Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i got my sumatran blood a while ago, and i'm getting kinda nervous still. He's the only snake i'm not sure of. I got him around January, so he's (has been sexed a male) about 6 months old now.

He has been a real pain to get to eat. He will actually eat, about once or twice a month, but only 1 mouse at each feeding. I was told to give him some more time around March, but he's not picking up his feeding habits, and i'm not seeing much growth. Should I be afraid, or again, am I worrying too much?

He's a little more than a foot long (last time i measured him, he may be 1.5 now). He's still kinda on the bony side, but apparently their body structure is different than the ball's (i have 11 snakes in my bedroom right now, 10 being balls).

He had parasites when i purchased him, but i gave him shots, and medicine, and then he started eating again, and is much better. He has shed last week, which will be his 2nd shed since i got him. He shed about a week after i got him, so he's shedding about once ever 6 months right now, compared to my balls which shed every month it seems.

What do you guys think?

I had a Blood several years ago that fed sporadically/occasionally and was growing very slowly while her sibs were putting on good weight and size. I finally managed to locate some live chicks and tossed one in her cage--- she went nuts. After a few chick meals, she also began to eat rats with a bit more enthusiasm. I know that scenting can be a questionable step to take, but you might try this just until the animal is established...

what would you reccommend scenting with?

currently he'll eat, if i leave a dead mouse in there for a half hour. i imagine it's probably not the yummiest when it's kinda hard like that, but that's how he always eats. i'd never leave a live mouse with him (well, not really with any snake) and just walk away.

I just want a healthy snake

...and I've seen frozen chicks at some shows recently. One fellow in Daytona told me he feeds his Boas and Pythons an occasional chick because it "cleans them out"...i.e., it seems to act like a laxative. I can't speak at all for the truth of this! ANYHOW, good luck with your Blood- hope it kicks-in soon-
Jim

I picked up my first red blood at a show this past fall. She was just like yours, eating very sporadically. She would eat enough to survive but not enough to really fatten up. I recently got a great deal on frozen hamsters and she will eat every one I put in front of her. If you have access to hamsters, try them. Since I got these hamsters she's turned into a little fatty. Another thing I did was completely surround her cage with newpaper (taped to the outside) to give her complete privacy. Since then I've taken the newspaper off one side at a time and she's completely comfortable now. I've included a new pic of her. Good luck, Scott.

-----
Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.
Martin Luther King, Jr.

"In any civilized society, it is every citizen's responsibility to obey just laws.
But at the same time, it is every citizen's responsibility to disobey unjust laws."
—Martin Luther King Jr

i may have to try the hamsters, i'll have to see.

i may try surrounding him with something to give him privacy, i've got the back taped up with those stupid tank background things, but i could get the rest of the sides too. i'd just have to have something i can take off easily, because his tank is about 5 feet off teh ground, so i have to reach up really high to get into his tank. i have to actually get on my tippy toes so that my elbow can bend at the top of the tank

I also had a blood that acted like this. He would eat once or twice every month. He did this for the first 6-7 months I had him. I just gave him time though, and now 2 years later he'll eat as much as you put in front of him.