Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I'm sure this is no new news for the seasoned vets..but here goes. I have 1.1 young adult Mangroves..imports. I did get them to feed once on thawed hopper mice w/chick down stuck on their heads..subsequent tries were ignored as were live hoppers and live African Soft Furred rat pups. I went back into the old play book and split brained some hopper mice and made sure plenty of cranial fluid was all over the head - both wolfed immediately..one actually took one from tongs! This was a week ago and both fed again w/out hesitation last night employing the same tactic. Thought there might be some frustrated Mangrove keepers out there who might give this a try.

Bill
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The Menagerie:
3.9 Emerald Tree Boas
2.4 Spilotes Pullatus
1.3 Chondros
2.4 Red Tailed Green Rats - Maylasian Origin
2.2 Scrub Pythons (Kofiau, Bar Neck)
1.1 "Sunburst" Indian Sand Boas (Adults retain juvie coloration)
1.1 Mangrove Snakes
1.1 Pytas Korros
Veileds, Jacksons, and Panther Chams
1.1 American Bulldogs

So make sure the brain fluid is all over the mice's head..?

Absloutely....the nastier evidently the better. I drop them in front of them and come back in 30 minutes and both will have fed. Eating consistently like this now for a few weeks..sure is nice to see them fill out.

Bill
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The Menagerie:
3.9 Emerald Tree Boas
2.4 Spilotes Pullatus
1.3 Chondros
2.4 Red Tailed Green Rats - Maylasian Origin
2.2 Scrub Pythons (Kofiau, Bar Neck)
1.1 "Sunburst" Indian Sand Boas (Adults retain juvie coloration)
1.1 Mangrove Snakes
1.1 Pytas Korros
Veileds, Jacksons, and Panther Chams
1.1 American Bulldogs

Cheers for the advice mate, ive kept them in the past.... thankfully theyve been ok feeders.... but this sounds great

Bill: I get in mangroves and they oddly feed great when you put them alone in a medium/large shoe box on newspaper with dead rodents in the cage at dusk and at night they wander over and eat. If you do this in the cage, they sometimes wont eat. Also, if you are housing them together, then they might not eat for a bit until you separate them for a couple weeks and their nerves settle as in groups straight from the wild, they get nervous and won't eat. Try to box method and if it does not work leave them in the box a couple or few days and offer food in a couple more days, but its worked here many times.

Dan

Thanks...guilty to all the above LOL! I took them straight from the box to a big Vision cage...lots of cork hides, branches, and fake greenery. It maybe the split-braining may have just coincided w/them acclimating to being in a large cage in a pair grouping. Anyhow its nice to see them fattening up. They'll never rival my Spilotes but they are getting "reliable".

Bill
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The Menagerie:
3.9 Emerald Tree Boas
2.4 Spilotes Pullatus
1.3 Chondros
2.4 Red Tailed Green Rats - Maylasian Origin
2.2 Scrub Pythons (Kofiau, Bar Neck)
1.1 "Sunburst" Indian Sand Boas (Adults retain juvie coloration)
1.1 Mangrove Snakes
1.1 Pytas Korros
Veileds, Jacksons, and Panther Chams
1.1 American Bulldogs

You're right Bill. Its hard to know sometimes if its the change in prey and/or presentation or not. My mang passed on two offerings of p/k mice after previously taking them. So, I soaked the prey in chicken stock and bingo; gone as soon as the lights went out. Well that was many months ago...and I still paint mice with chicken stock. Its not science, but it works.
Bill