Children's Python NOT EATING! for a year?

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Gavin

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Hello all, how are you guys!?


Well, i have this friend who has a children's python who hasn't ate for about a year. He bought it when it was around 3 years old, and the previous owner/breeder only fed it once a month because he was poor :|:|:| , so right now it is really small. It is now 4 years old and and hasn't ate since he bought it. He said he has tried every method, braining, splitting the gut etc. and of course he has visited the vet who apparently said the snake was depressed? I am picking this snake up tommorow hopefully to try and get it to feed. I would like to hear your suggestions and opinions about this :cry:

Also i would like to add that the snake gets VERY scared easily.:(
 
after a year i would be trying to force feed! also try leaving it alone for a couple of days then putting in a mouse and let it stay in there over night!
 
force feed? how would i be able to do that? yes i will try that method tommorow night.
 
Wow a whole year! :shock: did he force feed or something? i didn't realise they could go a whole year..
I'm sure he's tried scenting and leaving it in overnight and everything a noobie like me could think of, so all I can say is good luck in getting him feeding
(I know a guy who force feed for 2 years before the snake ate for itself!)
 
Wow a whole year! :shock: did he force feed or something? i didn't realise they could go a whole year..
I'm sure he's tried scenting and leaving it in overnight and everything a noobie like me could think of, so all I can say is good luck in getting him feeding
(I know a guy who force feed for 2 years before the snake ate for itself!)
yes he has tried that....even the vet couldn't do anything but say that it is depressed. So my friend is depressed himself...its like watching it die.:cry::cry:
 
i would be taking your snake to a different vet,sorry but ''its depressed'' isnt the smartest thing to come out of a vets mouth.
i would put him in a med click clack with heaps of hides and heating,leave him a week,no handling ect.Then brain a mouse rub the mouse on the back of the snake to try and get a food response,if he takes it great! if not leave the mouse in there over night.see how you go with that first
ALSO take your snake to a different vet he might have something medical wrong and need some blood work and facal samples.
 
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i would be taking your snake to a different vet,sorry but ''its depressed'' isnt the smartest thing to come out of a vets mouth.
Im with Repilegirl_jordan with that youd think hed atleast comeup with a little bit more.. i think he was just imbarased to say he came up with nothing.. hope he gets feeding ;]
 
I would say something wrong with the housing issues. What is the temperature in the hot end and cold end? How often is it handled? Is it in a high traffic place in the house?
 
I would say something wrong with the housing issues. What is the temperature in the hot end and cold end? How often is it handled? Is it in a high traffic place in the house?
Thanks jordan, i will be trying that method tonight, and dan because it is depressed, it gets REALLY scared so my friend has stopped handling it for a bout a month.:( Hope all goes well, i might post up some pics of him today:D
 
Sounds like a housing issue. What was the former owner feeding it???
If it hasn't been eating he shouldn't be handling it. Handling causes stress.....being stressed it won't eat. Conditions have to be right for them to eat.
Need much more information before anyone can really help.
How is it set up, temps etc etc

A lot of factors cause stress, they need to be eliminated.
Being in high traffic areas,tv and music blaring etc etc
 
I can't help but agree with Fay & others that this is most likely a husbandry issue. If it has survived to 3yrs old then the previous owner was obviously doing something right, even if he wasn't feeding it enough. I'd be seeking the help of an experienced keeper/breeder & take it from there. I'm sure there would be someone in your area willing to help you out.
 
I agree with fay and kyro, get any husbandry issues sorted out first.

If that doesn't get it feeding try scenting a mouse/rat with some chicken feathers, has worked a treat with all my childrens when they go off their tucker for long periods.
 
the vet couldn't do anything but say that it is depressed. So my friend is depressed himself...its like watching it die.:cry::cry:

not much of a vet. any vet should be able to assist or force feed a python, it's not something you should do untill someone shows you how to.
I would go with the others are saying, get the temps right leave it settle in for a week without touching it and then try it with it's favourite food (what you know it's eaten in the past) you never know, just the change may be enough to work on it's own :)
 
Thank you all for your suggestions, i picked him up today and here are some pics of him...
 

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Also my setup for him
 

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good luck with it Gavin ;)

a good way of making a branch for it is to make a hole either side and poke a piece of dowel through, you can use zip ties to keep it in place :)

if you don't have any luck, try it in an enclosure for a week or two to see how it goes.
 
Ok, first of all do NOT put a mouse in there and leave it overnight... What happens is the mouse gets hungry and eats massive chunks out of the snake's back. You'll be surprised how much crap a scared snake will take and will usually just try and retreat.

I would say that it's to do with the housing. Initially, try and give it a nice large cage with plenty of hideouts and vines, and also make sure the temperature and humidity are correct. I would then leave it for a couple of weeks and then once it is comfortable, try feeding it. You will need to try both mice and rats, because depending on what it has been fed all it's life, that is what it will eat. (use freshly killed)

If after that it still wont eat, you might have some success with the following method: if, when you put the mouse/rat (use freshly killed) in the cage it becomes alert and goes up to the rat, start to jiggle it. This is usually when all snakes bite but I've gone through a stage where my carpet would go right up to it for 10minutes and still not bite. I solved the problem by getting it interested in the rat, for about 3 minutes, and then sway the rat back and forth and use it to bop the snake on the nose. At first the snake should S up in the defence position, but giving it 5-10 good bops (obviously not really hard) on the nose should cause it to instinctively bite at the rat. (As they say, a snake will only bite when agitated).

If this still fails then you should consult a PROPER vet that isn't going to give such a pussy answer such as "it's depressed. try giving it a hug." HA! I wouldn't force feed it without the aid of a vet or experienced reptile breeder.

Keep in mind however that although snakes in captivity should be fed roughly every 1-2 weeks, snakes can live for over a year without food. At this point, though, I would be getting concerned.

Hehe sorry for the life story.
 
Ok, first of all do NOT put a mouse in there and leave it overnight... What happens is the mouse gets hungry and eats massive chunks out of the snake's back. You'll be surprised how much crap a scared snake will take and will usually just try and retreat.

I would say that it's to do with the housing. Initially, try and give it a nice large cage with plenty of hideouts and vines, and also make sure the temperature and humidity are correct. I would then leave it for a couple of weeks and then once it is comfortable, try feeding it. You will need to try both mice and rats, because depending on what it has been fed all it's life, that is what it will eat. (use freshly killed)

If after that it still wont eat, you might have some success with the following method: if, when you put the mouse/rat (use freshly killed) in the cage it becomes alert and goes up to the rat, start to jiggle it. This is usually when all snakes bite but I've gone through a stage where my carpet would go right up to it for 10minutes and still not bite. I solved the problem by getting it interested in the rat, for about 3 minutes, and then sway the rat back and forth and use it to bop the snake on the nose. At first the snake should S up in the defence position, but giving it 5-10 good bops (obviously not really hard) on the nose should cause it to instinctively bite at the rat. (As they say, a snake will only bite when agitated).

If this still fails then you should consult a PROPER vet that isn't going to give such a pussy answer such as "it's depressed. try giving it a hug." HA! I wouldn't force feed it without the aid of a vet or experienced reptile breeder.

Keep in mind however that although snakes in captivity should be fed roughly every 1-2 weeks, snakes can live for over a year without food. At this point, though, I would be getting concerned.

Hehe sorry for the life story.


why would you be feeding a live mouse? it's illegal.


Will
 
why would you be feeding a live mouse? it's illegal.


Will


You wouldn't be. Look on the first page of posts. Someone said to put a mouse in there and leave it overnight. I'm assuming they meant a live one because have you ever smelt a thawed out mouse left in a snake cage overnight?? I wouldn't be eating for a year!
 
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