pound and a half I would think he was older than a year, probably closer to two. I bought my female from a petstore and she just ate for me after a 6 month fast. I did however take her to the vet when I first got her so I knew she was parasite free. If you haven't taken him to a vet yet, it would probably be a good time.

Two pounds is only 907 grams

[JLC]

Two pounds is only 907 grams

Right...so for a snake that hasn't eaten for 7 months (at least...who knows how long before she bought it?) to weigh as much as 750 grams, it could very well be 2+ years old. I'm betting the pet store seriously understimated its age when they guessed 6 months at the time of purchase.