Snake not eating but very active at night

possum · 05-24-13, 02:16 PM

I totally agree with Starbuck's post....and before trying live. (once they get used to live it might be harder to get them to accept f/t) Instead of "braining" just pinch/damage the nose on the f/t rodent to release more scent...remember there is less scent when thawed in water since it gets washed off.

How long have you had this snake? It's usually advised (and ignored!?) to skip feeding any new snake for at least a week, & preferably 2 weeks, so they have time to settle in & focus on their appetite. (it's scary for them to be in a new place, & worse still if they were shipped)

Also, you should not handle a new snake until they have fed easily for 3 times at least. Handling often interferes with their feeding instincts. Anything you can do to add privacy may help as well.

KORBIN5895 · 05-24-13, 04:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by possum

I totally agree with Starbuck's post....and before trying live. (once they get used to live it might be harder to get them to accept f/t) Instead of "braining" just pinch/damage the nose on the f/t rodent to release more scent...remember there is less scent when thawed in water since it gets washed off.

How long have you had this snake? It's usually advised (and ignored!?) to skip feeding any new snake for at least a week, & preferably 2 weeks, so they have time to settle in & focus on their appetite. (it's scary for them to be in a new place, & worse still if they were shipped)

Also, you should not handle a new snake until they have fed easily for 3 times at least. Handling often interferes with their feeding instincts. Anything you can do to add privacy may help as well.

I feed all of my snakes within two days of getting them regardless if they've been shipped or not. As a matter of fact I usually feed them that night. I don't think it bothers a healthy snake that much.

possum · 05-24-13, 07:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KORBIN5895

I feed all of my snakes within two days of getting them regardless if they've been shipped or not. As a matter of fact I usually feed them that night. I don't think it bothers a healthy snake that much.

What I do & what I recommend are actually 2 different things, only because I have plenty of experience to cope in the event of a feeding-"fail" (regurge). I think it's better for less-experienced keepers not to risk it because they often don't have the least stressful setups down pat either, or can't resist handling...(I was "new" once too, LOL)

When I got my spotted python shipped to me, I fed her a couple HOURS after I got her delivered to me, because while the previous owner was unable to get her to eat*, I could see she was hungry & looking for food. She took 3 pinkies before I said "enough" for now. In the wild they are shy & eat lizards first, graduating to small rodents later...so as captive-bred snakes, they often do best on pre-killed or f/t as they are afraid of live pinkies for quite some time. But I couldn't convince her owner of that & when he said he was going to "stick her in the freezer" because he was tired of her refusing food, I decided to buy her...he didn't have anything to lose, so I offered to pre-pay the shipping, and said I would pay him for the snake once I could verify she was fairly healthy (as I believed). It worked out great, this snake is wonderful (& has never turned down food!) & he got his $50 pretty fast. (<well, along with a few snide remarks for nearly killing a nice snake for no reason! I mean this guy supposedly "rescued" snakes!?)

Mikoh4792 · 05-24-13, 09:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by possum

What I do & what I recommend are actually 2 different things, only because I have plenty of experience to cope in the event of a feeding-"fail" (regurge). I think it's better for less-experienced keepers not to risk it because they often don't have the least stressful setups down pat either, or can't resist handling...(I was "new" once too, LOL)

When I got my spotted python shipped to me, I fed her a couple HOURS after I got her delivered to me, because while the previous owner was unable to get her to eat*, I could see she was hungry & looking for food. She took 3 pinkies before I said "enough" for now. In the wild they are shy & eat lizards first, graduating to small rodents later...so as captive-bred snakes, they often do best on pre-killed or f/t as they are afraid of live pinkies for quite some time. But I couldn't convince her owner of that & when he said he was going to "stick her in the freezer" because he was tired of her refusing food, I decided to buy her...he didn't have anything to lose, so I offered to pre-pay the shipping, and said I would pay him for the snake once I could verify she was fairly healthy (as I believed). It worked out great, this snake is wonderful (& has never turned down food!) & he got his $50 pretty fast. (<well, along with a few snide remarks for nearly killing a nice snake for no reason! I mean this guy supposedly "rescued" snakes!?)

My kingsnake actually downed a rat pup as soon as I got her cause she has a crazy feeding response(I can't handle her without her trying to swallow one of my fingers). My baby cornsnake just downed a rat pinky yesterday night(I only had him about two days).

possum · 05-24-13, 11:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikoh4792

My kingsnake actually downed a rat pup as soon as I got her cause she has a crazy feeding response(I can't handle her without her trying to swallow one of my fingers). My baby cornsnake just downed a rat pinky yesterday night(I only had him about two days).

I know many snakes come through shipping just fine, but others get chilled (heat packs often fail before their flight ends) so as a result they either don't feed or regurge if they do. My advice was cautionary only, because many other ppl will read what is posted here, not just those responding in the thread. Also, when you've kept literally hundreds of snakes for decades, you begin to see things differently, as far as waiting to feed new snakes. You won't always 'get away with it', that's all I'm saying.

Mikoh4792 · 05-25-13, 12:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by possum

I know many snakes come through shipping just fine, but others get chilled (heat packs often fail before their flight ends) so as a result they either don't feed or regurge if they do. My advice was cautionary only, because many other ppl will read what is posted here, not just those responding in the thread. Also, when you've kept literally hundreds of snakes for decades, you begin to see things differently, as far as waiting to feed new snakes. You won't always 'get away with it', that's all I'm saying.

? I wasn't arguing with you. I was agreeing with you that some snakes start feeding right out of the box. I find that colubrids are the easiest in terms of getting them to start feeding. I've noticed that boidae in general are a lot more sensitive to the shipping process. That's just my observation.

possum · 05-27-13, 11:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikoh4792

? I wasn't arguing with you. I was agreeing with you that some snakes start feeding right out of the box. I find that colubrids are the easiest in terms of getting them to start feeding. I've noticed that boidae in general are a lot more sensitive to the shipping process. That's just my observation.

Thanks for clarifying...& I was just saying that even if they do feed, it's safer not to rush into feeding. I think the snakes are better at waiting than we are? lol...