Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello! I have a little male BRB (I've had him for most of his approximately 2 years now) and he is growing VERY slowly. He is healthy, or at least appears so. He sheds on schedule, and cleanly, and the only problems I've EVERY had with him may or may not be problems. He will only eat very large mice for his size (but I hear this is normal) and he only eats about once a month or two months, despite being a baby (he's been maintaining this habit from the moment I got him) and hence grows very slowly. Is this normal for BRBs?? Should I be worried?? Am I doing something wrong (His temp and humidity are perfect)?? I don't mind if he stays small forever, it's rather nice that way, but I just want to know if I'm missing something important... Thanks a lot!!!!

LAURA*

My first guess would be that there is a husbandry isssue here. Do you have a warm and cool side to the cage? My BRBs always hang on the cool side.

Mine eat everything in sight and grow like weeds. I have 2 yearlings and they will easily eat a jumbo mouse a week, sometimes 2. They are roughly 3 feet long.

Well, I've always made sure he had a temperature gradient, but I've never really monitored the cooler end. I've basically just made one end the "heat end" and made sure it was mid-eighties at least, so he'd have options. But the rest of the tank I just left at room temperature. So maybe I need to move him to a cooler room and just up the heat end, make the gradient a little more extreme. Do you think that might work?

LAURA*

...do you feed only once every month or 2? All my BRB's eat almost every time I offer. Most will eat in shed too. I feed every week at this point. My June 03 model eats weaner rats and my yearlings eat the largest size a mouse gets. I think they grow fast. I suppose you could have a "small" fellow, but I would double check your environment and see if there's something not right.

>>Hello! I have a little male BRB (I've had him for most of his approximately 2 years now) and he is growing VERY slowly. He is healthy, or at least appears so. He sheds on schedule, and cleanly, and the only problems I've EVERY had with him may or may not be problems. He will only eat very large mice for his size (but I hear this is normal) and he only eats about once a month or two months, despite being a baby (he's been maintaining this habit from the moment I got him) and hence grows very slowly. Is this normal for BRBs?? Should I be worried?? Am I doing something wrong (His temp and humidity are perfect)?? I don't mind if he stays small forever, it's rather nice that way, but I just want to know if I'm missing something important... Thanks a lot!!!!
>>
>>LAURA*
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"There is a principle which is a bar against all information, which is proof against all arguments and which cannot fail to keep a man in everlasting ignorance- that principle is contempt prior to investigation." Herbert Spencer

When I first got him, I tried him repeatedly on fuzzies, and he would not eat a single one no matter WHAT I tried (and I think I know most of the tricks). So I finally panicked and talked to the breeder, who told me I need to be feeding him MUCH larger prey, so I got the largest hopper the pet store had, and he ate it. I was THRILLED, so I went out and bought him a couple more, but he wouldn't eat them, so I gave them to my roommates ball python (who will eat anything). Anyhow, I continued buying mice at least once a week and ending up giving them to other snakes because he simply wouldn't eat. And it has continued for the entire duration of my owning him. He will only eat about once a month no matter what the prey, how it's offered, or anything. He eats readily when he wants to, no problems. And his sheds are clean, and he doesn't sit right in the heat, right in the cool, right in the waterdish, or up in the branches, so I just don't have any idea what's wrong with him!!! Maybe I just have a really strange snake....Thanks!

LAURA*

>>When I first got him, I tried him repeatedly on fuzzies, and he would not eat a single one no matter WHAT I tried (and I think I know most of the tricks). So I finally panicked and talked to the breeder, who told me I need to be feeding him MUCH larger prey, so I got the largest hopper the pet store had, and he ate it. I was THRILLED, so I went out and bought him a couple more, but he wouldn't eat them, so I gave them to my roommates ball python (who will eat anything). Anyhow, I continued buying mice at least once a week and ending up giving them to other snakes because he simply wouldn't eat. And it has continued for the entire duration of my owning him. He will only eat about once a month no matter what the prey, how it's offered, or anything. He eats readily when he wants to, no problems. And his sheds are clean, and he doesn't sit right in the heat, right in the cool, right in the waterdish, or up in the branches, so I just don't have any idea what's wrong with him!!! Maybe I just have a really strange snake....Thanks!
>>
>>LAURA*
-----
"There is a principle which is a bar against all information, which is proof against all arguments and which cannot fail to keep a man in everlasting ignorance- that principle is contempt prior to investigation." Herbert Spencer

"I've basically just made one end the "heat end" and made sure it was mid-eighties at least, so he'd have options"

The only thing that jumps to my mind is this statement. Mid-eighties is likely too warm. Mine will head for the cooler portions of the cage in lower eighties. The fact that he sheds in one piece is good...as far as humidity goes. Maybe you should experiment with a 3 to 5 degree drop in temps and see if that in itself produces a stronger feeding response.

I would also check out Jeff Clark's webpage. You can find it by clicking on the Sponsor link just above the posts on this forum. I think it's JClark's snakes-or something like that.

Linda

...A young BRB that does not have a very active appetite seems very odd to me. Dropping the temperatures like Linda mentioned is one thing that I would try just to see if it does change anything. I have actually kept young BRBs cooling them like adults during the winter and had them eating well and digesting well with their cages in the 60s much of the time for 6 weeks of the winter. The other possibility is that this snake just does not like mice. I would try live fuzzy rats just to see if that would make a difference.
Good Luck,
Jeff

>>"I've basically just made one end the "heat end" and made sure it was mid-eighties at least, so he'd have options"
>>
>>The only thing that jumps to my mind is this statement. Mid-eighties is likely too warm. Mine will head for the cooler portions of the cage in lower eighties. The fact that he sheds in one piece is good...as far as humidity goes. Maybe you should experiment with a 3 to 5 degree drop in temps and see if that in itself produces a stronger feeding response.
>>
>>I would also check out Jeff Clark's webpage. You can find it by clicking on the Sponsor link just above the posts on this forum. I think it's JClark's snakes-or something like that.
>>
>>Linda

My baby brb only eats after 9 days. I try everday from day 5 and the last 3 feedings has happen on the 9th night. it is weird. My first BRB which a repair guy stole ate like a machine anytime i put anything in the cage whack and gulp. Not this baby.

I would first do not feed it anymore mice unless it refuses to eat rats. There is very little meat to a mouse, hell a baby rat has more muscle mass then full grown mouse. I would try to feed it rats and make sure floor temp of cage reaches the low 80's during the day. Jeff could give you more detail info for brb's since I am new to them. But i have raised hundreds of snakes and i would never feed them mice unless i had no choice.