hi i have a baby granite burm..i have only had him 3 weeks after the first week i tried to feed him and he wouldn't eat.Since then i have tried live, dead, fresh thawed, and i herd if you expose the brian it will trigger something, and it did in a ball python i had problems with so i tried it. i also tried to sent the rat pups or mice with chicken broth..any tips or anyhting would be greatly appreciated...thanks Gerald
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getting baby burm to eat?
geraldsnakes
Jun 18, 2006 10:42 PM
Replies (2)
reticguy2
Jun 19, 2006 05:55 AM
I answered your question the last time you asked, here it is again-
when I have a baby that refuses rodents I offer a frozen thawed chick, which they usually grab and eat immediately. Then I wait a few days, wet the head of a frozen thawed rodent and put some of the chick feathers on it. Offer it from tongs and once they smell the chick they eat it up. The following meal offer a rodent with no chicken scent. I've brought back numerous non-feeders using this method.
HighEndHerpsInc
Jun 19, 2006 08:12 AM
It would be my guess that stress could be the reason he is not accepting food. Try to reduce his stress for a week or two before trying to feed him again. Don't handle him, keep him in a dark cage with a nice, secure hiding box. Make sure his temps remain between 84 and 90 (night and day). After he has been left alone for a while offer him the rat again. If it is frozen-thawed make sure it is warm to the touch or at least that it's head is warm. Burmese use their heat-sensing gear to determine what they confront. If a food item does not register as a warm, living animal the burmese will sometimes not consider it as an edible thing. Make sure it's warm so it registers as a "living thing" to him.
Next, when offering it to him, read his body language. If he turns and hisses and tries to get away from it, instead of facing it and showing interest with quick tongue flicks then he isn't interested in eating and it's best to leave him alone and try another day. If he does face it and show obvious interest then cause it to bump into his neck. He should turn into it and grab it as "neck bumping" tends to stimulate a feeding response in most pythons.
If all this fails try leaving a live pre-wean rat or a large fuzzy in with him overnight. Make sure it is not old enough to become defensive and attack your snake.
Let us know how it is going from time to time.
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