Reptile & Amphibian Forums

He's eaten in the past, both mice and rats of varying sizes. Temps are right. Nice and small cage for security. Have tried overnight, braining, dangling. What can I try next? He refuses everything.Cent owners please help. Thanks in advance.

When was the last time he ate? What season is it where you are located? Some will just go off feed for a couple of months a year.

overnight - check
braining - check
dangling - check

You've probably tried all of these then-
are you heating the prey?
try touching the snake with the prey.
leave the prey in a while, let snake explore, then touch him with it.
you could insight aggression. worth a try just once or twice to reactivate the digestive system.
Try scenting. With mice. Chicken stock. skink urine. skink skin.

Try upping the temps a few degrees
supply a hide box
supply a perch to climb on (promotes security, may wish to hunt from branch)

Anyways, good luck.
They can go a long time without food by the time they're yearlings

Aaron.

thanks aaron. he's only eaten like three times the whole time i've had him (since last december). i'm in phoenix, but i keep the room he's in cooled to around 80 degrees in the day, then the air kicks on around 9pm and gets down to around 78 degrees. however i still have the uth at around 90-95 degrees.

i'll rearrange some things. try a different hide, up the temps a little. i've tried the aggressive thing, and he's just not that aggressive. he's not listless or anything, he'll definitely move around, especially when you pick him up. still wraps around my arm nice and strong, but he's tiny compared to my female yearling, who's growing like a weed. still looks like a hatchling. last time he ate was march i believe.

By the sounds of it, you might be better off to assist or force feed for 9 or 10 weeks just to help him get some size. Also, 5 or 6 weeks of forcing is usually enough for them to start eating on their own.

To assist feed, put the head of a rat in his mouth and hold for a minute or two, then put him down and leave slowly so as to not disturb.

To force feed, cut some pinkies up into small pieces and slowly massage them down the body. It is a good idea to dip the pieces in water or mutton bird oil just to help lubricate.

Or, you could do something halfway between the two. Put the head in, massage some of the way down, then put the snake down.

Good luck.
Aaron.

PS - weighing fortnightly will also help you track his health.