Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I need some advice and was sent here, so I will just paste my previous posts;

December 30th
"I purchased a baby (about 24in) last Thursday. The seller said that he had just gotten her, along with 3 others in and that they were all eating. Since then I have tried to offer her pre-killed and live mice. She smells them like she is interested but does nothing... I don't know what else to do, I am getting frustrated. Oh, and I have had Herps before, so I am familiar with the temp/housing.

The dealer said that there is a 3 day guarantee on them, so I called and left a message on the third day and told him that I would try again in a few days. He won't be back for another week. Does anyone have any suggestions?"

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January 4th
"OK, I tried the live rat-pup and she wouldn’t touch it. This just ads to the frustration not to mention the waste of another life. She did eat the live fuzzy after about an hour. Should I try feeding her a few fuzzy mice?"

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I would greatly appreciate any advice.

Snakes need time to acclimate; some do it quickly while others take weeks or months. Assuming you purchased your burm from a reputable person (always a HUGE assumption as there are many unscrupulous folks out there), AND, assuming you are indeed providing the proper conditions, AND, not handling the burm and keeping it in a stress free environment, AND, that you actually purchased a healthy burm (LOTS OF ASSUMPTIONS HERE), then your burm will feed when it is ready. Personally, I would withhold feeding for 2-3 weeks and let this animal adjust to its new surroundings. During this time, keep movement around the cage to a minimum and avoid handling at all costs. Let the snake get used to seeing you changing the water, etc. but keep movements very slow and deliberate. The next time you feed, offer a warmed (by placing on a heat pad) frozen/thawed large mouse and offer it to the snake via long hemostats by wiggling it on the floor of the cage while the snake is in its hide area...that will usually elicit a feeding strike for a hungry burm.

Good luck.

Rob Carmichael, Curator
The Wildlife Discovery Center
Lake Forest, IL

I am currently having a custom tank built.
So, in the meantime she is in a 55 gallon long aquarium. I am tracking the temperature at both ends of the tank; one end (the basking end) is 95f and the cooler end is 75f. I have two hidey boxes on both ends as well as 4in deep water bowls on each end. I have handled her as little as possible until she starts eating. Also, I have tried feeding her with the lights on and off.

Everything sounds real good...just give the snake time to settle in and you'll be fine (assuming its a healthy snake).