He still won't eat!

[Kaianuanu]

So I've had my baby coastal for over 3 weeks and he still hasn't eaten. I've tried f/t, brained, and live fuzzies. He seems to be fine otherwise and I have a 2 foot jungle in an almost identical setup adjacent to him that has been eating like a champ. He's tiny at only 16" but doesn't appear to be particularly emaciated. Every time I attempt to feed him, he just gets really defensive and will bite the crap out of the mouse but he will not hold or wrap it. When should I start to get worried?

http://i516.photobucket.com/albums/u323/kaianuanu/null_zps8ffead70.jpg

[Mikoh4792]

How old is your coastal? Looks like it just came out of the egg a few weeks ago.

I actually had the same problem as you when I had my Jungle and Irian Jaya. They were both in identical setups and while the Irian Jaya would eat BOTH rat pinkies and fuzzy mice like a champ, the JCP didn't touch anything for over a whole month. Just keep trying and stop worrying. Offer a prey item once a week and if it doesn't eat, it doesn't eat. If your temps/humidity is in check it will eat on it's own terms.

EDIT:

Before I got my jungle to start eating, I would leave the prey item over night. It had to eat like this for a few weeks because it wouldn't strike and constrict the prey. Now it always strikes and constricts. When you attempt to feed the snake, dangle the prey item to get the snakes attention and just leave it in there overnight. Since carpets are nocturnal you should try feeding them at night for the best luck.

[Kaianuanu]

How old is your coastal? Looks like it just came out of the egg a few weeks ago.

I actually had the same problem as you when I had my Jungle and Irian Jaya. They were both in identical setups and while the Irian Jaya would eat BOTH rat pinkies and fuzzy mice like a champ, the JCP didn't touch anything for over a whole month. Just keep trying and stop worrying. Offer a prey item once a week and if it doesn't eat, it doesn't eat. If your temps/humidity is in check it will eat on it's own terms.

EDIT:

Before I got my jungle to start eating, I would leave the prey item over night. It had to eat like this for a few weeks because it wouldn't strike and constrict the prey. Now it always strikes and constricts. When you attempt to feed the snake, dangle the prey item to get the snakes attention and just leave it in there overnight. Since carpets are nocturnal you should try feeding them at night for the best luck.

Haha, I've also gotten my other carpet (jungle) to eat both rat pups and adult mice. She's not too picky. But I'll try leaving that live fuzzy in there overnight and see what happens. I'll be crossing my fingers.

[EL Ziggy]

I know its just a fuzzy but I wouldn't leave a live prey item overnight with any snake. Better safe than sorry. Beautiful snake btw.

[Kaianuanu]

I'm not worried about the mouse, one because its a blind fuzzy, two because Mr. Snuggles (my coastal) is a livewire, and he freaks out if anything so much as brushes his tail, and three, he spends almost all of his time perched up high, where the mouse can't reach him. So far, he has been perched right above the fuzzy, staring directly at it while it sleeps on the ground. Its kind of creepy and funny at the same time.

[Mikoh4792]

I'm not worried about the mouse, one because its a blind fuzzy, two because Mr. Snuggles (my coastal) is a livewire, and he freaks out if anything so much as brushes his tail, and three, he spends almost all of his time perched up high, where the mouse can't reach him. So far, he has been perched right above the fuzzy, staring directly at it while it sleeps on the ground. Its kind of creepy and funny at the same time.

It would be cool to have a camera with night vision. If you could record the snake overnight it would be cool to see it hunt.

[Kaianuanu]

It would be cool to have a camera with night vision. If you could record the snake overnight it would be cool to see it hunt.

Funny you say that, I had an IR capable webcam set up on my chameleon's cage for a while that i used to watch him at school in real time on my iPhone. it was pretty cool. I also rigged up some IR led's to light the cage at night for the nightvision. I ended up taking it down once the novelty of it all wore off after about a month. But I have red night bulbs on my carpets anyway so it wouldn't need IR capability.

[Lankyrob]

You seem to have tried a LOT of feeding attempts in three weeks, give the snake a week with no interuptions apart from changing the water and then try again with a ft rat that is nice and warm with a very hot skull.

[Kaianuanu]

I haven't messed with him for over a week before this attempt. And I have also tried hot FT fuzzies, I think next week, I'll try to get my hands on a live day old button quail chick.