Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi,

Just joined the forum in hopes of getting some advice. I know there have been several threads posted about Dumerils not eating; sorry to add another.

I picked up a new Dum (I also have one adult) from an expo about a month ago, and he has yet to eat. It's a young snake, only about a foot a half, but of good weight, even after not eating for a month.

I was careful to leave him alone for a week and a half or so to let him acclimate. Even during the first few days in his new home, he seemed to be a very confident and secure snake. He is in a 10-g tank, of which 3 of the sides are covered to make it darker/more comfortable for him. Aspen substrate. He has a hide which he rarely uses; he prefers to bury in his substrate with his head sticking out. He does spend, however, a LOT of his time uncovered in the tank. Laying on top of his hide, or 3/4 out from under the substrate, laying over (but rarely in) his water dish (ha). I have considered moving him to a smaller encloure, but I would expect to see less of him out and about if he were stressed. (???)

I have been trying to feed frozen small mice, to no avail. I have tried putting him in a smaller container overnight with his food. No luck. Should I try live perhaps, just to get him going?

I believe the temperature is correct in his tank, ranging from 85-75. I am not sure about the humidity, however. I have read/heard a lot of contradictory information about how humid it should really be in a Dum's enclosure.

I have been handling the snake as little as possible in case he is in fact stressed. When I do handle him, he seems very mellow, yet plenty active. He is a beautiful snake, which a LOT of bright orangey-pink color, and seems very "friendly." I am quite fond of him already and am getting concerned. I really appreciate your time spent reading this; sorry for the ridiculously long post.

Attached is a funny picture of the little guy.

Both my Dums won't even look at anything but live even when they were as small as your little guy. Try putting a live hopper in there and keep a close eye on him it should be no problem. Good luck let me know how it goes.

My baby girl won't eat anything but live hoppers. I've tried f/t, rat fuzzies (both f/t and live), fresh killed, etc. But so far she only live mouse hoppers. For me, the main thing is that she's eating at the moment and I will work on switching her over to rats later in time.

Best of luck with your new dum!

I only have one Dum, but I have probably more general snake-keeping experience than most. There are, as you pointed out, TONS of posts about young Dums being difficult feeders. Read as many as you can find; there have been a lot of solutions tossed around! (for better or worse)

I bought my Dum when he was about one year old. I think part of why the snake was up for sale was because he was a difficult feeder and the guy selling him didn't want the headache. When I bought him, the snake was taking live mice, which I gave him for the first two feedings, then tried f/t rats (fuzzies or hoppers, don't remember), which he took readily. Pretty much from the moment I bought my Dum, he has eaten almost every prey item I have put in front of him - he is my "clean up" feeder! I'm sure this is part dumb luck, and I can appreciate that it just figures that when the previous owner (who I am still in touch with) decided he had had enough, the snake turned around completely! The reason I bring this up is that this seems to be a trend for a lot of Dum keepers on this forum; babies seem to be hard to get started, but really good, reliable feeders once they get established.

I think it was about 3.5 years ago now that I first saw my Dum and decided to try to find out more about this species. One of my first Google hits was a thread in this forum where somebody was claiming that baby Dums like lizards. The theory at least makes a little sense to me; Madagascar is home to a huge diversity of small lizard species. If you have access to a lizard, maybe try scenting the rodent prey on the lizard before you offer the rodent to your boa.

Otherwise, I pretty much agree with the other responses you have; try live fuzzies or hoppers until he starts feeding well.

Another useful trick: I like to feed in separate containers. There is a ton of debate about this, but it works GREAT for me. I use deep-proportioned rubbermaid tubs with locking lids. Something I have always noticed with my Dum is that he will eat anything as long as he is in his feeding bin & that bin is covered with a blanket or a towel. The larger the prey, the longer it seems to take him, but he is very reliable!

I hope this helps you. Good luck!
~Rebecca
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1.0.0 Dumeril's Boa '04
1.1.1 Ball Pythons
[1.0.0 '05 Orange Hypo (Specter)]
[0.1.0 '05 Het Orange Hypo (Sylvia)]
[0.0.1 '03 Normal (Sue)]
0.2 American Pit Bull Terriers (40lb darling lap dogs:Brandy&Mara)

Thanks for the tips. I have indeed tried feeding in a separate container, no luck there. Clearly I have to try live. The only problem there should be finding somewhere somewhat local that has live feeders! The place I used to pick them up closed down; I'm going to have to do some research.

Is it possible for you to try breeding your own prey animals? If so, it's really easy, and much cheaper in the long run.

food for thought

~Rebecca
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1.0.0 Dumeril's Boa '04
1.1.1 Ball Pythons
[1.0.0 '05 Orange Hypo (Specter)]
[0.1.0 '05 Het Orange Hypo (Sylvia)]
[0.0.1 '03 Normal (Sue)]
0.2 American Pit Bull Terriers (40lb darling lap dogs:Brandy&Mara)

Yeah, I have considered it. I'm just not sure whether or not is makes sense since I only have two snakes right now, and don't plan on getting any more for a while.

Has he eaten yet?

HELP!

Ok, little guy still hasn't eaten. I've tried live hoppers, the temps are 75-85, humidity around 60%, what am I doing wrong? He's in a 10g, 3 sides of the tank covered to make it more secure, aspen substrate. I've tried feeding him in a separate, smaller container. I really don't know what to do. Other than not eating, he seems perfectly healthy.

Should I bring him somewhere? Does anyone know of any vets in MA/NH who specialize in reptiles?

I'm really fond of this snake and I'm really worried. He is definitely getting thin; I can feel his spine more than I should be able to. His skin isn't looking loose yet or anything like that,... But I've never had a snake go this long without eating before....

For what it's worth, I have also tried rubbing the hopper on my beardie, no luck there either.