Reptile & Amphibian Forums

bought a ptyas carinatus (can't find the real common name).about 3 feet long.healthy and active.probably WC.the only problem is that it wont feed on mice,dead or alive.it will feed only on LIVE pinky!

it's not actualy hard to get live pinky here.but since this snake will eventualy be 12 feet long,i need to give it something bigger!any idea on how i can try to get it to feed on mice?

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1.2.1 indian star tortoise
0.0.2 radiated tortoise
0.1.0 burmese star tortoise
0.0.1 sulcata
0.0.1 elongated tortoise
0.0.1 leopard tortoise
0.1.0 red foot tortoise
0.1.0 pancake tortoise
1.0.0 herman tortoise

0.1.0 snapping turtle
0.0.2 alligator snapping turtle
0.0.1 chitra-chitra
0.1.0 fly river turtle
1.0.0 asian giant pond turtle

0.0.1 leopard gecko
1.0.0 tokay gecko

0.0.1 amazon tree boa
1.0.0 blood python
1.0.0 ball python
0.0.1 monocular cobra
0.0.1 green whip snake
0.0.1 mangrove snake
0.0.1 green tree viper

0.0.1 false gharial
0.0.2 spectacle caiman

1.0.0 asian leopard cat

1.0.0 deathstalker scorpion

0.0.1 arapaima gigas

How long have you had it, and what have you attempted so far? If it will eat life pinks, have you tried live fuzzies? How about live rat pinkies? If the snake is fairly new and wild-caught, I would just be glad it is eating anything right now. Most likely it will come around. How about feeding it a live pink and then trying to follow-up with a slightly larger item once it is in feeding mode? Duffy

I agree with Duffy, at least it's eating! If it's eating live, increase the size of the live prey to mouse hopper or rat pup (sounds like your snake will need to be eating rats once it's at 12 feet). Once you get the snake eating larger prey, you can move to pre-killed/stunned and from there hopefully to frozen thawed. You may be able to stimulate a feeding response by using some long tongs and wiggling the prey item to simulate live prey (I've done this at times till I thought my arm was going to fall off, but it works). Also, with some species you can "tease feed" by bumping the prey item gently against the snake. What starts as a defensive strike, turns into feeding, once the snake has their mouth on the prey. Judging from the large eye size, I'd guess these snakes are primarily visual hunters like racers, so prey movement is probably what generates the feeding response. Neat snake, please keep us posted on it's progress. I've heard they can be quite a handful!
Lora

Common name I have heard most is "Keeled Ratsnake." You're probably right about it being wild-caught. They are popping up out of Thailand and Vietnam once in a while. Have you tried pre-killed overnight outside it's hide box? Some of the most nervous and agitated Asians I've kept have preferred food laid just out the door of their hide spot in the late evening. If left overnight, it's usually gone by morning. Good luck!

Bryan
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Last night I was laying in bed looking up at the stars in the sky and I thought to myself, "Where the hell is my ceiling?"

well,i have done everything in the book!live mice,dead mice,moving dead mice with tongs,leave live mice overnight,leave dead mice overnight,telling the snake that mice actualy taste good,you name it!

but i tried giving it frogs today and he just go nuts!eaten 5 fuzzy size frogs in 1 go!i will try scenting a mice with frog goo tomorrow.

bytheway this particular snake is not at all aggresif.not at all like what i've read on the net.when picking him up,he just puff up his troat for about 10 second then calms down like a cornsnake!
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1.2.1 indian star tortoise
0.0.2 radiated tortoise
0.1.0 burmese star tortoise
0.0.1 sulcata
0.0.1 elongated tortoise
0.0.1 leopard tortoise
0.1.0 red foot tortoise
0.1.0 pancake tortoise
1.0.0 herman tortoise

0.1.0 snapping turtle
0.0.2 alligator snapping turtle
0.0.1 chitra-chitra
0.1.0 fly river turtle
1.0.0 asian giant pond turtle

0.0.1 leopard gecko
1.0.0 tokay gecko

0.0.1 amazon tree boa
1.0.0 blood python
1.0.0 ball python
0.0.1 monocular cobra
0.0.1 green whip snake
0.0.1 mangrove snake
0.0.1 green tree viper

0.0.1 false gharial
0.0.2 spectacle caiman

1.0.0 asian leopard cat

1.0.0 deathstalker scorpion

0.0.1 arapaima gigas

I agree with the previous poster who suggested the appropriately sized rat fuzzies. I've never kept Ptyas but rat pups always seem to work for other "racer type" snakes.

But it sounds like you've already tried that.

So where did you get that snake? What country do you live in? Do you know what country it was exported from?

I'm trying to get an importer in the US to get a group of these.
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1.1 Gonyosoma oxycephala - (Silver/Yellow)

3.4 Gonyosoma oxycephala - (Green)

2.1 Gonyosoma janseni - (Black)

i live in malaysia.i got it from a local dealer and there is a very big chance that it is localy cought.

it ate his first dead mice today!after i scent it with frog goo.
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1.2.1 indian star tortoise
0.0.2 radiated tortoise
0.1.0 burmese star tortoise
0.0.1 sulcata
0.0.1 elongated tortoise
0.0.1 leopard tortoise
0.1.0 red foot tortoise
0.1.0 pancake tortoise
1.0.0 herman tortoise

0.1.0 snapping turtle
0.0.2 alligator snapping turtle
0.0.1 chitra-chitra
0.1.0 fly river turtle
1.0.0 asian giant pond turtle

0.0.1 leopard gecko
1.0.0 tokay gecko

0.0.1 amazon tree boa
1.0.0 blood python
1.0.0 ball python
0.0.1 monocle cobra
0.0.1 green whip snake
0.0.1 mangrove snake
0.0.1 green tree python
0.0.1 wagler's pit-viper
0.0.1 shore pit-viper
0.0.1 keeled ratsnake
0.0.1 equatorial spitting cobra

1.0.0 false gharial
0.0.2 spectacle caiman

1.0.0 asian leopard cat

1.0.0 deathstalker scorpion

0.0.1 arapaima gigas