Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My son's '05 GBK hasn't eaten in about 2 weeks. That last meal was a small F/T hopper. I thought it was a fuzzy (never having seen a fuzzy before, because the pet store employee gave me hoppers when I asked for fuzzies). Anyway, it took like 45 minutes or so, be she ate it.

Since then I got real F/T fuzzies (smaller than the small hopper she ate) and tried a couple of those. It would investigate the fuzzy, then totally ignore it. Next morning I had to throw it away. Upon teasing in its enclosure, she started striking at any movement and got real spooky. So, upon advice from the forum, I started feeding her in a separate container and went back to smaller pinkies. Again, they went ignored. My latest attempt was with a single (fairly large) pinkie last night. She seemed initially interested. She bumped it a couple of times with her nose, then, again, ignored it. (She's ALWAYS been fed F/T). Out of desperation, I tried teasing again, using my hemostatic foreceps, and she started striking again. This morning, the pinkie was still there, and she was striking at outside movement even then!

I took out the pinkie (with the foreceps), removed the half log hide, and then she calmed down. I was able to put my hand in without her striking, and then I picked her up and handled her for quite a while, with no sign of striking.

She's still very small for an '05, and now starting to seem thin. She is active, but my son and I are starting to worry. Why does she seem afraid of the mouse, and why does she ignore it once she realizes it's not a threat. Why isn't she viewing it as a meal? Should I go back to braining or tuna juice?

I had a similar problem with my '05 milk (without the striking part), but when I went back to pinks, he ate one of the two I left in there (almost an indiscernable lump - but it was eaten).

Help!

Thanks,

Walt

Have you tried to feed a live pinkie? If the snake is striking at movement is seems as if it is following it's natural instincts, which isn't to eat a frozen thawed lump of mouse. These snakes are predators in the wild and killing their prey is part if their feeding process. I'm not a pro herper or anything but if I were you I'd put the snake in seperate dark container with a live pinkie and let nature take it's course.
When I got my first g/b he was a young adult. I tried to feed him pre-killed and it was hit or miss. Once I began feeding live hoppers he's been a great feeder since. My yearling female was a runt from her clutch and not the best feeder (I'm told) but I've fed her nothing but live pinkies since I've gotten her and she's bulking up nicely. She'll kill and eat two of them weekly usually before my adult can get one in his belly.

Walt,

I think this 2005 is fine. I assume all the temperature enclosure and a water requirements are satisfactory. striking at movement is great. in my experience the snakes will strike out of fear or out of hunger. usually they are two very different strikes, but at least you are getting a reaction. if you hold a frozen thawed pink in front of the snakes nose, 1 cm away from the nose, within toungue strike, you can convert a fear strike into a hunger strike. I don't know how to describe it in detail, but with practice you might figure it out. I would say this method works say.... 50% of the time maybe, especially if the snake has already fed on uncented pinks. oh and when feeding scented frozen thawed pinks ( scented with a shed lizard skin ) this is an integral part of "Training" them to strike a hovering, unscented meal, then they convert to eating pretty much anything once the metabolism gets going.

Jim D.

Hey, here is a runt that turned out just fine!

I tossed one in her habitat (didn't use the foreceps) and hoped for the best. Came back later and it was gone! I was so excited, I warmed up another and threw it in. She got scared when it dropped in, and she zipped up her "tree" (plastic plant). The second Pink stayed there all night, so this morning I gave it and a fresh one to my milk snake. When I peeked a bit ago, I saw at least one in there, so it may have eaten one and stopped or hasn't eat either one.

Walt