Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello all,

First off I just wanted to say thanks for the big response that I got from the first post, it was much appreciated!

Okay..Today exactly 1 week after his last attempted feeding and 1 week since I moved him upstairs and switched from a heat light to a heat pad, I tried to feed my hatchling JCP again. I "tempted" him with the mouse and he struck once, although I think it was out of self defense as he didn't grab hold of the fuzzie and he didn't seem interested there on out. I have placed him back in his tank, and I placed the F/T fuzzie inside of his hide box(a small piece of PVC pipe that he likes to hang out in) and I placed a sheet over his tank so it is completely dark inside, and hopefully he will feel more comfortable and choose to eat.(Fingers Crossed)

I hate to ask this but what is the next step if I can't get him to feed within the next two weeks...that will be almost 3 months that he has been off of feed. Is it a trip to the vet? Euthanasia? or Force Feeding? What do you do when your snake refuses to eat no matter what you try? I've tried almost everything now, I am going to bring him back to the place that I bought him from (NY Reptilia) and see if they can help me this week, but if he still refuses a meal, even a live one, then what?

P.S. Rather than making a another 2 posts in the kingsnake and hognose forum I'll ask my questions here.

My Western Hognose has also gone off feeding, he is a hatchling and it's been 1 month since his last meal. I've tried just about everything with him too, including toad scenting his pinks...I know that hogs go off feeding very often, but any tips/tricks that might help me to get this guy to eat?

My Desert Kingsnake (My best tempered-favorite snake) has also gone off feed, it has been 2 weeks since her last meal. She is a yearling so I know this is no cause for alarm yet, but up until two weeks ago she hadn't refused a meal EVER..I am concerned, nothing has changed with her either, same cage conditions, same feeding routines, same everything, she just won't eat either. She was a VERY aggressive feeder before this, eating 1 or more fuzzies at one sitting and sometimes followed by 1 or 2 pinkies if my hondurans didn't eat them. And she is only around 28 inches long and about as thick as an average persons index finger around...I switched over to Rodent Pro at the beginning of November from my local supplier but she as well as the hognose ate the mice at first, now they both refuse. The JCP has been refusing since before I switched, but I also tried switching back to my old supplier and still no dice.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Thank you for your time and sorry for such a long-winded post.
-Ralph
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2.1 Bearded Dragon
0.0.5 Hatchling Bearded Dragons
1.1 Honduran Milksnake
1.0 Florida Brooksi Kingsnake
1.0 Blood Red Cornsnake
1.0 Jungle Carpet Python
0.1 Desert Kingsnake
1.0 Western Hognose Snake
1.0 Bull Mastiff

Whats the substrate,temps,weight does he appear healthydoes he have excess mucus,email me?I'll try to help Reptile@Usadatanet. Net

Did you try putting your JCP in a smaller tupperware container inside the tank? The tank, most likely, is simply too big for him right now. Baby carpets occasionally get freaked out by wide, open spaces.

Buy a smaller tupperware container (like a breadbox, or shoebox, or something of that size), poke many, many ventilation holes in it, give it a suitable substrate (paper towles), and put your snake in it. Leave him alone for a few days, and then leave (dead) food outside the hidespot. This will most likely work. I've had very similar problems with my bredli.

Good luck, and keep us posted!

-John

John,

I didn't try the tupperware trick yet, that was my next move. Although I usually try and feed him in a smaller tupperware rather than his hide box, but I will be feeding him in a smaller tupperware from now on, thanks for the advice!!!

Okay everyone I'm about as happy as I could get that he ate, and a Fuzzie at that!!

Thanks for all your help!!!
Ralph
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2.1 Bearded Dragon
0.0.5 Hatchling Bearded Dragons
1.1 Honduran Milksnake
1.0 Florida Brooksi Kingsnake
1.0 Blood Red Cornsnake
1.0 Jungle Carpet Python
0.1 Desert Kingsnake
1.0 Western Hognose Snake
1.0 Bull Mastiff

My browser is not working properly so I apologise if anyone has already said any of the following to you already!

First of all Its my opinion that you have done the right thing in changing him from a Heat Light to A Pad.

Initially I am thinking mites! OK one snake not feeding is not a big prob but for 3 to stop that`s a pattern i have seen before! Make sure you check around the water bowl for mites and look for white specks on the animals that look like dust (mite`s Poo!) If it IS that then you have taken a step in the right direction!

If you are all clear on that then I would look at perhaps trying a different source for your food, just to experiment with that.

A trick that has always worked for me with ANY fussy python that i have ever worked with is to get as fresh a food item as possible and obviously make sure it is thoroghly defrosted, I would try a pinkie as scaling down the food size has always helped me, either way get a cup of really warm water not boiling but quite a bit warmer than lukewarm and drop the food in!
Give it about 5 mins in there and get your tweesers/forceps and then offer it to him, I have found this to work for me 95% of the time! make sure that when you take it out of the water that YOU do not touch it with your hands (to keep your scent off it)
If its is still not interested empty the water out and repeat it again afresh but this time leave the food in front of it not touching but 2-3 inches away from it.
If this still doesn`t work i`d seriously take it to a vet and get some help there but dont leave it too long before taking it as most vets see a poorly snake and seem to always want to euthanase them!(Here in Scotland anyway!)

Hope you get the help that works for you

Keep us posted

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1 Chameleo Calyptratus, 1 Varanus Exanthematicus, 1 Morelia Spilota Sp.??

UPDATE-

Rex, my JCP FINALLY ATE!!!!! After 2 months and five days of fasting he decided to eat.

Okay To the first gentleman who replied, I will still email you as hopefully you can help me out!!!

To the second gentlemen. Thanks for the advice, I will check for Mites Double ASAP although I don't think they have mites as I don't understand where they would get them from. But thanks for your opinion, it is much appreciated. P.S. I always use the hot water chick with my frozen feeders, i thaw them in a cup of warm water and them place them in a cup of hot water before i offer them to the snake.

Okay here is what happened last night i offered him the fuzzie and he didn't take it. So I put it in his hide box and covered his tank with a sheet, I checked this morning and the fuzzie was still in the hide box, no dice. I was about to give up so I figured I'd enjoy the last few weeks I had with this little guy. So I took the sheet off the tank. I took a nap for a few hours and when i woke up just now and checked in his hidebox, the fuzzie weas gone!!!!!

Thanks to everyone for their generous help, MUCH appreciated!!!!
-Ralph
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2.1 Bearded Dragon
0.0.5 Hatchling Bearded Dragons
1.1 Honduran Milksnake
1.0 Florida Brooksi Kingsnake
1.0 Blood Red Cornsnake
1.0 Jungle Carpet Python
0.1 Desert Kingsnake
1.0 Western Hognose Snake
1.0 Bull Mastiff

Great news! The first one's always the hardest.

Good luck!

Okay now that I got him to finally eat, I have another problem. He never ever struck at me before, he only bit me once, on the day I brought him home when I tried to put him back in the deli cup, he bit...but now ever since my attemtped force feeding he strikes at me when I go in his tank..but once he is picked up, he is fine...I think he just thinks that I am food now or is he doing it in defense?

To counter act this I will handle him more frequently (atleast once a day) as he seems to not mind being handled, and I will start feeding in another container like I used to..I really hope he stops biting, I REALLY don't want to have to worry about him biting me when he's 6ft

Any advice?

Thanks for your time,
Ralph
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2.1 Bearded Dragon
0.0.5 Hatchling Bearded Dragons
1.1 Honduran Milksnake
1.0 Florida Brooksi Kingsnake
1.0 Blood Red Cornsnake
1.0 Jungle Carpet Python
0.1 Desert Kingsnake
1.0 Western Hognose Snake
1.0 Bull Mastiff

>>but now ever since my attemtped force feeding he strikes at me when I go in his tank..but once he is picked up, he is fine...I think he just thinks that I am food now or is he doing it in defense?

He's just being defensive. You probably scared him and made yourself into a threat. Be patient and handle him regularly so that he gets to trust you again. Thankfully carpets don't hold grudges...

>>To counter act this I will handle him more frequently (atleast once a day) as he seems to not mind being handled, and I will start feeding in another container like I used to..I really hope he stops biting, I REALLY don't want to have to worry about him biting me when he's 6ft

I dunno, but you just got the little one to eat. I personally would play on the side of caution and make sure he eats at least 3 times consistantly before I work on the handling. Tackle one problem at a time...anyways, just my thought. Also I doubt he'll be a biter as an adult. Carpets tend to mellow out with age. I haven't really heard of many full grown carpets that bite out of just plain aggression...

Darci
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Takes all kinds to make a World...

Thanks for the response,

Yeah after re-thinking my approach I have decided I would rather get him eating a few times, hopefully get a good 3 or 4 more meals in him before I start to work on handling him again, and before I start feeding him in a seperate enclosure.

Thanks for the advice!
Ralph
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2.1 Bearded Dragon
0.0.5 Hatchling Bearded Dragons
1.1 Honduran Milksnake
1.0 Florida Brooksi Kingsnake
1.0 Blood Red Cornsnake
1.0 Jungle Carpet Python
0.1 Desert Kingsnake
1.0 Western Hognose Snake
1.0 Bull Mastiff

>>
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Takes all kinds to make a World...