Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I posted a couple weeks ago concerning my western hognose that has not eaten in roughly 2 months. I have been playing with the idea of force feeding it, but was wondering under what circumstances is it deemed necessary to take this approach. I do not want to overly stress out the snake. The snake is still fairly active, though seems to spend more time resting than I remember previously. I am not panicking as I expected this sort of behaviour but it is still concerning, which is why i've chosen to post again. If i dramatically reduce the heat on the warm side for a couple weeks, than warm it up and introduce a thawed pinky do you think that it might work?

andrew

Have you tried assist feeding?

Basically all you do is place the head of a small pinkie deep into the mouth and then gently place the snake down.

Lots of the time the snake will simply swallow the food item rather than spit it out.

It works like a charm with problem feeding ball pythons, and I know a couple hognose breeders that have used the same tactic.

So instead of forcing the food item down the snake's throat, you simply put it deep in their mouth and let them swallow it on their own.

Good luck.
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-Ross Payan - www.LeosAnonymous.com

Leos Anonymous

Ball Pythons, Red Striped Leos, W.Hognose and Screaming AFT's

Alright thanks, I'll give that a try. wish me luck

>>Alright thanks, I'll give that a try. wish me luck
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-Ross Payan - www.LeosAnonymous.com

Leos Anonymous

Ball Pythons, Red Striped Leos, W.Hognose and Screaming AFT's