Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i bought a het adult female from a breeder in the classifieds a while ago...he said she was a picky eater.she would eat mice.she was 1100 grams when bought.she hasnt eaten a meal for me or craped anything.i have paper work for genetics.tryed to feed several times and nothing....ive tryed everything under the sun,should i resort to asr? or? any help guys would be great thanx.
brian
EXOTIC CONSTRICTORS

What kind of enclosure are you keeping him in? Most of my situations of not eating have come from stress. One way I have eliminated stress is to eliminate space. My picky eaters have a very crowded tub. I take balled up newspaper and cover almost every inch of their tubs making it very crowded. They will touch newspaper no matter where they go in their tubs. This has almost always worked for me. I do have one that I had to use the newspaper and paint the sides of his tub black for more security, he is in a Vision Product CB70 rack. Heat and humidity can also play a role.
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i have her in a 32qt tub....on paper.ive tryed that as well and nothing.anything else...thanx fat boys

Fatboy,
when you feed do you feed live, F/T, or P/K? and when you do do you leave all the newspaper in the tub?

I feed live rats appropriately sized. I feed on the newspaper but stay in the room the whole time to monitor for any bites. When I hear the snake grab the rat I take a look to make sure the rat can't bite. Anyone that has not ate in 15-20 minutes I go in and get the rat out.
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How long have you had her?
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Tosha
JET Pythons

i got her in oct,what do u think tosha?
thanx brian

4 months and not feeding is not unusual for this time of year, depending on where you live - off feed for the winter maybe. But 4 months and no defecation leads me to believe your BP was not feeding for a while (however short) prior to you getting it. When was it's last meal and defecation? I'd find those things out first.

You may want to have her tested once she defecates to be sure. I would not go to ASFs now as you are in the middle of the cooling season and she likely would not eat any way. Like the others said, set up the environment perfectly and then offer food once every 10 days or so. Start with what she was used to.
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Jay A. Martin
Jay Martin Reptiles

Given the recent move, the time of year and the size of the snake - I would assume it's a winter fast - and probably nothing to worry over - make sure you are offering what she is used to eating - keep offering every few weeks and she'll likely start feeding in another month or two.

Good luck!
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Tosha
JET Pythons

Be sure to monitor the weight so you know if she is losing an excessive amount of weight. If she isn't losing much weight I wouldn't be too concerned. If she starts dropping a lot of weight I would take her to a vet immediately.
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Ryan Sherman
Scottsdale, Arizona
www.ThePaintedPython.com