snake wont feed

[Andrais]

Hi i think its time i called for help on this one. I got my baby bredli some time ago now and since i got her (9th may) she has not taken a feed. Recently as well some gave me a tip that it might be her number of hours of heat she is getting so her heat lamp i put on 24/7 about a week ago now. So i tried feeding her this weekend but she would still not take it these are the things i've tried:
- rolling the mouse in the 'juices' out of the bag
- leaving the mouse in her enclosure for the night
- trying different feeds
- feeding her outside her enclosure
- thawing out the mouse in warm water
This is a bit about her:
-born 1st april
- had a strong feeding record before i had her and shed once
- temps in cage are 35 degrees on her basking spot and the air temp is around 28 degrees (light now on 24/7)
- enclosure is 50cm long, 50cm wide, 80cm high (no i dont think its because her enclosure is to big because she is always out and about she not snappy either or scared and she uses the space alot-loves to climb
sooo yeh i have no idea what to do now, brain bursting the feed isn't really something i want to do but if i have to do it then i will.
any suggestions?
thanks
Andrea

 

[ScalyMung]

what size food prey are you feeding it ? have u tried pink rats ?
cheers Deano

 

[Andrais]

what size food prey are you feeding it ? have u tried pink rats ?
cheers Deano

i have tried pinky mice and pinky rats and she is currently 'on' pinky rats.

 

[Troyster]

A little more info with regards to where in your house she is located?Is it a queit part of the house or a high traffic area?Is it near any loud noises,ie tv,stereo?Do you handle her regularly?Does he/she have lots of hides available?Are the hides located on the warm and cool sides?

I would suggest if you are handling him/her to keep it to an absolute minimum until it starts to feed regularly and to stop varying so many things.Stick to pinky or very small velvet mice.Allow them to completely thaw from frozen then warm them up a little with warm tap water and offer it the food item later at night when the house is quiet.Perhaps you could place the rodent at the opening of its hide as small snakes will feel more comfortable taking a feed in the security of their hide.Offer meals once a week,even if they dont take it discard the mouse and wait 7 days before offering another.

 

[bullfrog]

also try a hatchling quail

 

[hnn17]

try a heatmat+click-clack instead of leaving the light on 24/7

 

[Kristy_07]

Maybe she's taking a longer time to settle in? My MDs have just come out of the same thing. What worked for me: heat 24/7, 32 degree hot spot, thaw in hot tap-water, leave mouse/rat overnight, plenty of privacy, pipping the mouse/rat brain. Initially they had no strike response and would just eat during the night, since bumping their temps a touch, and leaving 10-14 days between feeds, they are hungry and have started striking.

Try pipping the heads of the food. If you're already rolling the rat in its own juice, it's really not anymore gross to pip the brain. What's more important? You're gross-out factor, or your hatchie getting in some feeds before it gets colder?

Good luck!

 

[justbecausewhy]

my female spotted hasnt eaten for nearly 4 weeks now....she did that last year about this time as well.

 

[Ozzie Python]

have added my thoughts. a few answers may help eliminate any husbandry problems. Not having a go at you at all, but sometimes the smallest things are all that is needed to stop a snake feeding.

Hi i think its time i called for help on this one. I got my baby bredli some time ago now and since i got her (9th may) she has not taken a feed. Recently as well some gave me a tip that it might be her number of hours of heat she is getting so her heat lamp i put on 24/7 about a week ago now - maybe just give it some time to settle in, sometimes more than a week is necessary. So i tried feeding her this weekend but she would still not take it - how often are you trying to feed? too often can lead to stress and non feeding these are the things i've tried:
- rolling the mouse in the 'juices' out of the bag - check with the breeder how they were preparing the rodents. i have some snakes that wouldn't eat wet and some won't eat dry rodents for some time. my preference is wet and sometimes it takes a while to get them used to it.
- leaving the mouse in her enclosure for the night
- trying different feeds - if it has fed on pink rats before it will again.
- feeding her outside her enclosure - sometimes pulling them out of the enclosure can stress them. i feed all my snakes in their enclosure and they handle just fine. if you don't believe this just get the snake feeding in its enclosure and then work on feeding it out of the enclosure later.
- thawing out the mouse in warm water - i hope you were thawing the rodent before hand. when you think it is thawed pull it out and run your hands over it, you will feel if anything is still cold or frozen.
This is a bit about her:
-born 1st april
- had a strong feeding record before i had her and shed once - should feed again. how many weeks and feeds since last shed? typically you don't offer food to a hatchling until after it's first shed. has it had a shed since the first shed /feed?
- temps in cage are 35 degrees on her basking spot and the air temp is around 28 degrees (light now on 24/7)
- enclosure is 50cm long, 50cm wide, 80cm high (no i dont think its because her enclosure is to big because she is always out and about she not snappy either or scared and she uses the space alot-loves to climb this may be too big, have you tried putting her into a smaller tub. could be active and climbing trying to find a secure spot. how many hides do you have? atleast one in the basking/warm spot and one in the cool side. if the enclosure is too big maybe needs more hides. if not snappy does this mean you are handling her? if so stop handling until the snake feeds reliably.
sooo yeh i have no idea what to do now, brain bursting the feed isn't really something i want to do but if i have to do it then i will.
any suggestions?
thanks
Andrea[/QUOTE]

 

[Barno111]

down grade its enclosure to something like this

This is a 14month old bredli (so i've been told). But downgrade to something of this size. Let it settle in for a couple of days. Once it is settled in then place a thrawed out pinkie in there. Place the how thing in a dark, quite corner of your house and you will be amazed!

 

[Cheyne_Jones]

The enclosure is definitely too big!

I have little doubt that if you put in in a small click clack with a heat mat set a the right temp your snake will start feeding again real soon.

 

[Andrais]

Maybe she's taking a longer time to settle in? My MDs have just come out of the same thing. What worked for me: heat 24/7, 32 degree hot spot, thaw in hot tap-water, leave mouse/rat overnight, plenty of privacy, pipping the mouse/rat brain. Initially they had no strike response and would just eat during the night, since bumping their temps a touch, and leaving 10-14 days between feeds, they are hungry and have started striking.

Try pipping the heads of the food. If you're already rolling the rat in its own juice, it's really not anymore gross to pip the brain. What's more important? You're gross-out factor, or your hatchie getting in some feeds before it gets colder?

Good luck!

did the pipping thing last night, i'd have to say it wasn't actually gross at all, i thought it would be really messy but it came out nice and clean, it felt weird tho doing it.

Have moved her into a smaller enclosure, much smaller, given her her 2 hides, water, a heat mat and i will leave her for a week, no handling nothing. she is kept in a quiet room anyway which is my study so it should be still be quiet for her.

 

[Kristy_07]

I'd say you've done the right thing. Sometimes they don't feel settled, even when they're not looking stressed.

I'd keep the hot spot around 33 degrees, and leave her for another week in a quiet place. Don't open the lid all the time, just cover her with a towel and let her settle into the new click clack. Then thaw/warm a food item, pip the head, and leave it in overnight, with the door shut and a towel over her. It will give her lots of privacy and she'll prob feel more secure. IMO

Good luck!

 

[Nathan_T]

I had problems with a new bredli myself. I have no idea if it's your first snake or not, but I found out my problem was that the mouse was too cold when I offered it. Was starting to pull my hair out until one day I added a bit of boiling water to the tap water and the snake hit it like a bus

 

[Pythoninfinite]

Worth considering... a snake barely more than 5 weeks old could not have a 'strong feeding record". It wouldn't have been fed until at least 12-14 days old, after it's post-hatch slough, and then had only 3 weeks to show a 'strong feeding record'.

Yes, your enclosure is WAY too big for a hatchling snake, and it is likely that it was fed only 2-3 times before you got it. A snake that age is not an established feeder. Breeders should not sell snakes this young to inexperienced keepers - they need to be at least 8-10 weeks old, with 2 sheds and at least 8-10 feeds under their belts, to be regarded as reliable feeders.

Jamie.

 

[beeman]

Worth considering... a snake barely more than 5 weeks old could not have a 'strong feeding record". It wouldn't have been fed until at least 12-14 days old, after it's post-hatch slough, and then had only 3 weeks to show a 'strong feeding record'.

Yes, your enclosure is WAY too big for a hatchling snake, and it is likely that it was fed only 2-3 times before you got it. A snake that age is not an established feeder. Breeders should not sell snakes this young to inexperienced keepers - they need to be at least 8-10 weeks old, with 2 sheds and at least 8-10 feeds under their belts, to be regarded as reliable feeders.

Jamie.

I would agree 100%, the snake was to young to be let go out IMO,
it would not have had enough time to be settled into a good feeding routine
and would quite easily be put off feeding being rehoused and not recommence
easily.