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RE: Actually...

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Posted by: Sonya at Sun Feb 1 15:02:13 2004   [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by Sonya ]  
   

>>I will put a hide on the cool side tonight. I have only had her for a week she was give to me by a breed because he was tired of her not eating and having to force feed her. She is probably 3 months old. Has never eaten on her own. Was last force fed one week ago.





Force fed or assist fed? I mean, did you put food in her mouth and let her go or is it tubed or 'forced' all the way down?



I really think a lot of the wild caught especially and some of the CB BP babies are slow starters and we are impatient people.



I have my first two hatchlings (first ever I hatched here) from last year and they have only ever assist fed. Refused live in any way shape or form and have taken prekilled with acceptance but not f/t. Month old and losing weight when I first assisted and they dove at them. ONCE recently one of them actually snapped up a prekilled small mouse. But things that I have learned (and these are hatched the first of Sept 03 as well as dozens of imported babies in the pet trade when I managed a ps) that if you are to a point were they will close their mouth on the prey once you have opened their mouth with the mouse's nose then they are a hairs breadth away from eating on their own. Once you can get them to wrap that is another big step.

Often if the head is in their mouth and you stop moving and can continue to hold them they will wrap your hand or the prey and start to swallow on their own.



If they are backing up and NOT having anything to do with the prey (convulsively almost)then they are not gonna take it. I would stop and go back in 5-7 days.



With my two, and any that I did at the store when I worked there, they will sometimes go several weeks, especially if they are in shed. They will also tend to accept the assist much faster if they are good and hungry. I would rather see you offer every week or two then every 4 days. BPs are like elephants...they never forget I swear.



A couple of other points. In my mind I wouldn't just let her go too long if she is that little and in the circumstance of not ever eating. BUT, a little cooling may kick her back in if she has okay weight and can go a month. This helped mine.



Don't lose hope. I have seen many start this way and go on to be voracious eaters. If she has gained any weight this way I would give her a lot more hope than if she hasn't. What is her weight?

My meager experience.

Sonya
-----
Sonya



Failure is not an option. It comes bundled with the software.

   

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