Posted by:
nikongirl
at Wed Jan 16 13:01:08 2008 [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by nikongirl ]
Probably since the end of last summer, beginning of Fall. In the past he has done this but it lasted a few weeks. He'd refuse his mice, so I would wait a week, give him one, wait, give him one and after maybe a month he'd eat his mouse. From that point forward he'd devour them as usual until the next time he'd refuse mice. I don't believe it's due to housing conditions or anything like that. I really think he simply wants something other than the mouse. The last time he did this I waited him out a couple months and eventually he ate his mouse. This time he was willing to wait longer than I was, and after about 3 months is when I tried a storebought lizard. He ate it instantly, so I know it's not a problem with his appetite per se. I fed him the lizard to prove one way or the other if that was the case though (if he ate it I had no reason to think there was anything wrong with him other than being picky).
I offered him a small live mouse a couple weeks ago to see whether it was actually live food he was looking for not reptiles specifically. He didn't want anything to do with it. Not that I would want to feed live rodents regularly either, but I just wanted to elimintate the "live factor" as part of the problem.
Since then I have given him lizards twice, but I'm very reluctant to give him any more. I'm thinking about using a pinkie pump just to get some nutrition into him without giving in to more lizards. He's not a little guy, but the pinkie pump is the easiest way I've used to force feed, which in and of itself is not something I do without what I consider real cause.
I think I'm going to move him from my reptile room so he isn't picking up the scent of other snakes and the geckos and just go through all the tricks with rodents again (e.g., braining, scenting) and see if I can break the cycle again.
Any tips are welcome.
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RE: Cal King wants lizards not mice - nikongirl, Wed Jan 16 13:01:08 2008