not eating

[marijuana]

i've got my 6years old BCI about a month ago and since then i gave her one adult f/t mouse that was too big for my ball python and she ate it whitout a problem. today i tried to give her one adult f/t rat and she doesn't want to eat it. she just ignores it... why is that? what should i do? now i have to throw away perfectly good rat....

[Meltos]

Incourage It, Prod It. Move It In The Snakes Path, Make It notice it. Do you have tongs. And If not feeding, Then theres nothing you can do (well there is, But im not a expert) My Milksnake' (i no its not a python) but still, He Does not notice the mouse at all. I have to prod, push it along, i place it right in front of his nose. Imnot your best help. Just wait for the experts ;)

[marijuana]

i did all that... moved it, put it in front of her nose,... she just ignores it. her previous owner fed her one rat on 23rd september and i gave her a mouse (that was much smaller then a rat) on 11th october. is it maybe too soon? but i doubt it... she was fed every three weeks.

[Big_V]

Keep tease feeding the animal. If the animal gets interested in it, by coming up right too it and giving it a good once over, LIGHTLY smack the rat into its nose. It may seem a bit weird to hear. For a ball python it wouldnt work because it would tremble in fear but boas tend to just take it down really hard. You have to make the prey look interesting, as if it were alive. If it doesnt work this week, just wait another and try again, eventually it will be hungry again.

[marijuana]

i did that too... she has shown some interess... when i put the rat in front of her she lookes at it, smells it and then just goes away. should i try smaller pray? like a gerbil or something like that? but i am sure that the rat is not too big because she has always been fed with them.

[boa+python]

Try to put the snake in a smaller cage and put the rat in the cage with it this way it has to either pass or pick up the rats scent. This technique usually works with my ball python. Maybe you should try to warm up the rat a little more so that it has more heat.

[marijuana]

her cage is not that huge... she has picked up the rats scent, thats for sure. when i give the rat in front of her she flicks it with her tounge and then just turns the other way... should i leave the rat in her cage over the night? i don't think that she will eat it but it's worth a try...

[McCarthy Boas]

Try warming the rat up. Just put the rat in some hot water from your sink and let it heat up for a few minutes. Do not put the rat in boiling water or your microwave. After it is warmed up just put it in front of your boas nose nice and easy. Do not hit the boas with it as some boas will shy away from this and they will become problem eaters. If the boa does not take the rat then leave that rat in the cage over night. If the rat is still there in the morning just throw it in the garbage. Do not try feeding again for about a week.

Take care
Tom

[marijuana]

she didn't eat it... thanx anyway. in about a week or two i will have 10 gerbils availible. gerbils are much smaller than the rat i gave her yesterday... will one be enough? for how long? should i give her more than just one gerbil?

[rrrrr]

1 month is not "not eating" for an adult BCI in late fall. I wouldn't worry too much. Unless he's undersized, he should be able to eat pretty much any size rat. If he's kept at the right temps, and is mite and parasite free, just offer food every 10 days or so, and dont worry about him eating or not. After 10 weeks or so, if he still hasn't eaten, you might want to ask the forum again. If he's getting emaciated before then you should of course take it very seriously.

He may not eat again til spring, and assuming his weight is fine right now, that shouldn't be a big problem.

[marijuana]

she's not undersized. her weight is 6kg and she's 175cm long. she's mite and parasite free and is kept at the right temps. that is not the problem. i have her for about a month. i never had any problems with my ball python that's why i'm asking this here... thanx for the help :)

[joey]

...she's not hungry.

try again in another week. you'll just piss her off if you keep teasing her with the rat. if she's not hungry--she won't eat. don't worry.

[marijuana]

i gave her gerbils and she loves them! she is eating normaly now...