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My gtp doesn't seem to want to eat. I have tried several times to no avail. I waited two days and tried the first time with a fresh killed and the gtp came down to inspect but wouldn't strike. The second night I tried with the same mouse thawed and the gtp bit it really slowly but then lost interest. I waited two days and tried with a live mouse. I put him in the cage and as soon as I did the gtp came down from the perch inspecting it face to face 1 mm from the critter and then lost interest. I waited about 15 minutes and put the live mouse on thongs and dangled him by the tail but that only seemed to freak the gtp out and he coiled up and lost interest. So now I have a live fuzzy in a seperate little holder and I don't know when I should try again or if I should kill it right before I try or try live again. If the problem is that my enclosure is too large for the 10 months old chondro would it be safe to move him into a small rubbermaid plastic container after 9 days of being in the large cage or would that be counter- productive? I had the chondro for 9 days now and the last time he ate was nine days ago. The temperature averages 85 degrees and humidity is at a consistent 85-90 percent. The second time I tried to feed the gtp I observed him drinking water out of the water bowl. He prowls the cage when left undisturbed and is extremely healthy. I just want to keep him that way. What should I do? Any help is greatly appreciated. I have a small 12 quart container I can move him into but I need advice first.

Wait a week and then try again. The problem could be stress from a combination of the enclosure size and shipping process. If it has only been nine days, wait 5-7 days and try again. Use a F/T or F/K fuzzy, not live. Don't hesitate to tap the snake with the fuzzy an inch or two behind the head. This usually illicits a strike.

Don't mess with it again for at least 5 days. If it doesn't eat after trying what I mentioned, then move it into a 12qt. rubbermaid and try it again 5-7 days after that.

Bart

Thanks for response. I tried to feed last night which was Sat. I will wait until Thursday night and try with a pre-killed. I think she just needs time but I want to know if it is me not trying hard enough. I think the gtp is healthy and vibrant and I don't want to screw up what the breeder accomplished by creating her. If I have to chew up the mouse and regurgitate it I think I would at this point but it's just me being imaptient. What can I feed the mousling while he waits? What do they eat? Thanks Bart.

If it's eating food, it will take a good rodent food. They will eat dry dog food but if you're going to keep it for a bit, I prefer to feed it good quality food so that you'll get the most from your food source when you feed. If it's a non-weaned baby, you won't be able to keep it alive unless the petstore will take it back and let you get another when Thursday comes. If they won't, you may as well kill it now and freeze it for later.

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How long will it live? You think I should kill it now and put it in the freezer? Meg will it make it to Thursday or do I need to kill it? I put a peice of cat food in there, a cracker, small peice of potato chip, and the top of a Pringles container filled with water lol. Should I kill it? I thought I may have a better chance if it was killed right before I fed. If I have to kill it I should put it in a bag and smack it on the table?

It will live about 48 hours without a nursing female. Tap it on the back of the neck with the handle of a butter knife, place it in a small freezer bag, and place it in the freezer. If your family complains about a dead mouse in the freezer, remind them that they have kept dead cows and chickens in there for years and you never complained.

Now comes the test of self-discipline. Regardless of its behavior, do not attempt to feed until Thursday or Friday. It might sound easy now, but come Tuesday night when it is perched looking down and wagging its tail, you are going ask yourself "maybe its hungry now". Do not attempt to feed! Once you thaw that fuzzy out, it must either be consumed or thrown away. Just like the dead cows and chickens, you do not re-freeze meat.

When Thursday or Friday comes around, turn the lights in the room off around 8pm and attempt to feed around 11pm, giving it a few hours to get into hunting mode. Do not turn the lights back on. Figure out a way to only have just enough light to see what you are doing (candle, lamp w/ dimmer switch, etc.). As I mentioned in the previous post, tap the snake just behind the head with the fuzzy. Be sure that you are using tweezers or hemostats at least 12 inches long. Anything shorter and you run the risk of your body heat confusing it.

If it doesn't eat, you will want to move it into a rubbermaid tub enclosure (wait until the next day to do this) and try feeding again in a few days. As Rico mentions on his site, some animals may not eat for weeks after shipping. In fact, I received another one of his animals a month ago that wouldn't eat for over three weeks and to this day hasn't struck at anything offered by tweezers. Ultimately, I decided to place the thawed mouse in a deli cup just below its perch and it ate it within an hour. It has since eaten twice like this but still shys away anytime I open its tub. This is an option you may want to consider in time but not until it is in a tub.

We all know how frustrating it can be to get the animal to eat for you the first time but rest assured that you have a quality, well established animal that has been eating for almost a year. It will come around in time and just needs to get comfortable.

Good luck,
Bart

"It will live about 48 hours without a nursing female. Tap it on the back of the neck with the handle of a butter knife, place it in a small freezer bag, and place it in the freezer. If your family complains about a dead mouse in the freezer, remind them that they have kept dead cows and chickens in there for years and you never complained."

I only live with my girlfriend and she don't care about the dead mouse in the freezer. She loves the gtp but doesn't like the feeding. Such is life. I just took your advice after I read this message. I smacked the mouse with the butter knife handle and it took a few good smacks. I put it in a sandwich bag and then smacked it against the wall and it's dead and now in the freezer. I felt bad because I never killed a rodent before. I once had a voracious water moniter that would eat as many mice as you could dish out. I'll do anything to help my chondro survive.

"Now comes the test of self-discipline. Regardless of its behavior, do not attempt to feed until Thursday or Friday. It might sound easy now, but come Tuesday night when it is perched looking down and wagging its tail, you are going ask yourself "maybe its hungry now". Do not attempt to feed! Once you thaw that fuzzy out, it must either be consumed or thrown away. Just like the dead cows and chickens, you do not re-freeze meat."

So if I try and feed Thursday or Friday night how long should I pesker the snake? Until she hides in her coils? Should I jiggle the mouse or keep it stationary or just bump the snake and try and irritate? I totally agree with what you are saying about the temptation to try and feed to early because I'm thinking that is my problem. I need to forget about trying to feed for a few days. Looks can be decieving and she always looks like she wants to eat late at night. Such is my inexperience with chondros. I knew this would be a challenge though and I appreciate your advice as you already helped me more than you know.

"When Thursday or Friday comes around, turn the lights in the room off around 8pm and attempt to feed around 11pm, giving it a few hours to get into hunting mode. Do not turn the lights back on. Figure out a way to only have just enough light to see what you are doing (candle, lamp w/ dimmer switch, etc.). As I mentioned in the previous post, tap the snake just behind the head with the fuzzy. Be sure that you are using tweezers or hemostats at least 12 inches long. Anything shorter and you run the risk of your body heat confusing it."

I got really long tongs and I was thinking of using a candle. Should I barely open the sliding door and try to hide so he can't see me or does it matter? I will tap him with the rodent a few times if he doesn't get interested but this guy seems so close to eating but gets shy and coils up sometimes. I think the patience of waiting a few days like you suggest is really good advice. I am going to try exactly what you say.

"If it doesn't eat, you will want to move it into a rubbermaid tub enclosure (wait until the next day to do this) and try feeding again in a few days."

I have to drill some holes in the tub and I can use a few drumsticks as perches if need be with paper towels. I can put the tub in the tank I already have conditions set if you think that would be okay. The tub is a 12 qt plastic shoebox type Rubbermaid tub.

"As Rico mentions on his site, some animals may not eat for weeks after shipping. In fact, I received another one of his animals a month ago that wouldn't eat for over three weeks and to this day hasn't struck at anything offered by tweezers. Ultimately, I decided to place the thawed mouse in a deli cup just below its perch and it ate it within an hour. It has since eaten twice like this but still shys away anytime I open its tub. This is an option you may want to consider in time but not until it is in a tub."

Okay well if the serpent doesn't dine this week there is little variables left other than changing the enclosure. I really appreciate the reply Bart. I don't know how experienced keepers like you and so many on this board raised healthy chondros for so many years when so little information was available. It's truly remarkable. I am blessed to have your help and it is still a major challenge for me.

"We all know how frustrating it can be to get the animal to eat for you the first time but rest assured that you have a quality, well established animal that has been eating for almost a year. It will come around in time and just needs to get comfortable."

I feel like I have a gift from heaven and I don't want to mess it up so I need advice from people like you who care about the gtp. I feel like I got an opportunity to raise one seriously beautiful chondro and this one is vibrant and a real lover. Thanks for the reply.

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My advice is that if the animal doesn't take it after tapping it behind the head for two to three minutes, then give up. Don't hesitate to tap it in other parts of its body as well from time to time.

Another thing you may want to consider is taking those pvc perches out and replace them with perches no larger than the snake's diameter. Oak dowel rods work well but should be replaced every month due to the humidity. Obviously, you want something that can be removed and only temporary until the animal gets a little bigger - then use the pvc perches. Not only is the cage a bit big for the critter, but those perches are a bit too thick for an animal that size. There are other things you can use, the dowel rods is just one suggestion. It doesn't need to look good, just function properly.

Bart

I think I am going to drive to my parents' house and find a thinner branch and go to Home Depot and buy those hook and loop fasteners to hang a live branch in the cage or some sort of dowel. A drum stick would be the perfect size but it's not long enough to fasten. Last night I left the gtp undisturbed and he was drinking from the water bowl again. Right now he is sleeping on the opposite side of the heat panel on the lowest perch directly over the water bowl. This is the opposite location that he usually sleeps. He's usually sleeping directly underneath the heat panel on the top perch. The gtp uses all three perches a lot at night when he wakes up. He hangs from the perches sometimes and drops his head all the way to the floor investigating with his body hanging on the perches. Do you think I should take all three out or just change one for now so as not to make any drastic changes? This snake is very active at night. I don't know if all chondros are this active but it really seems like he is getting to know his space. I think I will put a thinner branch or dowel in there and see if he uses it as much as the others.

I would take all the pvc perches out but do not modify (drill, cut, etc) the cage just to add smaller perches. You can take some dowel rods and criss-cross them with cable ties to make a sort of ladder, then just lean it up against the back of the cage at a 45 degree angle. I wouldn't make it anymore complicated than that.

Bart

I bought thin dowel rods but I don't have time to cut them. I put a few smaller live branches inside the cage. I baked them in the oven for about a half an hour let them cool and placed them as an option to climb on. I just criss crossed a few thinner branches around the pvc perches until I can cut the dowels. It's just temporary. I put the thinner dowel in there too at the low bottom of the cage running up the corner. Just for the night until I refigure the perches. I noticed he likes to hide under brush so I put a bit of fake plant under the heat panel because he rested underneath the fake plant on the opposite side he usually stays when I put the fake plant in.