should i.......................

snakehunter · 08-16-03, 05:33 PM

my bp will not feed on her own, i have to assisst feed her. i have done this about 6 times, and now she is extremely head shy. (my vet said to keep assissting, she could catch on, or i could have to do this the rest of her life) so my question for you is i fed her thurs. and now she looks hungry, shes roaming, and very active, i reallly really want her to eat on her own, so should i just offer her a mouse, and if she doesnt take wait till next time, and etc.? the reason why i ask is because she is just now starting to gain weight, she was emaciated, and now she is almost to the 70 g mark, would this make her loose weight, her last meal was an 8 g hopper? thanx
-Jacob

**Andy_G** · 08-16-03, 08:37 PM

Feed her is my opinion.

reptilez · 08-16-03, 09:48 PM

Have you tries feeding her live?

sapphire_moon · 08-16-03, 10:53 PM

Thats what got my little problem feeder to start....I gave her a live fuzzy......I would keep trying until you see her start to loose weight again...she might get the hint that if she don't eat on her own, someone will help her......

David Kwok · 08-16-03, 11:16 PM

What I would do in a situation like this is:
1. provide the snake with a hide box with the entrance on the top.
2. place mouse in the cage and see if your snake will take it, if not, then leave the mouse in the cage overnight. Make sure you put some mouse food in there with the mouse.
3. check if the snake has eaten the mouse in the morning, if not, then take the mouse out and try again in a day or so.

Another thing you might want to do is go to your local pet store and ask for some electrolytes minerals. This product is made my herp care and will help to stimulate the snakes appetite.

I am not trying to start a debate here about leaving prey items in the cage over night. If done properly, this technique has works very well. Good Luck

Dave

David Kwok · 08-16-03, 11:17 PM

Sorry about the typo, I meant to say "made BY herp care"

mikemcguire · 08-17-03, 01:10 AM

A stubborn snake can be very stressful. In my opinion, go ahead and toss a mouse in there whenever you think it's ready to eat. If you get her to eat say 2 mice in one week, that wont be a problem. baby burm that i got at 4 days old, it took me two months for her to start eating, i tried everything. Then one day i just tossed a mouse in there and she ate him right up. Never had a problem since.

In your situation, like you probably have read, make sure it has a hide box, temps are correct, and you dont have much motion or noise in the room. You will probably also read to cover the snake and let the snake be for 2 week, you can change the water of course, no handleing or anything. At the end of the two weeks, try to feed it. If it doesnt work, wait another week and try agian.

Good luck and i hope it eats on its own soon.

Mike

Jo060 · 08-17-03, 01:51 PM

Quote:

Have you tries feeding her live?

Oh, I thought it was bad to feed live? Couldn't the mice be aggressive and hurt the snake...or is that only w/ rats?

mango · 08-17-03, 01:57 PM

sometimes live prey is the only thing to break a little problem feeder out of their fast.

Jo060 · 08-17-03, 02:04 PM

Oh, ok that makes sence

!

raebug2000 · 08-18-03, 09:43 AM

live with supervision in my opinion is ok......

BurmBaroness · 08-18-03, 09:54 AM

OK, let me explain this live feeding for ball pythons who are not feeding well. There is a method, and it does NOT include leaving live prey with the snake. Jeez, talk about feeding problems, terrify the snake with a live prey item and it will NEVER eat. I have had more than a few occasions were baby bp's are hard to start. Here is the safest procedure to get them started.

1. Get a live hopper, one with the eyes still closed. Minimizes chance of injuries, but still doesn't prevent them.

2. Place the snake and the live hopper in a deli cup, or similar small container, where the snake has nothing to take it's mind off the prey item.

3. Make sure it is dark, but light enough for you to see if your snake is being hurt. Don't let the snake see you watching it.

4. Leave them together for 10-15 minutes. If the snake hasn't eaten the hopper, remove it, and put the snake back in it's enclosure. As for the hopper, whack and freeze for later use.

5. This can be repeated every 3-4 days, as long as your snake is not losing weight. Offering any sooner could put the snake off food even more.

No snake likes to be intimidated by a prey item. Also, assist feeding, while not as stressful as force feeding, is still very stressful on the snake, and I have never had to resort to that, as of yet, knock on wood. I understand in some cases it IS necessary, but if you stress an animal out with the prey item it is supposed to eat, it can have the effect of turning them even more off feed.

After the snake consistently takes 3-4 llive prey feeds, you can then usually switch to prekilled, again for 3-4 feeds before going to f/t. Good Luck.

Also, if the snake is in a high traffic area, where there's alot of activity, move it NOW. And do NOT handle the snake except for feeding attempts or cage cleaning. this will only increase the already high stress level.

BurmBaroness · 08-18-03, 10:06 AM

OK, let me explain this live feeding for ball pythons who are not feeding well. There is a method, and it does NOT include leaving live prey with the snake. Jeez, talk about feeding problems, terrify the snake with a live prey item and it will NEVER eat. I have had more than a few occasions were baby bp's are hard to start. Here is the safest procedure to get them started.

1. Get a live hopper, one with the eyes still closed. Minimizes chance of injuries, but still doesn't prevent them.

2. Place the snake and the live hopper in a deli cup, or similar small container, where the snake has nothing to take it's mind off the prey item.

3. Make sure it is dark, but light enough for you to see if your snake is being hurt. Don't let the snake see you watching it.

4. Leave them together for 10-15 minutes. If the snake hasn't eaten the hopper, remove it, and put the snake back in it's enclosure. As for the hopper, whack and freeze for later use.

5. This can be repeated every 3-4 days, as long as your snake is not losing weight. Offering any sooner could put the snake off food even more.

No snake likes to be intimidated by a prey item. Also, assist feeding, while not as stressful as force feeding, is still very stressful on the snake, and I have never had to resort to that, as of yet, knock on wood. I understand in some cases it IS necessary, but if you stress an animal out with the prey item it is supposed to eat, it can have the effect of turning them even more off feed.

After the snake consistently takes 3-4 llive prey feeds, you can then usually switch to prekilled, again for 3-4 feeds before going to f/t. Good Luck.