Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have 2 big Girls, about 3000 Grams each, and im planning on breeding them this year. Im going to start cooling in November.
Im feeding them once a week, a small/medium rat.
Does that sound good? I havent seen any Rapid Growth, but it seems to be a steady incline. Which I think is better on the snakes.
And I also need any advice on getting a BP to eat.. Im going to try a Gebril tomarow, but ive heard only to try Gerbils of ASFs as a last resort, as it can cause them to gain a taste for them, and continue to refuse Rats and Mice.
Sorry to make this such a long post.
Hope everyone is having a Great Year.
Thanks.
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Got Balls?
Josh Molone

i couldnt get my big male to eat for a month. i say big but hes only 900 grams, hes the biggest i have. but anyways, i killed a rat and just left it in over night and when i checked on it in the morning it was gone. so maybe you can try that. let me know if that worked for you.

http://forums.kingsnake.com/viewarch.php?id=1269443,1269581&key=2007

This is a link i refer to when i have a troubled eater.... Good luck gettin he/she to eat

Josh, your females sound like they are doing fine. They are definitely big enough to produce some nice clutches for you. If you are worried that they are getting a little "too chunky" you can cut back the frequency of feedings. For their size, I personally wouldn't offer them smaller meals.

As far as the snake that isn't eating for you... can you give us a little more information as far as what you've tried already? I usually don't offer mice, gerbils, ASFs or any other type of prey until I've exhausted every other choice I have with rats.

There are a thousand different variables that can lead a snake to eat or not and probably just as many different tips, tricks and methods that you can employ to get them to eat. (You've been here for years now, so I know you know this.) Just let us know what you've tried so far and what you ultimately want your snake to eat. A little history about him also can't hurt... essentially - is he/she a new acquisition? Age/size? New tub/rack/tank? Any changes in cage furniture or environment? New bedding? Different rodent breeder? Was he/she eating before? If so, what was he eating? Why do you think he stopped eating?

You obviously don't need to type up answers to ALL of these questions, but they are the general questions I ask myself when I have a snake that won't eat. A little history will help us give you some ideas as to not only what to try but it can possibly help to figure out WHY it won't eat (which is actually the more important issue).
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Stay United!

I'm still not sure if it's weird that my best friend is a two year old boa named Ronin. He's quiet, non-judgemental and listens... what more could you want?

Thanks for all of the info, Brandon.
Yes, he is my newest snake. Ive had him a little over a month and a half. I was told he was a great mouse eater. He has never acted interested when I threw a mouse in there, although it would occasionally strike small Rats if I threw them in with him. But in the end he would always get frightend and Ball Up. So I tried F/T. He didn't have the smallest amount of interest. And another thing is, about 3 weeks after getting him, I moved to a new house. So I let him rest for a week and a few days, with limited handling, and didnt offer him any food. He acted interested, struck a Rat, then Balled up. His cage overall temp is around 82. I havent got the Rack setup, so I don't have a "Warm Side". That could be the problem. The Rack Building is on the top of my list, but not having a car of my own, I can't just drive out and get wood. I have all the measurements, ect ect, I just need to go to Lowes or somewhere to get some wood. The snake is staying at a pretty good 850-860 Grams, so hes not skinny yet. But im just concernd he wont be ready for this year, because those two big girls I was talking about in the previous post, are going to be his mates.
Sorry for such a long message.
Thanks!
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Got Balls?
Josh Molone

I also think gerbils and ASF's should be the last resort. Many people are getting snakes on them and if they should want to sell that snake it severely limits potential customers. I personally won't buy any BP's that eat anything besides rats or mice. I will also pay more for snakes that are eating f/t.

Back in the old days when breeding size females were worth their weight in gold, I was sold a feeding female to find out she would not eat. After 11 months, I finally tube fed her a couple times and then she started eating live mice.
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