Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I just got my first ATB about 2 weeks ago. It's CB, about 5 feet, housed in a 40 gallon long tank turned upright, half of the screen covered to keep some humidity. The cage never drops below the low 70s at night, and rises to the mid 80s in the day. I've tried feeding at night, in the cage, out of the cage, taunting him with it and the most I can get is a defensive strike. He won't eat anything. He's about as big around as a nickel at the thickest point, and I've been trying small mice.

Please let me know what more I can do, or what I can do better to get him to feed. Thank you in advance for your help.

I am pretty new to owning ATb myself but have previous experience with other snakes. I would suggest trying mice and rats as it sometimes produces a different responce. Make sure you feed him at night just after the lights go down when he is in hunt mode and also run the mouse/rat under warm/hot water before feeding so it is warm.

Anyone think trying lizards may be a good idea? Nothing but CB of course, don't want parasites. Thanks in advance for any further tips.

try to increas the temps a lil bit. like rynwilliams, i too am new at atbs, but ive been keeping reptiles, more so snakes then any other, but in any case where the reptile wouldnt eat, all i had to do was jack up the temp a lil bit. also check your humidity. my gf bought a baby atb at the last show, and it ate the day we got it (4weeks ago), and refused any food untill last week. i put it in a box with a mouse hopper and left it in there for an hour 1/2 befor the snake ate. if ur feeding thawed, then make sure its really really hot. and leave it in a box untill the animal cools, or its eaten. dont leave it in if its live pray, im sure u kno that. but all and all just rase the temps and double check ur humidity.
i really hope that helps
nevin

well too start NEVER FEED SNAKES LIZARDS, they may never go back to rodents. Plus Cb or not they all have parasites, regardless. A mouse/rat has all the nutrition that a growing snake needs, lizards do not.
Second, i have never had any tree boa in 6 years die from not eating, after 2 weeks he is most likely just stressed from husbandry changes. They can take up to 4 months to get happy with their world, then they will eat. Also Try live mice, Not rats because they can kill a snake with those big ass teeth.
third is Patience, these animals can live over a year with out a meal, just relax, it will eat.
and if all else fails get a russian dwarf hamster, they are twice as stinky and are a few degrees hotter than most rodents so the snake will think it is closer to its natural prey.

If trying frozen thawed make sure you dont break 120 deg. because that will cook the rodent and the animal will show no interest in a roast rat.

cheers and good luck

j

Is there any way you can contact the person you got it from? If not, it's just trial and error. Try rats, mice, chicks. Try live, fresh killed, frozen thawed, different colors. I got my first ATB when it was a baby. It was captive bred so all it had ever eaten was frozen thawed. It didn't take me long to figure out that not only did the mouse have to be dead, but white and wet. I eventually broke her of that and now she eats almost anything. I have a friend who bought a baby anaconda that would only eat parakeets. To wean it from this, he kept a dead parakeet in his fridge and would rub bird guts on the mouse. One of my burmese pythons won't eat rabbits unless I smear it with rat blood. Also make sure your snake is not in shed mode. Good luck.
Jody