snake coastal still hasnt eaten after near 6 weeks

[bundyboar78]

Hi i cant find my post from few weeks back my 15mths coastal male , still hasnt eaten to refresh everyone i bought him 7 weeks ago he ate the night i bought him home in his clic clac container since then i transferred him into a glass reptile one enclosure not to big about 46 long and same wide so only small.he has not eaten since bringing home . the rat is being heated , i have not tried brianing i have done the chicken stock on the rat . hot spot is sitting at around 31-33 .
i bought a roosting hut from bunnings a week today since buying that he just coils himself on the top mainly occasionally goes inside he has not been down his warm end that i have seen in a week to touch he feels cold he is active in a way but i guess not as much as he was when he was warm. Im at my wit ends what to do with him , cant get him to eat he smells the food and slithers around but just wont take it . was thinking should i try feed him during the day alot of posts i see they feed during the day.

 

[Trimeresurus]

Put it back in it's click clack for a week then watch the magic.

 

[bundyboar78]

there is no room in its clic clac is only small the only hear sourcing it would have his heat mat i believe he had never had any source of heating on him the first 12 months so dont know if this is why he not eating could i buy the next size up clic clac

 

[Trimeresurus]

Click clacks are meant to be small and snug. Was it previously living in the click clack before you got it, if so I'd definitely put it back, finiky feeders just need something cramped to live in sometimes, makes them feel secure. Also a heatmat is plenty enough for heating, as long as the snake can get most of its belly on it and it reaches around 32-38deg.

 

[bundyboar78]

yes it was in the clic clac all its life well since woman before me had it but she used no heating. well i guess i will give this a go then and see how he goes this week . how long do they have to stay in clic clac for he is neally a metre long but only skinny ? would u suggest changing him to feeding during the day or leave him to feed at night

 

[Trimeresurus]

Shouldn't matter what time you feed it. Make sure the heatmat only covers 1/3 of the click clack and reaches around 32deg. Just see how it goes in the clickclack first, if it eats for you then you can decide when you wanna try and upsize it's home.

 

[Cold-B-Hearts]

keep him in the click clack for a week or two then stick the click clack into the cage (if it fits) and open the top so he can go explore if he likes but still has a safe place.

 

[Cockney_Red]

where are you, has he got 24/7 heat?

 

[wokka]

Nine times out of ten a snakes failure to eat is temperature related. I would not be concerned if an 18 month old snake has not eaten for 7 weeks although it would be nice to know why. If it was feeding properly before you got it, and it seems it was judging by its size, I suggest its failure to feed is to do with the new environment. What is the temperature of the snake? not the enclosure. Is it thermoregulating? Chasing heat or avoiding it?

 

[bundyboar78]

We are in qld in the wide bay are . he doesnt seem to be chasing heat he happy to stay down his cool end which sits around 25-27. Have just put his original hide back in his glass enclosure he has gone back in there , we just had him out in the sun to warm him up he felt a bit cool, not sure how to check his temperature but he felt cold. i just dont think he would be happy in his clic clac so small and no room to move he loves his branches and his rooster basket none of that i can put in his clic clac, he is still very lively and he definately isnt ill . should of he shed by now in the 7 weeks i have had him?

 

[andynic07]

We are in qld in the wide bay are . he doesnt seem to be chasing heat he happy to stay down his cool end which sits around 25-27. Have just put his original hide back in his glass enclosure he has gone back in there , we just had him out in the sun to warm him up he felt a bit cool, not sure how to check his temperature but he felt cold. i just dont think he would be happy in his clic clac so small and no room to move he loves his branches and his rooster basket none of that i can put in his clic clac, he is still very lively and he definately isnt ill . should of he shed by now in the 7 weeks i have had him?

Snakes only shed when they grow or possibly if they have mites and only grow when they eat so as he hasn't really eaten I would not expect him to shed as often as other snakes. I use an IR thermometer to check all temperatures including my reptiles.

 

[Trimeresurus]

He won't shed if he's not eating. I still think you should try putting it in the clickclack for atleast a week and then try to feed it, if it eats, good - if not, no harm done. At the end of the day it's up to you if you want to give it a shot, you asked for help and you've recieved suggestions. It just seems obvious that if it has only stopped eating since you've aquired it, and that it isn't happy with it's environment like you think it is, it might not like how big it's tank is, how exposed it feels when being in a glass tank ectect. Just because it's moving around doesn't mean it's happy. A perfectly content snake would never move. The best way to gauge a snakes 'happiness' for lack of a better word, is how well it eats, in my opinion.

 

[andynic07]

He won't shed if he's not eating. I still think you should try putting it in the clickclack for atleast a week and then try to feed it, if it eats, good - if not, no harm done. At the end of the day it's up to you if you want to give it a shot, you asked for help and you've recieved suggestions. It just seems obvious that if it has only stopped eating since you've aquired it, and that it isn't happy with it's environment like you think it is, it might not like how big it's tank is, how exposed it feels when being in a glass tank ectect. Just because it's moving around doesn't mean it's happy. A perfectly content snake would never move. The best way to gauge a snakes 'happiness' for lack of a better word, is how well it eats, in my opinion.

Haha my BHP's must be ecstatic then because they would eat almost everyday if I let them. I know what you are saying though. My gauge on "happiness" if there is such a thing with snakes is condition and I think my snakes are in good condition.

 

[bundyboar78]

no worries much appreciated all the information, im a newy to this so any info is great. so what should i put in his click clac as flooring just paper towel or newpaper or even a piece of carpet ? and just his hide and water dish is that enough. he is very content in his enclosure not alot of movement he moves around and very actve outside his container when he is getting held . will give it a go for sure like you said no harm done he is due for feeding wednesday so will put him back in clic clack today when i get it sorted out . does this container have to be out of direct sunlight? and my heat pad is a 7w so that shouldnt over heat the container ?

 

[andynic07]

A 7 watt heat pad will need a thermostat as it will get too hot, also direct sunlight will overheat very quickly. I would even put a tea bowl or something similar over the click clack to give him complete privacy and would not hold him for the week then try feed him.

 

[Ramsayi]

no worries much appreciated all the information, im a newy to this so any info is great. so what should i put in his click clac as flooring just paper towel or newpaper or even a piece of carpet ? and just his hide and water dish is that enough. he is very content in his enclosure not alot of movement he moves around and very actve outside his container when he is getting held . will give it a go for sure like you said no harm done he is due for feeding wednesday so will put him back in clic clack today when i get it sorted out . does this container have to be out of direct sunlight? and my heat pad is a 7w so that shouldnt over heat the container ?

Check the minimum temps around 7 am,pay particular attention to the cool side temps.
Stop handling it until it feeds regularly.Keep enclosures/tubs etc put of direct sunlight as it will cause the snake to overheat.

 

[bundyboar78]

so should i just use a 5w heat mat ? dont have a thermostat at the moment . so dont try feed him this week let him go till next week ? give him a week in there before i feed him ?

 

[andynic07]

I would not use any heatmat without a thermostat but some people do. It is hard to keep the constant right temperature throughout the whole day without a thermostat. For example you use a heatmat that gives you 33 degrees at the hottest part of the day then when you get cooler nighttime temperatures your hotspot will be lower than 33 degrees, on the other hand if you get a heatmat that gets to 33 degrees at the coldest part of the night then during the day your hotspot will be too hot. And in answer to your other questions yes I would leave him in the click clack under cover for a full week before I did anything and then try to feed him. Not all people use night heat for their young snakes and they feed ok but since you are having trouble I would give 24 hour heat. Hope this helps.

 

[bundyboar78]

where can you buy the clic clac containers from i was given mine with the snake looked at all cheap shops this morning but nothing , i dont know if bunnings sell em ? Is it true that feeding live rodents is illegal cause ive had people say to me feed live but i have heard it is illegal and can do damage to the snake i thought if i get a mouse smaller enough he might have a go at it ,, he not a agressive snake very placid and he doesnt strike .

 

[andynic07]

It is legal in certain circumstances but looked down on as it is cruel to the rat and can damage your reptile. I usually get my click clacks from big w , bunnings or woolworths but a lot of places sell them. They are sistema brand and there is quite a few threads on here about how to set them up and burn the air holes in them. They come in different sizes so you can get one that is the right size for your snake. It is probably more dangerous for a snake that does not strike to be in with a live rat than an aggressive one in my opinion.