Reptile & Amphibian Forums

He's a male so I am used to his fasting, but usually he is out of it by now. Last year I think he came out of his hunger strike in March, and the year before that I believe it was the same thing. Now we're almost into May and I can't yet seem to get him interested in his food again. The most I got out of him is he came out and sniffed the mouse (thawed and warmed a little) and then turned around and went back into his hide spot. I haven't noticed any real weight loss, and he seems to be acting like his normal self.

Any tips on how to get him back in the swing of things? Is it just going to be a waiting game? He has always taken frozen/thawed mice, and occasionally frozen/thawed rats (would like to wean him onto rats completely). I have tried feeding him both to no avail. He does seem a little more interested in the mice, but by a very small margin.

Thanks.

I would recommend trying live. Some times they will hit it and then they seem to have the taste for food again and you can get him back on f/t.

matt

Run down the usual checklist first:
Temps
Humidity
Any changes to his environment? New tub? New water dish? New hide? New rack/tank location? New (different) substrate? Etc.

If the rodents are from last year they may not be fresh enough for him. It might be time to order a new batch. I've got some snakes that will only take the freshest rats I have and others that are on the opposite end of the spectrum so it all works out fairly well for me.

You can try a live rat or mouse, but I would offer him one that is smaller than he normally eats. Be sure to have a frozen thawed rodent ready. If he takes the smaller live rodent, you can offer him the frozen thawed rodent soon after he gets the first one down - while he is still in "feeding mode".

Other than that... patience is the most useful tool any herper can have.
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Try taking him outside on a nice warm sunny day. Getting a good dose of natural UVA & UVB light can bring them out of that winter fasting mode. Try feeding him right away when you get him back in his home. I got this advice from a vet that specializes in exotic animals. Worked for me last year. I had to try it 2 or three times, then he ate weekly.

Bill J

From both of you.

BrandonSander, good idea with the frozen rodents. Now that you have me thinking about it, they are closing in on a year old now, so I will get a new batch this weekend and see how that goes. I have had him for about three years (got him as a newly hatched CB), and I have had a lot of trouble getting him to take rats. Last summer we made some progress by feeding him a small mouse, another small mouse, and then finally a small rat, and this was working pretty well. I am hoping when I do get him back feeding this summer to get him switched over to rats, but I think I will buy large mice first because he is most used to them.

reptilejunkie, I will also definitely try taking him out on a nice warm and sunny day. Hopefully this weekend or next we will have some nice weather again here in Upstate NY.

Thanks for the input. I will try your suggestions and if nothing seems to be working I will try live. If that doesn't work he will be taking a trip to the vet.

Ryan,
Where in upstate NY do you live? I am from the Buffalo area. If you need the name of a good herp vet I can let you know who I go to.

Bill J

I live in a suburb of Rochester. Dr. Gerald Balonek is usually my go-to vet for reptiles and other animals. He seems to do a really good job, and I was under the impression that he was the only real reptile vet in the area. Are there others?

Thanks

I agree with what your saying except that I wouldn't give him more than a single meal to start with. Since it's been some time since the last feeding it isn't a good idea to feed much at all for the first few meals , reason is because it's gut isn't used to it since it's been off feed and empty for some time as was mentioned. I'd give it one single item at least twice before I would even consider or worry about doubling up on food. Just my 2 cents I guess.

Anthony McCain

One of my males hadn't eaten since dec.
He would act like he was interested but eventually he would just go back in his hide. I usually feed prekilled med rats I tried pk small rats. If i fed live he would go up for a good sniff and they would move and he would go back to his hide. So I just put a rat pup in there the other day and after a few min I heard him grab it. After that he took a prekilled small rat and has been poking his head out like he wants more so I think he is back on feed. So even though the RP was too small to be a meal it seemed to get him back to eating again.