Pre-shed soaking?

[Norm66]

My JCP, Jerome, has been soaking in his water dish for the past couple days. When I bought him I remember the breeder saying he would be due for a shed fairly soon so I'm assuming that's what this is.

I know it can be a sign of mites, but I've never seen any and he's been home for 3 weeks and just started this behavior, I would think if it was mites he'd have been doing this from the start.

So my real question is how long might this go on and should I be worried that he's on the cool side in water for extended periods? It's 78-80 deg F on the floor of the cool side depending on what time of day it is.

Thanks.

[alessia55]

He's probably just getting read to shed. Don't fret unless you see spots in the water after he's done soaking.

[Jay]

What's the temperature in the warm side ?

[Norm66]

The warm side swings from about 88-92 on the floor.

[Jay]

I would say it's related to the shed if he's already gone blue I would say the shed should happen this week.

[MoreliAddict]

Double check humidity but I personally wouldn't worry to much until you see how he sheds. I've seen healthy well-shedding jungles soak in the water dish before.

[Norm66]

I haven't been handling him and it's tough to see whether he's gone blue or not. I do think he's on his way though because even my wife says he looks duller than he did. I guess I'm just worried about every little thing with him since he won't eat. Of course maybe that'll change after he sheds....

[Lankyrob]

We find it hard to tell when our JCP is in blue too - jsut check the water for mites and if there arent any leave him be to shed in peace :)

[Norm66]

Thanks everybody. I've been keeping the humidity between 50% and 60% on average the past few days. I even put another water dish in halfway between the warm & cool sides thinking it would stay a bit warmer if he wanted to soak in it. He's ignored it so far. At least it's helping with humidity a little.

[shaunyboy]

My JCP, Jerome, has been soaking in his water dish for the past couple days. When I bought him I remember the breeder saying he would be due for a shed fairly soon so I'm assuming that's what this is.

I know it can be a sign of mites, but I've never seen any and he's been home for 3 weeks and just started this behavior, I would think if it was mites he'd have been doing this from the start.

So my real question is how long might this go on and should I be worried that he's on the cool side in water for extended periods? It's 78-80 deg F on the floor of the cool side depending on what time of day it is.

Thanks.


check theres not been a malfunction at your hot end mate,they will dive into a water bowl if its too hot for them in the tank

it could also be mites

it could be you just have a carpet who likes to soak before a shed.

that said i've never had a carpet soak in its water bowl unless it had mites

a jungle i bought from a shop had mites and it was in its water bowl 24/7 until i treated it

imo if it sheds then still goes back into its bowl,then there may be mites present.check the water bowl for mites,also around the snakes eyes and nostrils

hope you get to the bottom of its behavoir mate

cheers shaun

[shaunyboy]

Double check humidity but I personally wouldn't worry to much until you see how he sheds. I've seen healthy well-shedding jungles soak in the water dish before.


carpet pythons have no specific humidity requirements mate

i agree it copuld be a shedding thing

cheers shaun

[CDN_Blood]

Don't sweat it. They'll sometimes soak for days if they have the means to do so.

[Norm66]

I've got thermometers on the floor on both sides. The warm side has, at its highest point been to 92 (per the min/max function). It's surely hotter up on the perch closer to the lights of course but I though the temp should be taken at the substrate. I know carpets have no real humidity needs, but my house is heated by forced air and gets really, really dry so I've been keeping it up between 50% and 60% since he's been in his water bowl. Before I was getting it up to 70% and letting it drop down to 30% or so to keep nasties from growing.

Could mites have not been in evidence but 3 weeks later hatched (or whatever mites do)?

And if I'm to check for mites in the water and he's still in the water do I break my 'hands-off until he eats' thing to check? Hopefully I'll get home today and he'll be obviously in blue or maybe mid-shed or something.

Thanks again for the input.

[Kayla90]

I find with my carpets you have to pay attention to their skin colour. Their eyes don't really change colour, they just lose brightness and go a little dull which can sometimes be hard to notice unless you pay a lot of attention to their eye colour from the beginning. So when you notice their whole body colouring is a bit off they are usually in shed.

[shaunyboy]

I've got thermometers on the floor on both sides. The warm side has, at its highest point been to 92 (per the min/max function). It's surely hotter up on the perch closer to the lights of course but I though the temp should be taken at the substrate. I know carpets have no real humidity needs, but my house is heated by forced air and gets really, really dry so I've been keeping it up between 50% and 60% since he's been in his water bowl. Before I was getting it up to 70% and letting it drop down to 30% or so to keep nasties from growing.

Could mites have not been in evidence but 3 weeks later hatched (or whatever mites do)?

And if I'm to check for mites in the water and he's still in the water do I break my 'hands-off until he eats' thing to check? Hopefully I'll get home today and he'll be obviously in blue or maybe mid-shed or something.

Thanks again for the input.


i would break your not handling rule to make sure there are no mites present,mites can cause a snake stress to the point of not eating and defensive biting.it would be good to rule them out

The Life History of Snake Mites | Vida Preciosa International, Inc. (http://www.vpi.com/publications/the_life_history_of_snake_mites)

my carpets are at uk room humidity ,which is 40 to 60 % and have no issues

my basking spots are 86f to 90f

it may be a case of a carpet that likes a soak

if you find any full stop sized dots in the water or on the snake,squish them between your finger tips and you will see blood (the way i identify mites)

all the best shaun

[stephanbakir]

Some snakes just like the water... my male retic is in his water bowl a few times a day, every day. No mites.

[shaunyboy]

I find with my carpets you have to pay attention to their skin colour. Their eyes don't really change colour, they just lose brightness and go a little dull which can sometimes be hard to notice unless you pay a lot of attention to their eye colour from the beginning. So when you notice their whole body colouring is a bit off they are usually in shed.

^^^^^
agree completely mate


i have a black and white diamond jungle,that when going into shed,her white has a pink tinge to it.

my irians dull down and look drab

i've found my diamonds to be the hardest to tell if they're heading into shed,as their colours don't change all that much

cheers shaun

[shaunyboy]

Some snakes just like the water... my male retic is in his water bowl a few times a day, every day. No mites.

i agree completely stephan

but its worth ruling out mites once and for all,since the snake is also off its food and defensive biting

it may be nothing and its going into shed thats causing all the problems

only time will tell

cheers shaun

[stephanbakir]

I agree, just tossing in a potential answer to reduce the bad/good ratio in the post :P Hopefully putting the OP's mind at ease.

[CK SandBoas]

My Ball Python will spend 2-3 days in his water when he is going into shed, and then will then spend an equal amount of time between the hot spot and cool spot before he finally sheds. I remember the first time he spent more than a day in his water, i checked for mites, because i had read it could be an indicator of a mite infestation.

Hope everything turns out for the best:)

[Norm66]

Wow, thanks again everybody. If he's still in the water I'll pull him out and inspect for mites.

[Norm66]

Hmmm... the VPI mite article leads me to believe that it is vaguely possible, but unlikely that I wouldn't have noticed mites for 3 weeks. Assuming I read it correctly of course. I'm still checking when I get home though.

[Jay]

Hmmm... the VPI mite article leads me to believe that it is vaguely possible, but unlikely that I wouldn't have noticed mites for 3 weeks. Assuming I read it correctly of course. I'm still checking when I get home though.

They are tiny buggers an hard to spot sometime untill you have a breakout. Check the head, they love to hide in the eyes and especially that smal slot under the jaw.

[stephanbakir]

Cloaca is a bad spot for em too.

[KORBIN5895]

You will also find white poop on the head if it has been soaking.

[shaunyboy]

Wow, thanks again everybody. If he's still in the water I'll pull him out and inspect for mites.

when the snakes in the water,the mites head for the eyes and nostril area to stop themselves from drowning

take a white coloured cotton bud and wipe around the eyes and nostrils,you should pick up a few mites if they're there mate

give them a squeeze between your finger tips and they will turn into little blobs of blood

happy hunting

all the best shaun

[shaunyboy]

Hmmm... the VPI mite article leads me to believe that it is vaguely possible, but unlikely that I wouldn't have noticed mites for 3 weeks. Assuming I read it correctly of course. I'm still checking when I get home though.

they're tiny little things,full stop size.................

[Norm66]

Well, there aren't any mites. I looked in water dish, I looked under, over all but inside the snake and I even did the cotton ball thing on his head and came up clean. The only thing I found on him was a relatively nasty disposition. LOL. Actually, he struck a couple times at me but I got my feeding hemostats (cleaned after use of course, I really need to get a small snake hook at the next expo) and used them as a snake stick and once I got him picked up he wasn't any problem at all except when I wanted to rub his head with a cotton swab of course. Still, I'm not bleeding, the whole thing was done in a matter of a few minutes, the water dishes got washed and filled, I fluffed the substrate and got him back in there. He's sitting on his hide now but looks like he might head back to the water dish.

So I guess my thread title was correct then most likely. Just soaking pre-shed.

Thanks for all the help guys. You make the stresses of snake ownership a lot less stressful than it would otherwise be and I really appreciate it.

[Norm66]

Crazy little thing is still in the water. I got him out last night for cage maintenance/fresh water long enough for him to dry off and his skin looked dry but after a few minutes hanging out under the basking lamp to warm up he went right back to the water and was still there this am. I double checked for mites in the water bowl too....none.

Any idea what's going on? Being wet almost a week just can't be a good thing...or is it normal and I'm just being impatient? It's certainly been known to happen.

[Lankyrob]

Is it possible that it is something in the substrate/enclosure that the snake "doesnt like" so it is avoiding it by staying in the bowl? Just a random thought with NO substance :)

[shaunyboy]

Is it possible that it is something in the substrate/enclosure that the snake "doesnt like" so it is avoiding it by staying in the bowl? Just a random thought with NO substance :)


you can rule out substrate problems by using old newspaper,to see if he changes his habit of hiding out in his water bowl mate

as i've said the only time i've had a carpet continuously sit in its bowl was due to mites

i have seen people post on other forums their carpets do this,i've just never come across it with any of my lot

have you checked your hot end temperatures with 2 DIFFERENT thermometers ?

just incase theres a fault with the thermometer your using in his tank

please keep us updated mate as i'd love to know what your guys up to

cheers shaun

[Norm66]

Rob, there's nothing different than from before he started hanging out in the water. Same PVC perch, hide, plastic plants etc. I'm using cypress mulch for substrate, but I guess I could go back to newspaper. I had a tough time keeping any kind of humidity with paper though. I mean like less than 20%, my house is dry.

Shaun, I have two thermometers in there. One cheapy dual temp/hygrometer and one digital dual. They're close but not exact when I put them in the same place. This morning in the bottom middle of the tank, away from the black light it was 86 on the floor. I was concerned about him getting cold so I dug down through the substrate and have the water dishes on the glass. It's a little warmer even though the heat pad gizmo isn't directly under them. Plus there's two water dishes, one all the way on the cold side and the other near the middle again because I was afraid he was getting too cold.

When I had him out last night he didn't act like anything was wrong, he was his normal self. I just kept him out long enough for his skin to dry off, inspected for mites and then back in. When he dried off his head was really dry looking, like chapped almost. Especially between the scales, you could see dry white lines separating his scales. Makes sense considering he's been waterlogged for so long now.

Thanks again guys.

[KORBIN5895]

Your last statement about the white lines sounds like mites.......

[Norm66]

Your last statement about the white lines sounds like mites.......

It really just looks like chapped skin to me. There's been no mites in the water dish or visible on him and I've looked quite closely and even used the cotton swab someone suggested.

But the more I think about it, the more I think I should just go ahead and treat for mites on general principal. I've been hesitant because I've read a few pages where carpets (jags specifically) had bad reactions to mite treatment.

[shaunyboy]

It really just looks like chapped skin to me. There's been no mites in the water dish or visible on him and I've looked quite closely and even used the cotton swab someone suggested.


could be just about to shed,sometimes it looks like the scales are outlined with dry skin.

its the old skin starting to get ready to shed

norm,i'm just throwing every thought i have on the subject at you mate

it may well be he just likes a very long soak before he sheds

has he shed since you've had him ?

cheers shaun

[Norm66]

could be just about to shed,sometimes it looks like the scales are outlined with dry skin.

its the old skin starting to get ready to shed

norm,i'm just throwing every thought i have on the subject at you mate

it may well be he just likes a very long soak before he sheds

has he shed since you've had him ?

cheers shaun

LOL, yea and I appreciate it Shaun. No, he hasn't shed but I've only had him 3 1/2 weeks. The breeder did say he was getting close to due for a shed. So in 3 1/2 weeks, one poo, no food and no shed. Just lots of soaking. Sounds like a pretty lousy resort vacation to me. hehehe

[shaunyboy]

LOL, yea and I appreciate it Shaun. No, he hasn't shed but I've only had him 3 1/2 weeks. The breeder did say he was getting close to due for a shed. So in 3 1/2 weeks, one poo, no food and no shed. Just lots of soaking. Sounds like a pretty lousy resort vacation to me. hehehe

if your still in contact with the breeder drop him an e mail and ask if he soaks before a shed

it may be he's just one of those snakes with wierd habits,you do do get the odd individual snake with wierd habits,that stray from the norm (pardon the pun :bouncy: )

cheers shaun

[Norm66]

Well, if he's a weirdo he came to live at the right house. We've got all weird ones. I think they learn it from us.... ;^)

I'm actually going back to the expo where he came from this Saturday. Hopefully the guy will be there so I can ask questions. Actually, if we're doing hopefully I hope he will have shed and fed by then. LOL

[Norm66]

Wonder of wonders, he was out of the water when I got home today. Still no shed but maybe soon.

[ZARADOZIA]

Mine has been soaking for 2 days. This is tres bizarre for her!

[Terranaut]

My guess is the 20% humidity. I know carpets really don't have humidity requirements but lets face it 20% is low enough for chapped lips and dry skin issues in people who also don't have a min. humidity need. I think you should do what you can to at least double that. Where I live its below freezing for 3 months solid so humidity is low here too. I have a vaporizer on every floor just to keep 30ish% in my home. I also use an old water dish full of forest floor and water in my enclosures. My pvc enclosures sit around 60% while my glass enclosures (where my carpets are) sits around 40ish% depending on how well we keep up on the room vaporizer water level. Just a thought. If he is shedding or trying to a bit of moisture will help him out.

[Norm66]

Terranaut, the humidity is around 60% in the cage, it's only 20% if I use newspaper. With cypress mulch it's up pretty good.

This morning he was still out of the water, laying on top of his hide. Earlier when I checked on him he was sprawled out across his perch. I still haven't seen the telltale blue eyes, but he looks overall dull so I'm expecting a shed soon.

[Jay]

Check under his hide for monsters :D
If you've checked really good for mites, maybe he is about to have a shed.

[Norm66]

Check under his hide for monsters :D
If you've checked really good for mites, maybe he is about to have a shed.

LMAO, yea maybe he's got an evil monkey living in his closet. :wacky: I've never once seen him in his hide. I'm not sure he knows it's supposed to be a hide actually. LOL. He does use the top though so it wasn't wasted money. hehehe

[Lankyrob]

My JCP never uses his hide either - quite glad it was a cheapy! He will curl round the outside of it or lie next to it but not under it - i think he is too nosy to hide away ;)

[shaunyboy]

Terranaut, the humidity is around 60% in the cage, it's only 20% if I use newspaper. With cypress mulch it's up pretty good.

This morning he was still out of the water, laying on top of his hide. Earlier when I checked on him he was sprawled out across his perch. I still haven't seen the telltale blue eyes, but he looks overall dull so I'm expecting a shed soon.

glad to hear he's out his water bowl mate

it will be interesting to see if this has all been down to him coming up to a shed

room humidity here in the uk is 40% to 60% so your huniditys ok

cheers shaun

[Norm66]

Woohoo! His eyes have officially turned blue. I thought the rest of his body looked dry before, but now it's definitely ready to shed. I'm very relieved. So about how long between blue eyes and actual shedding can I expect? I'll be up every hour checking him out. LOL

[KORBIN5895]

My boas take about a week.

[Terranaut]

Yup week from onset of blue. Or mine go clear 2-3 days before then shed. Watch for it ;)

[red ink]

Woohoo! His eyes have officially turned blue. I thought the rest of his body looked dry before, but now it's definitely ready to shed. I'm very relieved. So about how long between blue eyes and actual shedding can I expect? I'll be up every hour checking him out. LOL

carpets... anywhere from 4 days to two weeks. Oh just in case as well, don't feed him till he sheds.

[Norm66]

Thanks again. I'll keep an eye on him but otherwise leave him be. I can't wait til he sheds, I want to see if he'll finally eat.

[Lankyrob]

My carpets eyes go blue first and then clear pretty quick - usually about 10-14 days after is the shed.

[shaunyboy]

Woohoo! His eyes have officially turned blue. I thought the rest of his body looked dry before, but now it's definitely ready to shed. I'm very relieved. So about how long between blue eyes and actual shedding can I expect? I'll be up every hour checking him out. LOL


anything from 5 to 10 days after his eyes clear up and go out of blue you should have a shed

he should start eating after that norm

glad we seem to have got to the bottom of his strange behavoir mate

cheers shaun

[Norm66]

anything from 5 to 10 days after his eyes clear up and go out of blue you should have a shed

he should start eating after that norm

glad we seem to have got to the bottom of his strange behavoir mate

cheers shaun

Yessir, me too. And I really appreciate the patience you guys have had answering my worry-wort questions. :crazy:

[shaunyboy]

Yessir, me too. And I really appreciate the patience you guys have had answering my worry-wort questions. :crazy:

i rember buying my first snake and the shop owner saying,remember theres no such thing as a strange question in the snake world

i think the first time i called him,it was a worry-wort question about poo :yes:

glad its just a carpet being wierd mate :yes:

cheers shaun

[Norm66]

How many days does it take from blue to shed for Jerome? 5 days. Woohoo!

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-Baaw5lzq4ac/Tu-fEnleq1I/AAAAAAAAAzA/Uf_XmcC6szI/s640/003.JPG

And now this is the first time I've ever seen him use the inside of his hide. Maybe he's cold after losing a layer of skin. hehehehe

I'm thinking give him today by himself and try feeding again tomorrow. Sound good?

[Norm66]

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-v694ODRICfY/Tu-oIg7fAII/AAAAAAAAAzc/78tZbUn61_U/s640/001.JPG

It came off in two pieces. The head and then everything else. Very exciting.

[millertime89]

check to make sure the eye caps are still intact on the head piece.

[Norm66]

Yep, they are. First thing i checked.

He stuck his head out a while ago and oh boy is he pretty. I can't wait to see the rest of him but I'm waiting until after he hopefully digests tomorrow's meal. Maybe he'll climb around tonight on his own.

[Lankyrob]

Our guy tends to "hide" for a day after shedding and is then back out cruising around again. cant wait for pics!!

[shaunyboy]

check to make sure the eye caps are still intact on the head piece.

also always check the tip of the tail has shed properly

i bought a young carpet that lost the tip of its tail due to shed retention with the previous owner

if the last few millimeters of tail retains it can constrict the blood flow and the tip dies

check the shed for mites if you want peace of mind over the whole water bowl scenario norm

glad to see all the worry was over nothing mate

all the besat shaun

[Norm66]

Yep, no mites and the tail is intact. Came off perfectly inside out all but the head which was actually over the rest of the skin. No mites either so we're ok. Just gotta get him to eat now. If he doesn't eat the rat pups I have I'll start worrying again but at least for now I'm stress free as far as jungle boy goes. :)

[shaunyboy]

How many days does it take from blue to shed for Jerome? 5 days. Woohoo!

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-Baaw5lzq4ac/Tu-fEnleq1I/AAAAAAAAAzA/Uf_XmcC6szI/s640/003.JPG

And now this is the first time I've ever seen him use the inside of his hide. Maybe he's cold after losing a layer of skin. hehehehe

I'm thinking give him today by himself and try feeding again tomorrow. Sound good?

most my carpets sit up their hot end,in 1 of their hides for anything up a week after a shed,some do it longer

cheers shaun

[Norm66]

He actually came out a while ago sitting on top of the he and showing sins e migh climb up on his perch. Man does he look good. I though he looked pretty before but wow. It's good to see him acting more normal.

[millertime89]

if he doesn't take f/t it might be worth it to offer him live just to get him started.

[Norm66]

if he doesn't take f/t it might be worth it to offer him live just to get him started.

Yea, the only thing that kept me from doing that before the whole water bowl thing started was finding appropriately sized rats live. I could get mice no problem but carpets are notorious for not switching from mice to rats and if he's really eating rats I don't want to screw that up.

I'll report later how it goes. I'm going to wait til later in the evening and try it with the lights off.

[Norm66]

Failed to feed again. He just doesn't seem to recognize f/t rat pups as food. I accidentally touched him slightly and he struck but it was defensive not a feein response IMO.

I might just try live mice next time. I'll get a small one and if he takes it I'll try getting a rat pup in before he realizes it. Maybe he'll associat rats with food then. Maybe.

[millertime89]

maybe try a TINY fuzzy rat, see if its a fur issue.

[Norm66]

I tried a rat pink before. I have some still I could try but I'm really thinking he either doesn't eat rats or doesn't eat pre-killed. I really don't want to have a live eating snake but I want him to eat..

[Gungirl]

Wait him out.. It takes a while for them to take F/T sometimes but when they get hungry enough they will. ALso this time of the year throws a lot of snakes off feed. As long as he is healthy looking don't sweat it.

[shaunyboy]

Wait him out.. It takes a while for them to take F/T sometimes but when they get hungry enough they will. ALso this time of the year throws a lot of snakes off feed. As long as he is healthy looking don't sweat it.


took me 10 month to get a the copper coloured jag to eat when she was a hatchling

it took me 6 months to switch a young carpet over to rats,scenting the rat pink with burst open mouse blood and gits

i used to heat the rat and the mouse with a hairdryer

burst the mouse and rub stinky blood and guts over the rat

if i rember correctly i had to aso brain the rat

then give the head an extraheatwith a hairdryer

i've known folk to sew chicks heads onto rats bodys to switch adult carpets over,from chicks to rats

patients and perciverance is the key mate

you get it o take 1 mouse and your right backat the start,imo learning the snake if it waits you out,you'll give it mice

some of mine go of their food during shed,somtimes after a shed,or sometimes through both,during and after

having never missed a feed,my irian jag just stopped eating after a shed,it took him 8 weeks to go bask to his normal feeding routine

carpets can be wierd snakes mate,imo part of what makes me love watching their behavoir in their tanks

i hope he feeds soon mate

giving the head of the prey a little extra heat,sometimes gets a feeding response

please let us know how it goes

cheers shaun

[Norm66]

We're going to feed this week. I need to decide whether to put the PAM treated bark back in first or feed first and two days later put the bark back in. I'm leaning towards feeding tonight and seeing if our treatment is working on the mites before we use the PAM. So far no mites since last Sunday (8 days).

He'll get a rat pup with some chicken broth rubbed on it. I'm hoping living in a tub for a couple weeks will have gotten him ready to eat. Willow (Kim) gave me some additional ideas that seem to be chilling him out some so maybe he'll relax and eat. My fingers are crossed.

[shaunyboy]

We're going to feed this week. I need to decide whether to put the PAM treated bark back in first or feed first and two days later put the bark back in. I'm leaning towards feeding tonight and seeing if our treatment is working on the mites before we use the PAM. So far no mites since last Sunday (8 days).

He'll get a rat pup with some chicken broth rubbed on it. I'm hoping living in a tub for a couple weeks will have gotten him ready to eat. Willow (Kim) gave me some additional ideas that seem to be chilling him out some so maybe he'll relax and eat. My fingers are crossed.

let us know how it goes mate

i'll have my fingers crossed for you

cheers shaun

[Norm66]

Nothing. Doggone it.

[Swany]

There's always next time man ;-)

[Norm66]

He just showed no interest at all. Same as ever. Scared if anything. Very frustrated. One of the balls failed to feed too but I left the fuzzy in with her. I'll check before bed.

[Lankyrob]

Norm, just had a thought, forgive me if you already covered this.

How are you feeding the Carpet? They feed in a totally different way to a BP. BP's eat and hunt at ground level so are expecting a prey item to be in front of their noses.

Carpets will feed hanging from a branch so expect the prey item to be beneath them - my guy when we put a rat in the viv will sniff it and then climb onto his perch and be expected to be fed there so we then have to bring the prey item under him so that he will take it. Even on the perch he wont take the prey if it is at the same height that he is.

Just a thought :)

[Norm66]

Rob, he's in the rack now so there's no perch anymore. I actually thawed and warmed the rat, soaked it in chicken broth and laid it down in front of him. Left it for two hours and he hadn't moved so I removed it.

The last time I attempted to feed him before moving him to the rack he was up on his perch and the prey was a live mouse. He at least showed interest and even struck once at it but let go immediately. I kept an eye on it for over an hour and he eventually just went back to sleep up on his perch.

I can't help but think at this point that he's simply not going to eat until Spring or until I assist or force-feed him. He doesn't seem to be losing significant weight but it's going on 2 months since he's eaten so I'm not really inclined to assist quite yet.

I have to say it's very frustrating.

[Lankyrob]

Would be interested to hear what other carpet keepers think on this - to my mind they need a perch to be able to "hunt" naturally - my guy has never eaten whilst not being on the perch :)

[Norm66]

Would be interested to hear what other carpet keepers think on this - to my mind they need a perch to be able to "hunt" naturally - my guy has never eaten whilst not being on the perch :)

I've tried it one way and it didn't work so now I'm trying something else. I've actually been in contact with Willow (Kim) and Shaun on this subject and I've done everything they've suggested to no avail. Yet. There's always next time.

I honestly have half a mind to take Jerome back to the breeder this weekend and see if he'll trade me something for the little PITA. But I have this thing about never abandoning a pet that will never let me do that even if the breeder would give me half credit or something.

[millertime89]

I would say keep Jerome, but contact the breeder about how he was fed before he came into your possession. I would also give him a taller tub on the top of the rack so he can have a perch, let him choose what he wants and where he's comfortable.

[red ink]

Would be interested to hear what other carpet keepers think on this - to my mind they need a perch to be able to "hunt" naturally - my guy has never eaten whilst not being on the perch :)


All my feed records state..

"Feed 1 (what ever weight rat) night time feed taken on first strike while on perch"

Since I don't feed at a set interval I don't feed until I notice this behaviour for a few of days in a row

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn214/Red-Ink-Buldogs/Greyham/4a595483.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn214/Red-Ink-Buldogs/Greyham/IMGP0650.jpg

Even my hatchling enclosures have perches...

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn214/Red-Ink-Buldogs/Female%20JCP/03a6d521.jpg

[Norm66]

I spoke with Jerome's breeder Saturday. Apparently Jerome isn't the only one from that group who isn't eating. Two other people who have JCPs from that pairing have also reported their snakes not eating. This just encourages me to ride it out with Jerome.

[Lankyrob]

I spoke with Jerome's breeder Saturday. Apparently Jerome isn't the only one from that group who isn't eating. Two other people who have JCPs from that pairing have also reported their snakes not eating. This just encourages me to ride it out with Jerome.

It is strange for sure, i 2010 we got a BP that wouldnt feed, nor would any of his broodmates, we ended up giving him back to the shop and got another who has not missed feeds except in breeding season.

When i went to the reptile shop last time i asked about the non feeders, they are now 2 years old and still none of them will strike feed - all are being assist fed still.