Reptile & Amphibian Forums

hi i bought a baby female burm from a guy

and the baby was born on May 15,09,,and i got it from him when she was 3 days old,

i have had her and kept her at the right temps,and every thing and she still hasent shed or taken her first meal,,

i have tryed live and frozen pinkies,hoppers,and fuzzys,
in the dark ,,every type of way you could try and she still hasent eat,

i was wondering if is there any thing else i should try,,

and should i be concerned.
Thanks

ive had luck with changing caging esp. with bloods i usually setup babies in glass enclosures and if they dont want to eat i try shoebox type enclosures to help them feel more secure
-----
The road to hell is paved with good intentions....

Hi!
There are so many possible reasons under the category of "cage setup" for it not to be eating yet. The main thing is that you have to make sure that you're doing everything you can to kick in, speed up, it's metabolism.

I keep my hatchlings in 6qt Sterlite tubs in a rack with heat tape set to 92 degrees F. I believe that Burmese python hatchlings do better when kept near the higher end of the suggested temperature range.

I believe your best bet to entice it to feed is by using live pinkie mice. Leave 'em in overnight.

A healthy hatchling could go as long as 4 months without eating. However, I would most likely intervene before then by force-feeding it. You should be concerned, which you obviously are or you wouldn't have posted, but it's not time to worry, just yet.

How about tellin' us what your setup is like and let's see if there's anything there that might could be affecting it.

What size cage?
Does the cage & it's location allow the snake privacy & security? (High or low traffic area, number of sides it can see out of, etc...)
Heat source.
Hot/Cool end temps.
What are you using to measure the temps?
Humidity level.
If hides are used, where are they located?

Hang in there!
HH
-----
Due to political correctness run amuck,
this ol' hillbilly is now referred to as an:
Appalachian American

www.natures-signature.com

I had the same issue as the first post with my blood python and moved it into a small rubber made i kept in the cage with the temp at 85, and all I had to do was leave the thawed rodent in there, and it was gone.

Same thing with my baby burm when I brought her home, she did not eat for me, she was in a big glass cage, and well I gave her to a friend who put her in a small cage, and gave her live food, and then had to make the switch from there.

I still have a boa that will not eat if you do not give her a paper to hide under and she is 5 or 6.

Just need to make them feel secure, but answer HH questions since he had bred these guys, and mine where all just different attempts and stress for myself and probably for the little guy.
-----
0.2 Rotts
1.0 Super Tiger (Dash)
1.0 Amel Retic (Mahola)
0.1 Ball Python (Cyeanne)
0.1 Red Tail (Memphis)
1.0 Coral Sun Glow Boa (Rodman)
0.1 Blood Python (Danica)
1.0 Green Ananconda (Prefontain)
1.0 Emerald Tree Boa (Bing Bong)
1.0 Ivory Ball Python (Hansel)
0.1 Bumble Bee Ball Python (Sissy)
0.0.2 Yellow Ackies (Ludmilla and Ivan Drago)

sorry i havent got back latly

but she's in a ten gallon reptile aquarium,
with paper towel for substrate
she's got a hide,a decent sized water bowl,and a limb she likes to hide in,

i keep it any where from 90-95 during the day
and around 85 at night,

she still hasent shed or eatin,
buy she did use the bath room for what i think is the first time,
and her belly has turned pink
so i think she might shed and later down the road eat

But Thanks Every Body

Blake

"...she did use the bath room for what i think is the first time..."

That's a positive sign. I'd wait a few days & then try feeding her. Don't get too hung up about her not having shed, yet. Some will eat before they shed, some won't. My clutch was 7 days old the other day and over half of them ate, though none have shed, yet.

There's a chance that her body is just slow about kickin' in gear. There's also a chance that the temps/setup aren't what they should be. I can't stress enough how important it is to know exactly what the temps are and to maintain them steadily.

95 is too hot. The hot end of the tank should be 92, maybe 93 at the most. The other end of the tank should be between 82 - 85. I'd eliminate the nite drop temp & keep it constant until it begins eating good.

Since you have two hides, place one on the hot end & the other one near the cool end. Cover the majority of the top with aluminum foil, plastic, or something to help retain humidity and be sure to keep plenty of fresh water available.

I'm sorry that you're having to deal with this situation. You shouldn't have to. I don't even sell hatchlings to experienced keepers without them having eaten at least two meals and seemingly in good health.

Hang in there!
HH
-----
Due to political correctness run amuck,
this ol' hillbilly is now referred to as an:
Appalachian American

www.natures-signature.com

Hey Burmtic. First of all,the guy shouldn't sell snakes that are not eating yet. This can be frustrating to a new snake keeper. Some of these little guys won't eat until they shed. Some will. Like HH said, do not be worried yet. I had a clutch hatched on May 6-10. Out of the clutch I had 5 problem eaters. Now it's two problem eaters. Like HH, I keep them in 6qt sterilites on 87-90 deg heat tape and each one has a little hide to feel secure. All the other burms took off with live hopper mice. The problem eaters finally ate with live pinkie rats. I first washed the rats off with mild soap and water to get rid of the "rodent" smell. Then I left them in with the burms for an hour or so before I checked them. Gone! Give it a shot as this worked for me. Wait at least a couple days between feeding attempts. I hope this helps. Good luck! Rich

I agree! I wouldn't think of selling a snake that hasn't had at least one shed and fed two or three times. Personally, I wouldn't buy one that hadn't met the same conditions, but everyone's different.

I think after she sheds for the first time, she'll eat after a few days/week. I don't breed Burms, but that seems to be the trend with other snakes.

I agree with you & the big hairy fella (just pickin' at ya. ) - This person shouldn't have to be dealing with this situation.

I wouldn't sell a non-feeder to a novice keeper because of the difficulties that can be involved.

I wouldn't sell one to an experienced keeper because of the risk that it didn't make it, that person is still likely to hold it against me, thereby possibly ruining what lil' reputation I have.

Later!
HH
-----
Due to political correctness run amuck,
this ol' hillbilly is now referred to as an:
Appalachian American

www.natures-signature.com