hey!

[shaunyboy]

hello and welcome

cheers shaun

[dawnhorn]

Welcome! I am new also and absolutely love some of the forum discussions! There is a ton of great information and super nice people!

[alessia55]

Hey guys... so I'm posting on behalf of lunar53 (who's my cousin) since she's busy and not in the habit of checking the forum yet. We're getting concerned because now she has tried feeding f/t, daytime, nighttime, overnight, in cage, out of cage, in tupperware in cage, and live. Has refused all. It's pretty much a newborn-ish, and weighs 7 grams last we checked (about 3 weeks ago). She mentioned to me that his tail and his nose looks a bit "dull", but that the rest of his body looks bright and normal... so we don't know if this means he's going into shed. We're obviously playing a waiting game here, and she's going to keep trying to feed him every week. But we got a bit more concerned when he didn't take the live pinkie. He is still active and explores his cage during the day, etc. so he doesn't have any signs of illness. Should we be worried or keep waiting it out? He'll eventually eat...right? He won't starve himself to death...right? Would appreciate some reassurance

[Gungirl]

does she have a thermostat?
she said there was heat but never indicated of a control.
Also did this snake eat before she got it?
If so how did the breeder get it to eat and what did he feed it?
Is it in a quiet place and being left alone besides offering food once a week?

[alessia55]

Originally Posted by Gungirl

does she have a thermostat?

She doesn't have a thermostat yet. She'll probably get one as soon as she can.

Also did this snake eat before she got it?

Yes- the breeder we got him from said he had eaten 3 or 4 times already... which makes me a bit suspicious because when I checked with a different sand boa breeder he said 7g was the weight of a newborn, not one that had already eaten 3-4 times. On a side note, I got my albino ball from the same guy, and he's eating fine, healthy as an ox. Also, the breeder is a friend of someone I know, and apparently has a good rep.

how did the breeder get it to eat and what did he feed it?

I'm not sure, but like most breeders, he was probably feeding in the cage. He was feeding live (which we tried).

Is it in a quiet place and being left alone besides offering food once a week?

Yes- she's only taken him out one or two times for 1 or 2mins max and since he's not eating, she's left him alone completely except for feeding attempts. The enclosure is in a low-traffic area with no obvious reasons to be stressed.

...I just hope he eats soon

[Gungirl]

Having no thermostat could be partial cause of it not eating do to it being to hot...

[Lankyrob]

With no thermostat the temps are not going to be consistent, if the snake doesnt have consistent temps it cant digest and therefore it wont bother taking food.

Get EVERYTHING in the husbandry right and THEN try feeding it.