Reptile & Amphibian Forums

This subject has probably been posted a few times on this forum, but I'll do it again. I have a pair of 2 yr old Eastern Indigos that have decided that the only meal worth eating is a Gerbil. These snakes were raised on a varied diet of rodents, fish, quail chicks, regular chicks, toads, etc....but about a year ago I hit a wall with them. I couldn't get them to take anything for a few weeks, until I tried gerbils. They have yet to turn one down, while refusing everything else I've offered (the male did eat a piece of catfish a few weeks ago, but has refused the same ever since).
If gerbils were cheap and common, no problem.....but that's not the case, and I am getting pretty frustrated. Anyone else run into this type of issue? Were you able to resolve it? I wonder if cooling them for a while might trigger things once I warm them again.
Thanks for any help you can offer!
All the best-
Jim
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"He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain what he can never lose." (quote from Jim Elliott, "Shadow of the Almighty"

Was it fall last year when they "hit the wall"? If so, it may have just been normal feeding slow down. My indigos, except for one girl that could eat 365 days a year, all slow down in the fall. My guess is that out of concern, you tried gerbils when all else failed and it was simply too tasty for them to refuse, despite the time of year. I would just hold off on feeding them anything for a few weeks and cool them. I am betting that when you warm them back up, they will feed on non-gerbils.

thank you sir----that's what I was hoping to hear! I'll give an update later.
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"He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain what he can never lose." (quote from Jim Elliott, "Shadow of the Almighty"

My couperi happen to really love 1-day quail, more than anything else I've ever offered. The oldest girl, now 2 years old, refused mice for over a year, although I was determined to get her to take what I understood to be more nutritious.

Eventually, I found a trick, which I use for all my 4 couperi, whenever they hesitate to eat.: I offer a quail...none have refused that....and then, just as they're finishing up the quail, and even while opening their jaws for a stretch, I pretty much put the head of a mouse between their lips.

For the 2-year old pair, I sometimes switch over from the quail to chicks... a lot of weight, for little money. Initially, I cut the legs off the chicks, but the 2-year olds don't need that anymore. The 1-year olds love the legs!

Chris Powell