Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Ok well I stunned the large rat this week i moved him up to large now. Buti kind of killed it i hit it to hard. Now he won't eat it. I figured since last week he just constricted without biting the stunned rat that maybe he would take a dead one but he didn't. Is this because it was dead or is he going through a non eating stage...lol you all know me now i get worried so easily.

I was hoping we got over the hill on your lack of willingness to heed good advice. I was actually quite vocal against the practice of stunning feeder animals. Please, if you are going to practice highly irresponsible practices such as stunning, just keep it to yourself, OR, EMAIL US DIRECTLY so that it doesn't get out into the public! This shouldn't be posted on a public forum because there are too many anti-reptile groups who have already copied your post and will use it against us (I know that for a fact). Your continued lack of good judgement just continues to fester (or bullheadedness). Believe me, I'm not trying to rekindle any hard feelings, but here's my feeling on minors keeping big snakes......THEY SHOULDN'T. Not just you, BUT ANY MINOR. Even those young folks who work/volunteer for me who are highly capable of keeping a burm SHOULDN'T and they completely understand and support my opinions (oh yeah, and, they respect those opinions).

FACT: Burms will take FROZEN THAWED PREY 99.9% of the time IF YOU PRACTICE PATIENCE. This is of course, assuming you are providing the proper conditions which is a bit suspect but I will give you the benefit of the doubt. If your burm is hungry, and that may take a month or two (or three), h/she will eventually take a warmed up frozen/thawed rodent. Patience, patience and more patience is the key to keeping herps. But as I mentioned before, if you are a minor, you shouldn't keep a burm until you are older.

>>Ok well I stunned the large rat this week i moved him up to large now. Buti kind of killed it i hit it to hard. Now he won't eat it. I figured since last week he just constricted without biting the stunned rat that maybe he would take a dead one but he didn't. Is this because it was dead or is he going through a non eating stage...lol you all know me now i get worried so easily.
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Rob Carmichael, Curator
The Wildlife Discovery Center at Elawa Farm
Lake Forest, IL

Ok i understand what you mean Rob. Ok so next week say i feed him a pre-killed large rat will he take it? It's like everytime lately he is being werid about feeding. Like i said before though i cannot obtain frozen items but i can get a rat and prekill it.....If i do thios should i dangle it over him or just lay it here? When i did have access to samller frozen prey items he got so used to it he actually just swallowed it without constricing...but then i had to move him to unfrozen larger prey and ever since then it's been hard. I want him to just eat prekilled items with me just by dropping them in and not me having to wiggle them even though he don't eat that way either...So how do i do this????

Thanks,
Jake

I want him to just eat prekilled items with me just by dropping them in and not me having to wiggle them even though he don't eat that way either...So how do i do this????

If you scroll down and reread the string of posts where you got yelled at, there is plenty of information on how to turn your Burm to frozen thawed. You really don't have to re-ask this question.
Two personal pointers.
1. If you're worried about sticking your hand in a cage and wiggling a rat, Good! You should be. If you don't have feeding tongs, use barbecue tongs. Just wash them well before the 4th of July barbeque

2. I'm assuming you aren't too squeamish. After the rat is definitely very, very deceased, poke a hole in the skull and let some of that delicious brain smell come out. Classic move for helping picky feeders.

As for how to be able to drop the prey in as opposed to wiggling it, take things step by step. Worry about having him take it when you wiggle it first.
Lastly, please do some research! The question of how to switch a snake from live to f/t is frankly, ah, rudimentary.
Scroll down these forums and pore over every snake book in your library! Even if it's for a species different from yours! We're happy to help, but we're getting carpal tunnel syndrome here typing the same things over and over! And the keyboard is starting to smell funny.
Ten years from now, I want you to be a highly successful herp vet with a happy healthy ten year old Burm at home! How the heck are you going to find a cure for IBD and do other stuff to revolutionize the field if you don't study??? When the zoo calls you about that injured komodo dragon, will you be turning to your assistants asking not only what antibiotic to use, but how to drive to the zoo? I certainly hope not!!!
Your homework is to find and read a stack of herp books waist high. If you're tall, tough luck And no, I'm not even joking. They don't even have to be about Burms. Learn everything you can from them. If the books are old, learn why the advice changed in the new books. Think about how ways of keeping reptiles have changed. Learn about city laws, conservation, scientific names, native habitat, myth and folklore and so on. A good source is www.anapsid.org so type that in!!! They also have a great humor section.
Knowledge is power so read till you're head spins and your left eye starts twitching!!! And of course, good luck.
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0.2 chickens
0.2 dog mutts (half ownership, only mine when they misbehave)
0.1 Halflinger horse
0.0 Arizona Mountain Kingsnake (coming soon)
1.1 parents
Still searching for 1.0 WC human

Thanks and see the thing is that i do read everytinh...and i mean everything. I read all burm books there are i guarentee that. All ball python books snake books pythons everything. I know so much it is just i don't really have experiece except with my last ball python is my onlu snake. And maybe i shouldn't of jumped to a burm but i did and i love it and i don't wanna give it up...And soon when im used to him a lot and i have no problems with him i will start giving advise ont hese forums Also i just think the books go in good detail about things such as feeding...Some books tell some pretty wacky advise...One book i rwead said that burms At 4 ' should be getting 2 mice a week! I knw that isn't true....But i have a very tame and health burm and i just want to make him perfect you know? lol
neway thanks,
Jake