Rainbow not eating right

[sulferhead]

hey guys i have a brazilian rainbow boa thats not eating right. he is about 28 inches long almost 6 months old. i feed him every two weeks or a little earlier. he is eating frozen fuzzies or whatever the stage above pinkies is. i thaw them out well and he usually takes them within a minute of throwing them in the tank. now i have to dangle them in front of his face and even thats not working this time. he has just been lying there sticking his tongue out at it for about ten minutes. he is right up next to it but not doing anything. the tank runs about 76-79 during the night and 78- 82 during the day.

Any help would be much appreciated!!

[Gluttony]

Sometimes they just go on hunger strikes, photo period seems to affect them also. If possible raise the temp up to 84-85 since this is the ideal temp for the species, I would also try braining and see if that garners a response. I wouldnt worry unless you start to see it become emaciated or lethargic, just keep trying until it eats.

[sulferhead]

I'll get a bigger heat pad tomorrow. currently i have two medium zilla heat pads one on top and one on bottom. He is very active and looking good as of now. Is braining exactly what it sounds like???

[Valvaren]

I would absolutely not get another heat pad,your temps are fine i keep my brbs at no hotter then 82, 85 is very very extreme as far as temperatures for them and bordering on dangerous. I would check the rest of your husbandry and attempt different ways of offering food. We have two very experienced brb breeders on here and i highly reccomend waiting on their input.

[sulferhead]

Originally Posted by Valvaren

I would absolutely not get another heat pad,your temps are fine i keep my brbs at no hotter then 82, 85 is very very extreme as far as temperatures for them and bordering on dangerous. I would check the rest of your husbandry and attempt different ways of offering food. We have two very experienced brb breeders on here and i highly reccomend waiting on their input.

Thanks for the info. I'll wait and see what they have to say.

[Gluttony]

What would I know? I have only had my 8 brbs for 7 yrs, but I have kept them at temps of 82-85 without issue, if you google their requirements those are the temps recomended....I dont think you need the extra heat mat, and I only suggested raising the hotter part of the enclosure to 84- 85 which is standard for brbs. Anything higher than that would be extreme and dangerous. Braining is splitting the head or just piercing it to expose brain fluid......Also with raising the temp comment I did not take into consideration the size of the enclosure....forget I said anything, since everyone else seems to know better on this site...good luck

[sulferhead]

Originally Posted by Gluttony

What would I know? I have only had my 8 brbs for 7 yrs, but I have kept them at temps of 82-85 without issue, if you google their requirements those are the temps recomended....I dont think you need the extra heat mat, and I only suggested raising the hotter part of the enclosure to 84- 85 which is standard for brbs. Anything higher than that would be extreme and dangerous. Braining is splitting the head or just piercing it to expose brain fluid......Also with raising the temp comment I did not take into consideration the size of the enclosure....forget I said anything, since everyone else seems to know better on this site...good luck

Uh I didn't mean to make you mad just wanted to get some other opinions too. How can I raise the temp without getting another heat pad? Just throw a towel over it?

[Gluttony]

I am not mad, Its good that you want other opinions. Im just annoyed that every keeper thinks there are steadfast rules and that the way they do things is the way it should be....i have posted a few times on here only to be discredited by some know it alls from canada or eourope....No one can just give their 2 cents without trashing someone elses methods....the answer is simple, google the care sheet,& contact a breeder directly(the best imo). Save yourself from people opinions.

[SnakeyJay]

Originally Posted by Gluttony

I am not mad, Its good that you want other opinions. Im just annoyed that every keeper thinks there are steadfast rules and that the way they do things is the way it should be....i have posted a few times on here only to be discredited by some know it alls from canada or eourope....No one can just give their 2 cents without trashing someone elses methods....the answer is simple, google the care sheet,& contact a breeder directly(the best imo). Save yourself from people opinions.

Your right... there are no steadfast rules so if someone thinks your temps are too high then they're entitled to disagree...

85 is advised but anything over 85 can be dangerous to Epicrates, so if the OP is a noob it may not be the best idea for them too bump it up that far incase they mess up n over heat the viv..

To the OP- make sure the rat is nice and hot on the head and I find that BRB's tend to feed better at night or when the rooms dark. They're quite a shy species and some won't feed if they don't feel secure...

What's your humidity at and how are you measuring your temps and humidity? ..... Goodluck.

[infernalis]

Originally Posted by Valvaren

I would absolutely not get another heat pad,your temps are fine i keep my brbs at no hotter then 82, 85 is very very extreme as far as temperatures for them and bordering on dangerous. I would check the rest of your husbandry and attempt different ways of offering food. We have two very experienced brb breeders on here and i highly reccomend waiting on their input.

No offense intended to anyone, but can someone please explain to me how a difference of 3 degrees is going to cause harm?

I have personally been to Brasil (Tudo Bem?) and I can attest that I experienced temperatures soaring well into the 100's while in the coastal hamlet of Uba Tuba (4 hours south of Rio by car), an area rich in forest canopy and coastal atolls with a humidity index that felt like it was off the charts.

The fauna there was thriving and doing wonderfully, so please for the sake of this thread, someone explain to me how a silly three degrees is going to kill a snake that is from an area such as what I just described??

[SnakeyJay]

Stop making us envious of your travels Wayne.. lol

In those forests wouldn't they (and I'm guessing here) have sufficient area to find a good spot to escape the heat? But in a viv this may be harder to do.. Just my thoughts.

[Gluttony]

"In those forests wouldn't they (and I'm guessing here) have sufficient area to find a good spot to escape the heat? But in a viv this may be harder to do.. Just my thoughts.[/QUOTE]"

So you are assuming all brb keepers and the op, keep the entire enclosure at 1 temp.
The op did state he has a night time drop, which is excellent, I don't see anything wrong with bumping up the hot spot to 85 if it will aid in digestion and encourage a feeding response. If it doesnt work, it doesnt work.
I highly doubt that it will kill the snake.

[SnakeyJay]

No, I'm saying that if the hot end was 100f then unless the viv was huge the cold end and ambient temps may possibly be above what is desired..

Perhaps read my previous quote to see what my reply is in reference to.

[Mark Taylor]

What is you humidity like?

[Mark Taylor]

Originally Posted by Mark Taylor

What is you humidity like?

Am I invisible?