Hey, my young female pyro is taking longer than usual to eat her f/t fuzzy. I am not worried about how to get her to eat. I just want to know how long you guys would think its safe for me to let the mouse sit in there for. I have a 50 watt over the hot side and the mouse is right in the middle so its probly 85 degrees on it maybe more. I do pierce the head for scent purposes. Is it safe for the snake to let it sit in there overnight under the light or should i just take it out and try again in a couple days. I know kings have a strong metabolism and can digest almost anything but is there a time limit on a mouse? Obviously when it turns black that is too late. Thanks, any help will be appreciated.
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how long will a f/t last in a warm cage
hudafe999
May 06, 2009 10:17 PM
Replies (5)
MikeRusso
May 06, 2009 11:10 PM
Turn off the light an leave it in overnight.. if it's still there tomorrow morning then toss it... or offer it to another animal.
~ Mike Russo
hudafe999
May 07, 2009 12:20 AM
Will do, thanks for the advice.
markg
May 07, 2009 02:52 PM
The light does not have to be on at night. Better if off, or at least dimmed down alot. Your snake will be fine. It could be that the dry, hot air in the cage is actually being avoided by the snake, and feeding is not the snake's top priority under those conditions.
They can feed and be somewhat cool overnight without regurgitating. My pyro can eat in the late afternoon, then cool down at night to 65-70 deg and not see a basking area until morning, and not regurgitate.
Ordinarily I just leave the heater on, but it is against one end of the cage - an undertank heater taped to the side of the tank. Doesn't really matter if on the side, back, or under. Point here is, there is a basking spot, but most of the cage is cooler.
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Mark
markg
May 07, 2009 02:55 PM
Just realized you didn't ask about heating methods...
OK, to lengthen the freshness of the thawed mouse, turn off the light. Then use undertank/sidetank/backtank heating.
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Mark
ssshane
May 13, 2009 09:00 PM
If you have other snakes that eat the same size item, I would only leave it overnight. As mentioned before, then offer it to another animal if not eaten. This will reduce wasted food items. If you don't have others to eat it, maybe leave it 1 more day, then its trash. IMO
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Shane@SSuperiorSSerpents.com
http://www.ssuperiorsserpents.com/
