READ BEFORE POSTING - ANSWERS FOR YOUR SNAKE

[Ranger]

SNAKE WONT EAT SECTION:

If your snake wont eat there are many things that could be wrong. ry fixing some of the following things. Temperature should be about 80 for most snakes and some need 85-90 degrees. Cage Decorations, does your snake have enough space, and a place to hide and drink and "play"? Is he/she losing weight? It could be its just mating season where some snake species naturally just dont eat. Is the food right for your snake, it shouldnt be bigger than the largest part of its body, although you can feed it slightly larger when moving up a step like Fuzzy - to hopper. Does your snake have any injuries or sickness? Some snakes unfortunatly are Wild caught and get shipped to you with parasites. Stress from shipping the snake itself can cause feeding problems.
-If you still have problems and ALL the top questions are answered post a topic about your snake having eating problems and we will help you out.


Heres what i do for feeding my picky ball python.


They eat at night so after about 12 hours of having his cage light, turn it off, leave him for a hour. unthaw the mouse but KEEP IT DRY they tend to like it better. Go in there, try not to run around his room a bunch, and try to be very discreet to get it all ready with the cage cover off. Then, hopefully hes hiding or in his hide box. Dangle the mouse in the entrance of the hide box, kinda dangle it and make it look like the mouse is looking for a house and is digging around the entrance. Do this for atleast 5 mins. If he hasnt come, lift out the box and check is he was moving twords the mouse. If he was, it was working but you need to do it longer. Put the box down and try although they feel exposed now he wont strike im thinking. Try it again the next night.


Thats what i did for my picky ball python and she took it within 20 sec, and now i get her to eat every time.

Hope it works.



SHEDDING SECTION:

http://www.boatips.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1246[url]

-If this doesnt help or work Post a topic and we will help


These are just two of many common subjects we get asked and have to answer OVER and OVER so many times i thought i would give the full list of some answers lol. And more Sections that anyone wants i will slide in as this will be hopefully kept a sticky post.

-Jordan

[massaf]

hey!
well i just need to ask a quick question.
i did receive a young ball python on my birthday 2 months ago..
so! in 2 months (every 12 days) Wisey ate piece of RAW HAMBURGER :shock: , instead of mice... knowing that all mys search on how to feed her only lead me to "Snake eats mice or birds"..

anyway, she stoped eating, and now she is now fasting for the last 17 days!! :!:

i dont know if the weather is effecting her, since it is really damn cold in Dubai these days, which is not the normal weather!

so! any suggestions?

thanks in advance

[Roy]

That is unusual. I would expect that the cold weather will put her off eating, but I wouldn't be in the habit of feeding her raw mince, I don't think it would have the nutritional elements that would be contained in a rat. :?

[tmmpin]

Raw meat can't be good. Think about the effects it has on us. Not to mention like Roy said, the nutritional value.

[gina83]

My snake will not eat food is already dead, and i was wondering when I get ready to start feeding it rats what should I do? i don't want the rats to bite him and hurt him but I also don't want him not to eat because it's already dead.

[BiranCoren]

Originally Posted by gina83

My snake will not eat food is already dead, and i was wondering when I get ready to start feeding it rats what should I do? i don't want the rats to bite him and hurt him but I also don't want him not to eat because it's already dead.

Do not feed live. it is bad for your snake and incredibly cruel for the rat. snakes will always eat dead.

[Thom]

I have run into that exact same problem and the way I have found that fixes it is that I buy live and i euthanize them myself. I use CO2 in a chamber that I built myself. Because I euthanize them myself they are still warm when I dangle them in the vivs to feed. I just acquired a new boa the beginning of Nov and I was told that he absolutely would not eat dead. I fed him the same way I have been feeding my python and he has not had any trouble at all.
If you need plans and pics for a chamber just let me know and I will re-post it all.

[DodoBird27]

Biran, that was a really old post you replied to. It's from March of 2008.

[frankywdmn]

I don't think I've ever seen that user on here before. Haha.

[raptor667]

start by weaning him onto prekilled....downside is you have to kill the rat. Otherwise just persist with frozen thawed but reheat them to body temp using warm water.

But if you have to feed live stun the rat first.

I'm sure that your snake will come around eventually.