Ugh...more feeding issues

[Lunawf]

So it has been 2 weeks since i moved all my bps in to tubs...and my little guy still has not eaten...he has not since i put him in the tub?? and now one of by big guys did not eat. The big guys look like that has some shed issues in the past, and have bad retained eye caps so i have the humidity set at 80%. One is eating like a champ...no probs. Im not to worried about the one big guy..he will be fine as long as he eats next week...but the little guy has not eaten in 15 days...and he is till so young...

should I be worried?

[simplechamp]

Have they started to lose weight yet? If they aren't losing weight or looking emaciated I wouldn't panic yet. Keep a close eye on them and measure weights often. If they start losing a lot of weight, then you should start getting more concerned. Keep trying to feed on their normal schedule and they'll eat for you when they're ready. It's probably just taking them some time to adjust.

[Drew87]

A couple of things you might want to try
- try to crumple some newpaper and put it around the tub
- try to present the room as much as possible
- or just leave him alone for a week, dont take him out or even open the tub
- then try to feed
Hope this helps. best of luck

[Lunawf]

I got Chiron(the big guy that would not eat yesterday) to eat tonight. But the little guy did not...kept running from it.(the mouse) going to leave him be completly for a week and try again.

[starmom]

When you try next week, try this:
-Feed after dark and at night- ball pythons are nocturnal.
-Pre-scent the room for an hour at least. Put the mouse in a small container with holes in it right next to the tub and really let the snake know that prey is near.
-Put the prey into the tub using as little light as possible to do this.
-Tippy toe out of the room and don't let anyone into the room and keep the room dark.
-After 30 minutes, tippy toe into the dark room and very quietly check if the mouse has been eaten. If not, leave alone for another 15 or so minutes.
-If the mouse is still there, keep it alive for another week and try again.

Some things to check:
-Is the tub too big for the snake?
-Is the temp at about 94F? Warmer temps will increase appetite.
-Does the snake have a very tight fitting hide?

Let me know how this works. I have a snake who was a miserable eater and was beginning to really lose weight. This methodology was taught to me by Becky (satanicintention) and has worked extremely well. My little hypo has more than doubled in weight and is right now eating her second mouse of the night!!

Take care and good luck!

[Lunawf]

When you try next week, try this:
-Feed after dark and at night- ball pythons are nocturnal.
-Pre-scent the room for an hour at least. Put the mouse in a small container with holes in it right next to the tub and really let the snake know that prey is near.
-Put the prey into the tub using as little light as possible to do this.
-Tippy toe out of the room and don't let anyone into the room and keep the room dark.
-After 30 minutes, tippy toe into the dark room and very quietly check if the mouse has been eaten. If not, leave alone for another 15 or so minutes.
-If the mouse is still there, keep it alive for another week and try again.

Some things to check:
-Is the tub too big for the snake?
-Is the temp at about 94F? Warmer temps will increase appetite.
-Does the snake have a very tight fitting hide?

Let me know how this works. I have a snake who was a miserable eater and was beginning to really lose weight. This methodology was taught to me by Becky (satanicintention) and has worked extremely well. My little hypo has more than doubled in weight and is right now eating her second mouse of the night!!

Take care and good luck!

I tried putting the mouse in total darkness and leave for an hour or so...and left the room completely dark and let no one in the room. temp on the cool side is 85 and on the warm side where his hide area it is 93. The hide is barely big enough for him. and the tub he is in is about the size of a 10 gal tank, but not as tall.

I have cleaned his tub and gave fresh water and plan on leaving him completely alone for 1 week and see what happens. He does not appear to have lost any wait and is active at night, he looks to me like he is hunting but not sure. He has not been in his hide since i moved him in to the tub. he is behind it.???

[Basketball303]

So I have a feeding issue and I didn't want to waste a thread on this....today was feeding time and I gave a small hopper mouse to my ball. He struck at the mouse three times before completely grabbing it. He ate it just fine. What I'm thinking (and it might be naive) but could I have possibly woke him up, is that why he was so 'lazy' or was it another reason?

[xanaxez]

i will not sayi it will work on all animals but if mine get stubborn and wont eat ill dip the preys head in chicken broth. it seems to entice them more to eat. also make sure the snake hasnt been bitten by the mouse or scratched by it, sometimes if they do they get a little scared of them the next time and hesitate on eating them thats why i always feed all of mine f/t now.

[dr del]

Hi,

Did you pre-scent the room so he knew dinner was on the way?


dr del

[Basketball303]

No, now that you mention it, that was a step I forgot. However, I don't feed F/T I do pre-killed, so do I just leave the food on top of the cage and let him figure it out?