live feed

[king905au]

Hey all just got a few questions I have had a male jungle for around 1 1/2 years, not so long ago found him a girlfriend they have been getting along fine, thats not my problem I have had her now for around 2 months and she wont take a feed, I think she may have been feed live, I'm not really keen on giving her live rats because of the problems it can cause, mites more than anything but if its all she will eat I guess I have no choice, then comes my next problem where do I get live rats that are mite free and that I'm not going to get the 3rd degree from like every pet store in town.

Regards and thanks

 

[Ramsayi]

Where to start? There is so much wrong with what you have written.

Got a new snake 2 months ago and put it in with your other one.......what about quarantine?

New snake wont take a feed.........might be because it's in with another animal?

Contemplating using live rats? Chances are it's not feeding as there is something wrong with your husbandry

Mites from rats? reptile mites don't come from rats.

 

[cooper123]

he just asked a question dident have to be a idiot and point out every thing that was wrong with his post he just asked for some advice not to get flamed for everything in his post. why would u even post, ur post had nothing to do with his question if ur not going to answer it why say anything.

king have u tryed scenting prekilled rat with blood or watever

 

[Ramsayi]

he just asked a question dident have to be a idiot and point out every thing that was wrong with his post he just asked for some advice not to get flamed for everything in his post. why would u even post, ur post had nothing to do with his question if ur not going to answer it why say anything.

king have u tryed scenting prekilled rat with blood or watever

He wasn't flamed.Perhaps the reason why the snake wont feed is because there are so many things wrong.

 

[reptilegirl_jordan]

King.Try seprating the snakes.Have you got heating? snakes dont eat if you have given them the right temps.
do you have any pics of ur setup? and snakes? now with the feeding you can try scenting the rats with blood or try braining them.
cheers jordo

 

[bowriver]

I recently went to a vet for advice about my coastal carpet, and It was mentioned about live feeding. The vet showed me pics of things that can happen to snakes that were given live food. It wasn't pretty. If your snake doesn't kill the mice or rat etc straight away the rodent may gnaw into the snake or attack the snake. You should ask the previous owner how they fed. I'm not sure on the correct way of feeding but with my python I have to make the enclosure dark and feed with long tongs so that she doesn't get confused with my hand.

 

[bundy_zigg]

he just asked a question dident have to be a idiot and point out every thing that was wrong with his post he just asked for some advice not to get flamed for everything in his post. why would u even post, ur post had nothing to do with his question if ur not going to answer it why say anything.

king have u tryed scenting prekilled rat with blood or watever

Because Ramsayi was pointing out things the person should know - I think Ramsayi's comments are just and smart. Quarantine is to keep your current collection safe of any diseases, and mites don't come from rats I'm not even sure I have ever heard someone say that before so at least now the person can maybe separate the snakes and look at how they are keeping them and then try a feed again rather that assume it has to do with being live fed and start feeding it live food. This is why people should know who they are buying from and a bit of history of the snake.

As for answering the question - its illegal to feed live food so try separating the two snakes first. what are the temps of the enclosure? how big is the enclosure? and are there any signs of ill health from the new snake as there maybe an underlying problem.

 

[waruikazi]

It's not illegal if all other options have been tried and failed.

 

[Emzie]

Live feeding should be last resort there are many other methods as people have mentioned
However if it does come down to live feeding a would suggest pinkies as they won’t hurt your snake

 

[tomcat88]

my jungle female didnt eat for 2 weeks after i got her, i wouldnt really get worried about missing feeds unless it was over a month or 2. Make sure your temps are correct - 32 hot end and that it has a cool end ( i put ice in the cool end water bowl for hot days even in an insulated room). i wont flame you for housing two pythons together (as i am aswell) as long as they are similar size, and make sure it is big enough for them to have room each, not two males (not worth risk), you have multiple hides and branches for them and if the temps are right then it will only be a matter of time before she/he takes a thawed rodent no probs.

Like mentioned use feeding tongs and just wiggle the mouse in front of it until BAM. bobs your uncle. However always feed snakes housed together seperately and not in the enclosure!!! quickest way to end up with one or two hurt or dead pythons

 

[king905au]

Well what have I started.

I quarantined them for the fist few weeks, she had a feed just before I placed them together but it was a reluctant feed. The enclosure is on the larger size and old wardrobe it has 2 hides one inferred light and one ceramic. Top tempters are around 31 with the bottom around 24 with an over night drop of around 4 degrees humanity is between 60-68%.

They both seam to be in good health and are sometimes warped up together other times not.

I'm not really keen on the idea of a live feed as my old flatmate used to do it and I have seen where the snake has been bit, I think I will try a fresh kill first maybe this weekend unless anyone thinks I should try something else first.

 

[Colin]

king905au listen to what ramsayi advised you as he knows what he's talking about.

Seperating the two jungles to an enclosure (or tub) each would be the best move.

Definitely seperate them for feeding because if you've been trying to feed the new animal in the other more dominant animals enclosure,
that may be why its not eating..

She wont take a feed?? what was she being fed by the previous owner?? rats? mice? chicken?
If you know that, then the best thing to do is feed her what she's used to until she settles in etc.

try her on a thawed adult mouse (feed her in a seperate tub) and more than likely she takes it..

NEVER feed live rodents.... but you can feed "freshly killed" rodents to finnicky feeders.

 

[mysnakesau]

Hey all just got a few questions I have had a male jungle for around 1 1/2 years, not so long ago found him a girlfriend they have been getting along fine, thats not my problem I have had her now for around 2 months and she wont take a feed, I think she may have been feed live, I'm not really keen on giving her live rats because of the problems it can cause, mites more than anything but if its all she will eat I guess I have no choice, then comes my next problem where do I get live rats that are mite free and that I'm not going to get the 3rd degree from like every pet store in town....Regards and thanks

I don't believe for a minute that the snake was fed live, unless of course the seller told you so. Reasons why snakes don't eat is usually to do with your set up. Temperature is one of the biggest issues. If the enclosure isn't adequately heated you snake will most like refuse a feed. Temperature gradient should probably be around 30-35c hot end allowing the other two-thirds of the enclosure to be governed by the room temperature.

Another reason snakes can refuse is when they have been moved AND into new enclosures. How long it takes to settle depends on the individual snake and your patience in letting it settle. You really shouldn't handle them until they are well established with their feeding.

Coming up to a shed will put them off their food, or you sure she isn't gravid? How old is she and was she housed on her own prior to you getting her.

As far as the rats go, how do you prepare them to feed the snake. I thaw my snake food in a bucket of hot water straight from the tap. If it goes cold, warm it back up. They tend to hesitate or not take cold food. They like it warm.

Its not the mites you need to worry about with the rats, its them biting your snake. They can inflict horrible wounds to snakes. If you must buy a live rat, kill it just prior to offering it to your snake so it is still warm, juicy and the nerves kicking might catch his attention. All pet shops will give you the 3rd degree. It is considered cruel to feed live mammals to other animals and illegal for a pet store to sell you something intended as snake food, or food for any other kind of animal.

 

[king905au]

I aways separate before feeding, when I was chatting to the previous owner he said he feed both live and dead to her but I think it might have been more live than dead by the sound in his voice.

 

[tomcat88]

give a fresh killed rat or large mouse a go once a week for the next few weeks. as i said dont worry too much about a python not eating they can go a long time without food and even if your snake only eats live atm, eventually you will be able to get him on fresh killed and then frozen and you wont have to worry every time you feed your snake that it will be disfigured by its food. mine took 2 weeks to get adjusted and ate on the third attempt hopefully yours will take it the next time but it could take another month of trying. good luck

btw - nice enclosure/setup

 

[king905au]

She has also shed about 5 weeks ago as for being gravid cant be sure but she was housed with 2 yearling jungles and I think she would be showing by now I'm not to worried yet like I said I might try the live killed and see how that goes.

When I feed I let the feed defrost and get warm in the sun if by chance they are not quite done I will put them into a bucket of hot tap water to warm them up I also use long tongs she shows interest until she gets really close then backs way and hides.

 

[Vixen]

he just asked a question dident have to be a idiot and point out every thing that was wrong with his post he just asked for some advice not to get flamed for everything in his post. why would u even post, ur post had nothing to do with his question if ur not going to answer it why say anything.

king have u tryed scenting prekilled rat with blood or watever

How else is he supposed to learn, agree with everything Ramsayi said.

 

[notechistiger]

I think you've just completely disregarded some excellent advice. Separate them, wait a while, then try feeding again. Just because she ate while living with two other snakes does not mean that she'll eat while living with yours.

 

[beeman]

Ramsayi has very valid points, problems are usally husbandry related.
Quarantining for 2 weeks is a complete waste of time, The bare minimum
should be 6 months.

 

[pythons73]

Exactly what i was going 2 say beeman,I think you should listen to what Ramsayi said,hes not trying to flame you,basically everything you wrote spelled Disaster to me,probably everyone else,temperature is one off the most important,Quarantine for two weeks,why bother,in that time its a waste of time,best of luck........