Help-getting an under fed snake healthy???

[Milney]

Firstly i would like to say that i appoligize for starting another feeding thread,but i have no idea what else to do. my brother recently purchased a few snakes from a seller on another website and lets just say it was less than a great purchase. i went with him to pick them up as we live about 5 hours away from where they were and when we go there i was discusted to see the condition of the snakes. we thought about leaving them there and returning home empty handed, but neither one of could leave them there as we felt sorry for them. there is one diamond that is really under fed and under sized as he is ment to be 2+ years old and is not much bigger than 1m and you can see his back bone. we fed them all when we got them home and they all smashed the food, but since then he will not eat and we want to do the best thing by him and get him healthy..... sugestions please?:?

 

[Emilie]

How many is it? What ages are they? When did you get them? When did they last feed? In general my guess would be you need provide more info in order to get good answers

 

[Raddy318]

let them get hungry for a few weeks then try again

 

[Milney]

its only the one that we are concerned about. he is about 2 years old, got them about a fortnight ago and he ate that day.

 

[CrystalMoon]

There are a lot of variables here.... First things first, you need to have them set up correctly eg warm end/cold end set to temps required for each species(we only know of the diamond)then you say you fed them, how long ago? Did you take them for a vet check? imo that would be handy to rule out any potential disease/parasites/illness. By the sounds of things they are not used to regular feeding so might need to be gradually introduced to it..... Good on you both for rescuing them

PS. 2 weeks is not too long, I would do the vet check and just leave them be to settle in and get used to being looked after

 

[Milney]

i would normaly do that raddy but as he is so under weight i was worried about doing that.

all temps asre fine first thing we checked.

 

[RSPcrazy]

If they ate when you first got them home (something you shouldn't do), but their not eating now. Then I would say their stressing in their new home and need some time to get use to their new home, or the temps aren't.

 

[Milney]

i know that i shouldnt have fed them but it was heart breaking to see them the way they were.

and just i dont get a hundred replies say about the themp thaey are spot on

 

[CrystalMoon]

i know that i shouldnt have fed them but it was heart breaking to see them the way they were.

and just i dont get a hundred replies say about the themp thaey are spot on

That is why it is important to give as much info in the beginning I had no idea if your temps were correct, as you didnt say that in the first place It was hard to answer you on the little information you supplied People can only offer information on the information a poster provides I am sure now you wont get hundreds of posts asking about temps lol

 

[RSPcrazy]

i know that i shouldnt have fed them but it was heart breaking to see them the way they were.

and just i dont get a hundred replies say about the themp thaey are spot on

One temp question? What have you set the temps for? (numbers please. Hot and cold ends)

I've lost count of how many people have said their temps are perfect, but they turned out to be way off for that species.

 

[Pauls_Pythons]

One temp question? What have you set the temps for? (numbers please. Hot and cold ends)

I've lost count of how many people have said their temps are perfect, but they turned out to be way off for that species.

That was going to be my question too lol.
As its turning winter it could even be seasonal not just temperature. Its likely to be either that or stress.
I would agree with crystal moon and get a vet check while he is already stressed. No point him getting settled then upsetting him again once he is ready to feed??

 

[Fantazmic]

Something I have done with one of my snakes that was fussy and I really needed tog et him feeding was....and this is going to sound mad....but to start again...so I went right back to feeding pinkies first as if he was a baby snake and with each feed gradually upped the size of the food......it worked really well and the smaller feed item was really easy to digest and got his appetitie back up......Now he is a beautiful boy pictures in my hand in my avatar....and is now much much bigger and wouldnt fit in my hand at all.......


Just a suggestion....try a pinkie and see what happens....

 

[Snake_Whisperer]

i would normaly do that raddy but as he is so under weight i was worried about doing that.

all temps asre fine first thing we checked.

Please fill us in on exactly what defines "so underweight". 1m long you say at 2 years? What exactly is wrong with that? I'm not trying to pick on you here, but in your experience, what defines an "underfed" snake? Many would argue, myself included, that on average, most keepers "overfeed" their animals. Food for thought! I have an olive here that is 4 years old, 1.8m long and around 2kg. Most people I know who keep olives would have passed this size in the first year. He is just a fussy eater, will only eat about 5 months of the year, and he is active, fit, and healthy. Another factor to consider, if the animal is used to not eating frequently, it may very well just be getting ready for winter. This time of year is notorious for "Why isn't my snake eating?" threads. The answer may simply be, because it's almost winter!