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sorry snake still hasnt eaten post

Triton20x Aug 10, 2009 06:14 PM

Well my snake hasnt eaten since november ive been trying to feed him small rats hes about 4 feet he shows no signs of sickness he is pretty slim he comes out every nite like hes searching for food but he never takes it he is always sticking his tongue out help me plz sorry about the post way down there i forgot to reply to it.
thanks Shane
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1.0 normal
0.1 Black Back
1.0 Yellow Belly

Replies (5)

toshamc Aug 10, 2009 06:29 PM

Did you contact the previous keeper and find out what and how he was used to being fed? Double check your husbandry - maybe try mice instead of a rat ... Just wait him out...He'll eat when he is hungry -- unless he is a WC ball in which case you may need to find some ASFs.

Good luck.
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Tosha
JET Pythons
Toshas Blog

Herp Medicine does not equal a bottle of Baytril - Dr. Scott Stahl

thunderpaws Aug 10, 2009 06:59 PM

Hey,

Here is the deal. I acquired 5 snakes in the last year and was told they were eating rats. Well, guess what I spent 1 to 3 months every week going down and trying to feed them rats. They would act like the rat wasn't even in their view. They would completely ignore it. They were out and roaming. Well after numerous attempts to feed them rats I thought what the hell lets see what they do with a mouse. They all ate the mice and they ate them like they were crack cocaine. I actually wrote one of the breeders and called him out and he admitted that he was feeding it mice. I asked why he said it was eating rats and he told me that it was a mistake. He fed both and he realized it was eating mice.

The sad thing is this. Breeders are breeding 5000.00 dollar snakes and they have been selling tons of them for years. Some breeders will feed mice over rats because they are saving pennies on the dollar buying mice over rats. They also are selling the snakes before they have to deal with them at a larger size where if they are still eating mice it is a night mare trying to put weight on a growing female.

I know some of you are saying "Oh there goes Bill ripping on the breeders again" And I am. I am ripping on the ones that just care about money and nothing else. Some of us want to buy a snake with the truth behind it. I find it hard to believe when a breeder tells me a snake is eating rats and when I get the snake it wont eat one for a month. But as soon as I offer a mouse it eats within minutes. And that is fine I will work it out. I will just not buy again from that person.

The males not a big deal. They can stay on mice no problem. Anyway, once a ball stays on eating mice it is very hard to get them to eat rats. The smell is 100 percent different. Anyone reading this that has gone down our road will agree. I bet you if you go buy a live mouse and throw it in it will be gone in about 5 to 10 minutes. If that does not work you may have to try an ASF and if that does not work you may indeed have a problem. Buy a mouse and see. If the snake eats the mouse you have solved your problem.

Good Luck,
Bill
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0.1 Het Albino
0.1 Spider Het Albino
1.0 Albino
0.1 Spinner
2.1 Super Pastel
0.1 Jungle Pastel
0.1 Het Pied
1.0 Pied 50 percent
0.1 Clown
1.1 Het Lavenders
1.1 Het Caramel Albino
0.3 Normal
1.1 Kids
0.1 Spouse
1.0 Chocolate Lab

jason Aug 10, 2009 08:33 PM

Let me start this by saying that I had a male pastel that went over a year without eating with no ill effects to him. I, however, was pulling my hair out during his little fast.

You didn't mention in this post if you're feeding live or F/T. If you're feeding F/T, try a fresh killed or a live. Sometimes I find that I can "jump start" my snakes out of a fast with a live rat. Was he eating rats for you before? If not, he may, as others mentioned, be a mouser. If you can find African Soft Furred rats, give them a try. I have one who started eating F/T for me as soon as I got him, then he got progressively more and more picky until he wouldn't look at any rat, live, dead, or anywhere in between. I threw an ASF in with him and it was like a completely different snake.

Triton20x Aug 11, 2009 08:03 AM

He is eating live and i didnt get him from a feeder it was my first BP i got him from craigslist and i officially switched him over to rats and ive been trying to get him to eat mice as well but im guna get another rat soon and see what happens cuz the last time i tried to feed him was with a mouse
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1.0 normal
0.1 Black Back
1.0 Yellow Belly

chongorojo Aug 11, 2009 07:35 PM

Try scenting the rat/mouse with a gerbil. Lightly squeeze the gerbil over the rat or mouses head till it pees on the foods head then try???
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1.0 Sunrise (sshhh)
1.0 orange ghost mojave
1.0 Het pied
1.0 Hypo
1.0 Spider Het Hypo
0.1 orange ghost mojave
0.1 mojave (best looking one ever! thanks Jeff Luman)
0.1 Pastel Het ghost
0.1 Hypo
0.1 mojave
0.4 Het nerd Orange Hypo
0.2 poss Het nerd Orange Hypo
0.1 poss Het albino
0.1 het pied
0.1 Bell Jungle
0.6 normal breeders
0.1 black pastel (unproven)
0.1 Tiger ball (unproven)
0.1 genetic reduced pattern
0.1 black back
1.0 posslble salmon boa
0.1 BCI 8.5 ft
1.0 hypo okatee
1.3 Anery 100% het hypo amel and motley
1.1 snow corn
1.1 anery motley
0.1 ghost motley corn
0.1 lavendar het hypo
0.1 miami het hypo
0.1 miami
0.1 sunglow
0.1 candy cane
0.1 love line okatee
0.1 blue tail monitor
2.2 felines aka boa food ;o
And I am not gonna count all those rats . . .

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