my baby carpet python won't eat dead food

[shaunyboy]

heat the prey up with a hair dryer,stop every few minutes and feel the prey with your hand,once it feels roughly the same temperature as a live mouse/rat,then offer it with feeding tongs

you could always brain the prey,pierce the skull 2 or 3 times with the point of a pair of scissors.give the head an extra heat then offer

has your tank got plenty,hides,branches and fake plants ?

this will give your young carpet a feeling of security

also don't handle him,leave him in peace and quiet,only go near him to change his water every 5 to 7 days

cheers shaun

[dragonteen]

Originally Posted by shaunyboy

heat the prey up with a hair dryer,stop every few minutes and feel the prey with your hand,once it feels roughly the same temperature as a live mouse/rat,then offer it with feeding tongs

you could always brain the prey,pierce the skull 2 or 3 times with the point of a pair of scissors.give the head an extra heat then offer

has your tank got plenty,hides,branches and fake plants ?

this will give your young carpet a feeling of security

also don't handle him,leave him in peace and quiet,only go near him to change his water every 5 to 7 days

cheers shaun

i never thought of useing a hair dryer, i used the microwave...pretty grotty result.

i use real branches in my tank because our pet shop's prices for fake one's are simply outragouse! or at least i think so. but i don't feed him in his normal tank. a friend said that i shouldn't because he will be more likely to bite me. i have a little feeding box instead. he can see out of it and breath and streatch out and he's only in there when he's eating.
by not going near him, will that make him more relaxed or something?

[alessia55]

Originally Posted by dragonteen

i never thought of useing a hair dryer, i used the microwave...pretty grotty result.

Oh goodness... microwaves are not the way to heat a mouse. I've had one explode in there once... gross You can use the hair dryer method that Shaun mentioned, or thaw it with hot water. Here's a recent thread with some techniques about thawing prey: http://www.ssnakess.com/forums/food-...g-feeders.html

Originally Posted by dragonteen

by not going near him, will that make him more relaxed or something?

Yes, giving your snake time alone will reduce stress and will help him relax more. It's all about time and patience. Once he's eating regularly you can start handling him more. Good luck!

[Lankyrob]

Originally Posted by dragonteen

i never thought of useing a hair dryer, i used the microwave...pretty grotty result.

i use real branches in my tank because our pet shop's prices for fake one's are simply outragouse! or at least i think so. but i don't feed him in his normal tank. a friend said that i shouldn't because he will be more likely to bite me. i have a little feeding box instead. he can see out of it and breath and streatch out and he's only in there when he's eating.
by not going near him, will that make him more relaxed or something?

This is a total myth - going by the same logic then everytime you remove him from his home he is going to expect food and be more likely to bite.

I feed all my guys in their vivs and apart from our one psycho snake none of them show and cage aggression/defensiveness.

Feeding them in their "natural" environment may make it less stressful and make the snake more likely to take the food offered.

I would repeat once again tho that if he refuses the "dead" prey DO NOT offer him live, just leave him a week and try again with another dead prey item.

[dragonteen]

Oh goodness... microwaves are not the way to heat a mouse. I've had one explode in there once... gross You can use the hair dryer method that Shaun mentioned, or thaw it with hot water. Here's a recent thread with some techniques about thawing prey: thawing feeders

the first time we thawed it out in the microwave, wich ended with mouse gut all over the inside. the second time, i tried the hot water but i left it in there to long and when i picked it up, all the skin came off the tail. i tried the hot water afew times though and he wasn't interested. i'll give the hairdrier a go.

Originally Posted by Lankyrob

This is a total myth - going by the same logic then everytime you remove him from his home he is going to expect food and be more likely to bite.

I feed all my guys in their vivs and apart from our one psycho snake none of them show and cage aggression/defensiveness.

Feeding them in their "natural" environment may make it less stressful and make the snake more likely to take the food offered.

I would repeat once again tho that if he refuses the "dead" prey DO NOT offer him live, just leave him a week and try again with another dead prey item.

hmm i never thought of it like that before. i'll give it a go.

by the way, what's the ideal size of the mouse i should be feeding him, he's just over a meter long. i've been feeding him the small adult mice we buy from the pet shop. is that to big/small?

[pythons9991]

carpets prefer slightly larger prey items than some other pythons, he should eat a prey item that is slightly larger then the largest part of his body, he will be able to handle it!! try just thawing the mouse at room temp until it is TOTALLY thawed then try warming it with a hair dryer, it dosent have to be HOT just nice and warm. dangle it infront of him with tongs and that should do it.

[shaunyboy]

Originally Posted by dragonteen

i never thought of useing a hair dryer, i used the microwave...pretty grotty result.

i use real branches in my tank because our pet shop's prices for fake one's are simply outragouse! or at least i think so. but i don't feed him in his normal tank. a friend said that i shouldn't because he will be more likely to bite me. i have a little feeding box instead. he can see out of it and breath and streatch out and he's only in there when he's eating.
by not going near him, will that make him more relaxed or something?

real branches are ok as long as its not a type of pine tree,pine oil/sap is toxic to carpets

feed him in his normal tank as thats where he will feel most secure/relaxed

please don't use the microwave to heat prey,as that will actually start to cook the rat not just heat it

re feeding in the tank
people saying that feeding in the tank,will make him associate his door opening with feeding and make him more bitey when you go in the tank is wrong

if you were to apply the same logic to taking him out to feed,then surely he would associate being taken out with feeding,so get bitey everytime you took him out

its only carpets i keep and into double figures,all get fed in their normal tanks and none of mine are biters,except one jungle who's been a crazy biter since a hatchling

please let us know how the feeding goes

cheers shaun

[dragonteen]

Originally Posted by shaunyboy

real branches are ok as long as its not a type of pine tree,pine oil/sap is toxic to carpets

feed him in his normal tank as thats where he will feel most secure/relaxed

please don't use the microwave to heat prey,as that will actually start to cook the rat not just heat it

re feeding in the tank
people saying that feeding in the tank,will make him associate his door opening with feeding and make him more bitey when you go in the tank is wrong

if you were to apply the same logic to taking him out to feed,then surely he would associate being taken out with feeding,so get bitey everytime you took him out

its only carpets i keep and into double figures,all get fed in their normal tanks and none of mine are biters,except one jungle who's been a crazy biter since a hatchling

please let us know how the feeding goes

cheers shaun

well we actualy have quite afew wild carpets roaming around my house so i decided, after seeing them in euclyptus/ gum trees more than any other, to use branches from that type of tree and we are in no short supply of them. afew times though i used a diferant type of branch from some sort of weird looking tree. i don't know what it was though, it's in my back yard and once or twice i saw a green tree python in it, so i assumed it was ok for my carpet.

yeah, i'm not going use the microwave XD.

i'll post when i can get some dead mice. just as i went to try, mum had told me she threw them all away.


and i assume useing my hands to hold the mouse is not a smart idea, is that correct?

[ZARADOZIA]

Originally Posted by dragonteen

and i assume useing my hands to hold the mouse is not a smart idea, is that correct?

You assume correctly. Use a plate or a pair of tongs. You really do not want your hand anywhere near the food source. The snake can't tell the difference between your hand and the food.

[shaunyboy]

Originally Posted by dragonteen

well we actualy have quite afew wild carpets roaming around my house so i decided, after seeing them in euclyptus/ gum trees more than any other, to use branches from that type of tree and we are in no short supply of them. afew times though i used a diferant type of branch from some sort of weird looking tree. i don't know what it was though, it's in my back yard and once or twice i saw a green tree python in it, so i assumed it was ok for my carpet.

yeah, i'm not going use the microwave XD.

i'll post when i can get some dead mice. just as i went to try, mum had told me she threw them all away.


and i assume useing my hands to hold the mouse is not a smart idea, is that correct?

i envy you so much having all that wildlife in your garden,it must be just amazing finding wild carpets and green tree pythons hanging around your house

proper feeding tongs are not very expensive,i'm sure you'll find them on line over your side of the planet

please let us know how your feeding goes

all the best shaun

[beardeds4life]

Originally Posted by shaunyboy

i envy you so much having all that wildlife in your garden,it must be just amazing finding wild carpets and green tree pythons hanging around your house

proper feeding tongs are not very expensive,i'm sure you'll find them on line over your side of the planet

please let us know how your feeding goes

all the best shaun

I envy him very very much to that would be so much fun to see wild gtp's.

[red ink]

Originally Posted by beardeds4life

I envy him very very much to that would be so much fun to see wild gtp's.

GTPs are in remote country.... I'd dare say very few people have seen them in the wild.