I only have one Dum, but I have probably more general snake-keeping experience than most. There are, as you pointed out, TONS of posts about young Dums being difficult feeders. Read as many as you can find; there have been a lot of solutions tossed around! (for better or worse)



I bought my Dum when he was about one year old. I think part of why the snake was up for sale was because he was a difficult feeder and the guy selling him didn't want the headache. When I bought him, the snake was taking live mice, which I gave him for the first two feedings, then tried f/t rats (fuzzies or hoppers, don't remember), which he took readily. Pretty much from the moment I bought my Dum, he has eaten almost every prey item I have put in front of him - he is my "clean up" feeder! I'm sure this is part dumb luck, and I can appreciate that it just figures that when the previous owner (who I am still in touch with) decided he had had enough, the snake turned around completely! The reason I bring this up is that this seems to be a trend for a lot of Dum keepers on this forum; babies seem to be hard to get started, but really good, reliable feeders once they get established.



I think it was about 3.5 years ago now that I first saw my Dum and decided to try to find out more about this species. One of my first Google hits was a thread in this forum where somebody was claiming that baby Dums like lizards. The theory at least makes a little sense to me; Madagascar is home to a huge diversity of small lizard species. If you have access to a lizard, maybe try scenting the rodent prey on the lizard before you offer the rodent to your boa.



Otherwise, I pretty much agree with the other responses you have; try live fuzzies or hoppers until he starts feeding well.



Another useful trick: I like to feed in separate containers. There is a ton of debate about this, but it works GREAT for me. I use deep-proportioned rubbermaid tubs with locking lids. Something I have always noticed with my Dum is that he will eat anything as long as he is in his feeding bin & that bin is covered with a blanket or a towel. The larger the prey, the longer it seems to take him, but he is very reliable!



I hope this helps you. Good luck!

~Rebecca
-----
1.0.0 Dumeril's Boa '04

1.1.1 Ball Pythons

[1.0.0 '05 Orange Hypo (Specter)]

[0.1.0 '05 Het Orange Hypo (Sylvia)]

[0.0.1 '03 Normal (Sue)]

0.2 American Pit Bull Terriers (40lb darling lap dogs:Brandy&Mara)

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