Pet snake problem

[sumatra]

we quit feeding rats to our boa--didn't want him bit. Now he eats bunnies and chickens. We raise both so we try to offer him different sizes. Sometimes he'll eat a mouse,then next time a big chicken, then maybe a 2lb. rabbit I don't know why

 

[Dar]

Quote:

BEAUTIFUL

 

[gypsy2621]

ahhhhhhh snake overload !!!!!!!

Those Spiders are stunning.( one day say I).

Dark Ice has given some very good advice. its exactly what I do with a picky eater. bag em and put them back in their enclosure.

I honestly wish some pet stores would employ people who know what they are talking about.
feeding live rat before a snake is ready for it can definitely result in the issue you are experiencing right now.

Rats can be very aggressive and will attack snakes and is the one reason I always advise to feed frozen thawed. never live.
( only time I suggest live is when its a live caught older snake who isn't used to F/T. )

I dont breed snakes so I dont know the exacts on how long the breeding period is I am sure Dark Ice can tell us, but waiting out this time frame and then re introducing "mice" is the best way to go. she may not be ready for big rats yet.

Heck I had a 7 ft Red Tail who wouldn't even consider a rat, mice only lol, no he wasn't picky just shy of the rat even though it came from a container.
I breed and raise rabbits also but I wont feed rabbit unless it was a fatal birthing. I know a lot of people feed rabbits and that's their choice but I haven't been able to wrap around it either. but for variety in my Balls, Corns, Red Tails I am considering raising button quail.
eggs are small enough where I can feed the raw egg to them for protein and variety.


forgot to add Dark Ice:

great to have another Snake person on board.

 

[jeni51]

What about trying live rat pups, Mouse size but hairless.

 

[josh]

Try a mouse she was probably feed mice instead of rats. Did you ask the lady what the snake was eating and how LIVE, Pre KIllled, or FT? Here is a big ? What is the heat in the enclosure? If not hot enough they won't eat. Do you turn the lights off at night 24 hour light can stress them out. How big is the enclosure if to big or to small it could stress it out.

 

[josh]

Quote:
Well, we didn't buy her from a pet store. We got her from a lady who said she'd had her for four years so we felt pretty confident that even if she was wild caught she would be over any trauma or parasite problems. The lady bought her from a pet store though so who knows what happened before that. The guy at the pet store where Greg buys the rats is the one who told Greg that she needed bigger prey. I figured if she was afraid of the bigger prey that bites back she needed smaller prey that wouldn't hurt her but this guy nixed that theory. I'm going to see if Greg can get a mouse or smaller rat and see how it goes. I also like the idea of taking her out and putting the mouse in for her to find. We'll see......thanks guys.

SHe is to big for mice. BUT if the previous owner never swaped her over from mice to rats that could be the problem.

 

[ladycrotalus]

I have had luck getting wild caught, tick infested, scarred up, balls to eat frozen/thawed mice, when i split the mouse's skull open, exposing the brains and leaving it in the cage over night.

I have an adult male who was refusing to eat all winter last year and the year before. This year though he is eating.

As long as your husbandry is spot on, and the snake isn't losing weight, and looks fine, then i wouldn't worry.

 

[Terri O]

Thoae are some gorgeous snakes Dark Ice! AHHHH--someday I will have a snake again. Got my pine snake from a breeder and had him for years. He got snagged on a bad part of his cage and died of an infection I believe. the shot that the vet gave him did no good....I was too young to know that most vets now absolutely nothing aabout reptiles! Terri O---missing snakes