Winter meal for Slim

[knads06]

Well its been around 2 months or a little less since Slim last ate and i was starting to get a little worried. He's been on F/T rats for a while now and was chowing them down on a weekly basis before he began his fasting a few months ago. He refused as usual this past meal and i was trying to figure out a way to get him to eat. I took him out of his tank and held him in my hand, next i took the rat in my other hand and slowly started bringing it towards him. Right as the rat began to touch his mouth he opened up and then coiled around it. I placed him back in his tank and let him do the rest. Would that be considered assist feeding?? or was it his instinct to eat it. I know its the winter time now here in Connecticut and he'll probably go on fasting for the rest of the winter but atleast now he has a meal inside him. Do most Bp's fast over the winter or are their some that just keep on eating. Ill wait another two weeks and see if he's hungary again or back to being stubborn. Any suggestions??????

[Jeff_Favelle]

2 months is nothing. I have 2 males that haven't eaten since May 2004. 6 or 7 months can be very common with some males. And even females. I had a girl that layed 8 eggs last year (2004) in July and she just ate her first meal since April last night.

[nita]

That would drive me absolutely insane Jeff!! LOL, my worst case is a male that hasen't eaten since Oct.

[jfmoore]

Jeff – LOL! What a difference a year makes. :)

http://www.ssnakess.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=30129&perpage=15&highlight=female%20and%20eggs&pagenumber=2


Hey Knads –

Sounds to me like Slim is not being “stubborn,” he’s being normal. So stop worrying.

Although I guess you did “assist” him in feeding, I reserve the term “assist feeding” to describe the process where the food item is inserted into the animal’s mouth, whereupon the animal’s feeding instinct kicks in and it swallows the food voluntarily. Then, “force feeding” is where the solid food item or liquid or slurry is deposited (usually against the animal’s will!) further back down its throat or all the way to its stomach.

Maybe a good name for what you describe might be “trick feeding.” I use it all the time for “stupid” hatchlings who haven’t figured out that they’re supposed to eat what and when I want them to. Sometimes just putting your (warm) hand against a coil and twitching a bit while holding the food close to its mouth is all that's required.

-Joan

[smeagel]

when you do that, dont you run the risk of getting biten cause the snake might confuse your hand for the rat?

[jfmoore]

Originally posted by smeagel
when you do that, dont you run the risk of getting biten cause the snake might confuse your hand for the rat?

Nah . . . the hand is quicker than the….teeth. Just yank your hand away if it whirls around on you. Anyway, making it “think” your hand is the food is kind of the idea. Just keep the REAL food on tongs in its face. It often will start to constrict your fingers even before it strikes the rodent, so stay alert!

-Joan

[Jeff_Favelle]

Yep exceptions to every rule. She was a weirdo. But now she's back on track.