Ate while in shed?

jovamabob · 11-18-12, 08:16 AM

I fed the 4-month olds today which went fabulously. They've only been here a week and 7 out of 8 have eaten! My problem is, i offered a mouse to a little guy and he snapped it right up - then he shed.
I would never feed a snake in shed, but i was told by my pet shop and a breeder to offer it, and that they wont eat when they're in shed anyway. This little guy had literally started to get milky-coloured that morning, although im not used to tiny snakes so i may not have noticed - that'll change! I figured if he did eat, he's only just started so probably wouldn't shed till he's digested it and he probably wouldn't eat it anyway. He snapped at it the moment it came near him and took it down like a boss! The problem is, i can't find the tail tip of the shed. The rest is whole and completely perfect so it may have just broken off when i picked it out and i just cant find it, but i really want to check. He fed this time yesterday and i found the shed this morning. He has a humid hide and a nice water bowl to soak in so should i handle him and check or will he be ok to leave till tomorrow to check when he's digested a little more? I'd hate to have them regurgitate their first feed with me!

This is the snake eating and you can see he's barely gotten milky at all,

Lankyrob · 11-18-12, 09:11 AM

Eating in shed is zero issue at all. I would leave him be for another 24hrs and then check him over to ensure the tail tip is off.

The only time i have had any "issue" at all feeding a snake in shed wass my JCP who eats large prey and the shed split during the eating process which meant his shed was then in pieces.

But i still offer to all my snakes whether they are in shed or not

jovamabob · 11-18-12, 11:26 AM

cool, it scared me a little then! The little ghost just shed too and his was 100% complete, with getting the same treatment - dampish kitchen roll in his hot side hide and water bowl moved to just next to the heated bit. (though i ripped it when i took it out - oops!). One still hasn't eaten, but he seems to be fussy from the records and i didn't expect any of them to eat yet anyway

I panicked because the one time i fed my sub-adult when he was in shed he took the mouse, then regurged it and shed horribly in pieces. Normally he sheds fine but he had moved to a larger viv i had trouble getting the high enough humidity he likes during shedding so i think it may have been that but couldn't be sure till i checked!

**millertime89** · 11-18-12, 11:34 AM

I've always fed in shed and I've never had any problems. My only two that have refused while in shed have been my BP (and he sometimes will eat while in shed) and my Aussie water python.

infernalis · 11-18-12, 01:02 PM

Nothing to worry about, I have seen snakes in my collection eat and shed in the same motion.

Many snakes lose interest in eating during a shed cycle, many don't care and will eat anyway.

jovamabob · 11-25-12, 05:59 PM

One of the little snakes of these guys are having some problems i was wondering if anyone can help with.

The others have had two successful feeds, but the little hypo (who was the largest of them all) has thus far refused. He shed a day or two after he arrived where he needed help getting the tip of the tail off and a week after they'd arrived i fed them all. He refused which was a little expected and just tried to run away. I left it in for him but he ignored it for 24h so i took it out. I left him alone for a whole 5 days till the next feed, only checking in on him and changing water. The second feed he started rattling his tail when i took the mouse towards him and went to hide. I left it in again but still no eating. I went to take it out after 24h and he instantly went to strike at me twice. He'd done a poop for the first time since arriving so i had to clean it and the mouse out, so i picked him up and he rattled/bit again but calmed down v. quickly once he was out. He was breathing a little fast - not as fast as the scared ones got but fast all the same.

Should i offer him another feed now or wait till Tuesday on the next group feed? He hasn't fed since the breeder fed him on the 4th.

Lankyrob · 11-25-12, 06:15 PM

Wait him out, amd carry on leaving him alone until he eats for you.

Wyldrose · 11-28-12, 02:01 AM

Keep trying every week. You can try a few tricks your feeding frozen thawed right? Try cutting open the top of the head, the brain fluids often get those picky eaters hungry. Dipping it in tuna water(from a can of tuna) gets some excited about eating.

Good luck and that hypo is beautiful just like my girl when I got her.

**Aaron_S** · 11-28-12, 10:43 AM

Keep offering on the same schedule. How many meals did it eat at the breeders?

If you want you can get him on live mice then switch later on.

jovamabob · 11-28-12, 02:42 PM

Aha! The little hypo has eaten

I did the whole covering his rub so it's nice and dark, dipped the mouse in boiling water and then waved it around a for about 30 seconds. He wasn't interested so i left him to it and he ate it over night. I've also decided on a name for him - Sir Londo Tobias, because he is indeed a sir.