Help - Spotted Python - Feeding Problems

[juggalette]

Hi,

I have a Spotted Python about 5 1/2 months old who is not feeding as well as I would have hoped. I bought him when he was 3 months old so I have had him for a little while and apparently he was eating a pinkie a week before I got him. I have tried feeding him weekly, but he does not show interest in his pinkie's at all every week. He is active enough, always moving around, looks healthy and all that, alert. He has shed once about 2 weeks ago and has grown about 4-5cm. About 2 weeks ago I was walking around the garden catching lizards with the kids, just for fun when I got one, but its tail fell off and it got away. My husband suggested that I try giving it to Monty seeing as though he won't eat anything else, and had read that these pythons in the wild will eat whole lizards and such. Now it was just a tail, still flippin around, and I thought, well hey whats the harm...and Monty ate it!! Now it was a tiny little snack for him, but its better then nothing right. Now I am in a pickle because I am in Qld and I hear the law states I cannot feed my python food I do not legally own, alive or dead. So what else can I do?
With the pinkie's I have tried several things that I have read about online, like cracking the skull of a defrosted pinkie, for scent I guess...he got stirred up about it, but didn't eat it. I also tried scenting the pinkie by rubbing it on a live animal, my dog and cat...neither of those worked either.
So I need more or different advice on what I can do...

Thanks

~Ash

 

[euphorion]

catch another skink and use that to scent the pinkie, then let the skink go. but you're probably setting yourself up for a heck of a time constantly scenting pinkies for him. try washing the pinkies to remove the strong mouse scent, i'm assuming you've warmed them up?

 

[LullabyLizard]

Scent the pinkie with skink tail. It worked for my python. Also, try leaving the pinkie in the bottom of the enclosure overnight. I hope this helps

 

[Ewan]

Hi Ash. Could you give us some more info. Such as the maintained temperatures, how do you prepare the rodents and how do you offer them, and a pic of the enclosure if possible. At this stage I would try avoid using skink tails or even scenting with skinks. If the hatchie has fed on pinkies prevoiusly and has since stopped, it is more often than not is a husbandry related problem.

 

[notechistiger]

Or you could feed it Asian House Geckoes. We get heaps of them up here, and they're pests. Just feeze them for a week or so first.

 

[Khagan]

I also tried scenting the pinkie by rubbing it on a live animal, my dog and cat...neither of those worked either.

Scenting your pinkies with the scent of a predator will not help.

 

[MrBredli]

Try a live pinky, if that works, offer a freshly killed pinky next feed, and if that works next feed offer a frozen/thawed pinky then stick with frozen/thawed rodents.

Don't bother messing around with lizards, the last thing you want is a snake that only accepts lizards. Your snake has eaten mice previously so it will continue to do so. Offering lizards, or lizard-scented mice is a step backwards, that's not the direction you want to be going.

 

[smidson]

As people above have already said dont waiste your time scenting his feeds if he was eating unscented pinkies when you got him then that is not the problem. what sort of enclosure is he in, what temps do you maintain the enclosure hot end and cold end, does he have plenty of hidey holes at both the hot end and cold end, where abouts in the house do you keep him his enclosure is not exposed to extreme temps or kids constantly tapping on the front or perched beside an overworked subwoofer!
In short check and double check all husbandry aspects once the snake is comfortable stress free and supplied with an appropriate temp gradient it should resume feeding without a worry

 

[gman78]

Try a live pinky, if that works, offer a freshly killed pinky next feed, and if that works next feed offer a frozen/thawed pinky then stick with frozen/thawed rodents.

Don't bother messing around with lizards, the last thing you want is a snake that only accepts lizards. Your snake has eaten mice previously so it will continue to do so. Offering lizards, or lizard-scented mice is a step backwards, that's not the direction you want to be going.

I second that, totally.