boa feeding issue????

ccarr1 · 01-12-05, 03:42 PM

I recently purchased a red-tailed.He won't eat pre-killed mice.I feed him a live mouse to "get him jump started" and boy did he enjoy it.I tried feeding him pre-kiiled again and he will not eat.Suggestions?????

BoidKeeper · 01-12-05, 03:51 PM

Feed him a live rat pinkie and then go from there. Boas are too big to eat mice. They grow up to eat rats and rabbits they can start on baby rats.
Trevor

ccarr1 · 01-12-05, 04:32 PM

How do you get them to eat pre-killed??

pinoiballer01 · 01-12-05, 05:14 PM

try dangling the prey infront of its face. hold it with a hemostat so that your hand wont get bit.

JonD · 01-12-05, 05:24 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by ccarr1
I recently purchased a red-tailed.He won't eat pre-killed mice.I feed him a live mouse to "get him jump started" and boy did he enjoy it.I tried feeding him pre-kiiled again and he will not eat.Suggestions?????

Could be temp, humidity, enclosure issues too. What's every thing at?

levi · 01-12-05, 06:47 PM

i have resently been reading up on snakes and read that with carpet pythons when they dont eat u can try:
dipping the rat in chicken broth (warm) as fowl seem to be liked by all snakes.
i'm sure it would be fine to try this method, it could relocation stress, maybe leave him 7-10day and try him again.

fErReTs · 01-12-05, 07:01 PM

put the mouse in there when it's still twitching at least that worked with my snakes . But he should start eating rats soon .

ccarr1 · 01-13-05, 06:46 AM

When i feed him i put him in a seperate box.In his cage,the temp is at about 95 on the high side.I'm not quite sure what the humidity is?What's the best way to get desent humidty in your cage?:grab:

Manitoban Herps · 01-13-05, 08:08 AM

I am not surprised this wasn't said, make the pre killed mouse HOT, put it against a heat lamp or in hot water till it's nice and warm. No one ever seems to mention this..but I used to not do it and I always had trouble getting my snakes to except there food, but now all of them eat super well by making them warm.

Try it

Manitoban Herps · 01-13-05, 08:09 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by levi
carpet pythons when they dont eat u can try:dipping the rat in chicken broth (warm) as fowl seem to be liked by all snakes.

Hmmm, I don't find that chicken broth tastes like chicken but it might, I think they accept it b/c it is warm.

biggworm · 01-13-05, 11:36 AM

Don't feed him till he's really hungry and leave the dead RAT late at night.Check if he ate it in the morning.If you don't sweat it and let him go hungry eventually they will switch to frozen.That's what I did with my LARGE wild caught suri.Starved her till she started eating frozen.GOOD LUCK. Ash

JonD · 01-13-05, 12:02 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by ccarr1
When i feed him i put him in a seperate box.In his cage,the temp is at about 95 on the high side.I'm not quite sure what the humidity is?What's the best way to get desent humidty in your cage?:grab:

What kind of enclosure is it?

ccarr1 · 01-13-05, 12:32 PM

It's just plexiglass on all sides and plywood on the bottom.It's only a temporary cage though.I'm in the process of building him a new cage.

BOAS_N_PYTHONS · 01-13-05, 12:38 PM

CCARR1:

Just heat up the prey to 91 F around the head region, play the prey item like its alive in front of the boa, if all your husbandry requirements are set to the boa' s life style and the boa is healthy this method never fails.

Good luck.

Tony

ccarr1 · 01-16-05, 07:47 AM

Everthing worked out with feeding him.Thanks for all the tips.

Corey