Help getting BP to eat

eViL_KaRoT · 06-22-03, 01:14 PM

OK, Dieter, my Ball Python. Has now gotten over his Scale Rot, most of the scabbing came off with this last shed. Just a couple of spots that don't look the greatest, but it looks good for the most part. Now, how do I get him to eat again. It's been since October since he's eaten. And I know he's hungry, because he's snapping at the food!!! But he won't latch on and actually eat it. Well, yesterday I put in a fuzzy mouse. It barely had it's eyes open and has yet to produce teeth, so I wasn't worried about leaving it in there live and covering the tank up. Well, I put it in, covered the tank up with a blanket so that it would be completely dark and he would feel secure, and left it alone for a couple hours. Well, I came back just to check on him in about a hour and he had grabbed the mouse and was coiled up around it. I was like, YESHe's finally eating. Well, I came back to check on him another hour later and he hadn't eaten the mouse at all, he had spit him back out in his water dish and was going back in his hide. I'm not sure, but I think he may have regurged it back up, because all over the little mouse there was this slime all over it!!! I was like, OK, maybe he'll eat it a little later, but doesn't want to get it back out of the water. So I washed it off and warmed it back up them placed it back in the cage and covered the tank back up!! I left him alone for a couple hours again and nothing. Didn't even touch it. Well, due to past experience I just took the mouse out of the cage. It was kind of slimy again, so I think he may have nawed on it again, but did not swallow it again!!! Well, I know that he's been trying to shed the last several days and he had bits and pieces of shed all over him and large areas where the shed was there, still partially attatched in in areas, but you could tell it was ready to come off. So I figured, I'd soak him for awhile to help him with his shed. To help him not to regain his scale rot, I changed the entire tank's bedding (paper towels) and when I got him out I kind of spot dried him, so that I would rip any shed off and possibly hurt him. That definantly help with the shed, but he still won't eat. I'm going to try again tonite, this time with a F/T rat, I don't want to leave a live one in there with him. But any assistance any of you can be would be helpfull. I know that it's normal for BP's to go on off feed for awhile. But 8 months!!!!! I'm starting to worry about him!!!! So far I have wasted so many rats!!! I have tried leaving the F/T rat in the cage overnite, I've tried irrating the heck out of him and making him want to snap at the rat, I've tried rubbing it on my live pet rats, I've tried cuttin the nose, I've now tried a live fuzzy mouse, I've even tried opening his mouth and placing it in his mouth and locking his teeth on the food. NOTHING!!! What else can I do. I really don't want to, but I know when we first got him he was eating Live small rats, should I just put one of those in there and watch it closely? I really don't want to feed him live, but that's the only option I have left!!!

tHeGiNo · 06-22-03, 01:28 PM

Hey, well before I type up a huge essay on how to get him to eat, try the f/t rat and see if he will take that. Let me know what happens.

eViL_KaRoT · 06-22-03, 01:38 PM

Hey, go ahead and write your essay!!! I'm going to try again tonite with the F/T. But I have a feeling he won't take it. But I'll let you know tomarrow what happens.

Big Mike · 06-23-03, 08:31 AM

Just a quick tip...when my BP was not feeding I tried this...and it worked.

After thawing the mouse/rat I put it back into in hot tap water. At least I dip the head of the mouse into the hot water and then offer it. Heat is one way they sense their prey so this might help.

Of course, don't use scalding hot water.

Good Luck.

tHeGiNo · 06-23-03, 08:49 AM

One thing I neglected to ask, how old is your BP?

eViL_KaRoT · 06-23-03, 01:17 PM

Big Mike: That's how I unthaw all my rats is by using hot water. I place the rat in a plastic baggie, seal it shut and then place the baggie in the hot water. When that water gets kool, then I replace the water with hot water again. When I give the rats to my snakes, they are warm to the touch, about body temperature.

tHeGiNo: We think he's about 5-6 years old. Why?

tHeGiNo · 06-23-03, 03:00 PM

Hmm, ok try this: Give the enclosure a good spray, not too wet but enough. Then throw in a rat cover her and leave her alone. Give it a shot...

gonesnakee · 06-23-03, 03:12 PM

By the sounds of things you have an established "Live feeder", DOH! Hopefully you can get it to convert. Good Luck & I'll leave it up to the BP people to give you tips etc. If its been eating "live" for 5-6 years it will be hard to convert back though. Mark I.

eViL_KaRoT · 06-23-03, 03:36 PM

We had him eating F/T for about 3-4 months before he went on his off feed!! I've tried the whole trowing the thawed rat in the cage and completely covering it already. A Reptile rescuer from another forum gave me the Idea of placing either a fuzzy mouse or Rat or Rat pup in a paper bag, then place my BP in the bag. Spray the inside a couple of times, just to raise humidity a bit, then fold over the top of the bag, staple it shut. Place the bag back inside the enclosure, cover the entire enclosure so that it's dark and leave it alone for 8-12 hrs!! He says that he has a lot of luck with that option. Plus with using fuzzies or pups, the rats can't bite back so there is no danger to the BP. But yeah, I have a feeling that my may be a hard core live feeder!!! It's going to be hard to get him to eat F/T again.