BP Won't eat - Page 3

Chu'Wuti · 02-07-09, 12:08 AM

Wow, what a rough day you've had. I'm so sorry about your loss of Paullie. I wonder what could have happened? You must feel devastated. And then to have your darned snake refuse to eat . . . arrrrrghgh!

Hang in there, Kenny.

**Aaron_S** · 02-07-09, 07:05 AM

Since it's a dead rat you could attempt to just leave it outside his hide box over night and maybe he'll take it that way.

Wolfus_305 · 02-07-09, 10:27 AM

Thanks Chu.
Yeah, we aren't sure what happened to Paullie. Maybe he was older than the people who previously owned him said he was. The vast majority of our pets have stories. We got Paullie because his previous owners were just going to put him out on the street. We got Spike (a beardie) because he was unhealthy looking and being constantly held, poked and prodded at a pet store.

Aaron: I usually leave the rat in just to see if he'll take and every morning I wake up, come downstairs and take a cold, smelly rat out of his habitat. This morning was no different. I leave it on some driftwood outside his hide below and slightly to the left of his heatlight hoping that maybe that will keep it sort of warm during the night, incase Wolfus decides he's interested in it.

Kenny

herpocrite27 · 02-07-09, 05:02 PM

Wolfus I really think you should try feeding him two large mice. I went through the same thing you are now. Mine was eating rats no problem, and now he wont eat anything but large mice. It's worth a shot, mice are cheap and a smaller meal is better than no meal. I take my snake and put her in a large cardboard box, with the flaps of the box closed, so its dark in there. Then I take the mouse by the tail and thump it on the head, so that its twitching and set it in the box with the snake.
If this doesent work try doing the same thing, but use a live mouse. I would try not to make a habbit of feeding it live rodents, because they could injure your snake. But mice are not as likely to hurt your snake, like a rat would. Sometimes snakes will only eat live. But try the method of the thumped mouse first.

Wolfus_305 · 02-07-09, 07:01 PM

Mmmm, I will probably try the mouse thing next weekend.
Thank you for the advice.
Are there reasons that a snake that has been eating f/t rats (mice when it was little) all it's life will suddenly decide it won't eat f/t any more? Husbandy, new setting maybe?
Kenny

Kmef07 · 02-08-09, 10:21 AM

i dunno but thumping the mouse on the head is an interesting thing. they twitch for a while and then seem to regain their composure and start acting somewhat normal. when i had my bp i had to put a mouse in a plastic bag and hit the whole thing against a wall a good 3-4 times to get the thing to die. they are incredibly hardy animals. it was really sad though i felt like i was making it suffer. but fortunatly for my snake i like it better than the mice so i was willing to do that.

**Aaron_S** · 02-08-09, 10:48 AM

Kyle, you weren't hitting the rodent hard enough. If it toko 3 - 4 whacks before it finally died you need to put my swing into your arm. To echo someone else from this forum, we should all respect the feeder just as much as we respect the animal that is going to eat them. If you can't kill a rodent with one swing then you shouldn't be doing it. You to need to get it in one try so as the animal doesn't suffer and "come to" as you stated.

citysnakes · 02-08-09, 06:02 PM

just allowing the snake to kill whatever type of live rodent you are feeding it is much more humane than whacking it against anything any number of times.

honestly guys, feeding live rodents to your snakes is not as dangerous as everyone seems to think. its not hard to do it safely and responsibly or in other words properly.

Wolfus_305 · 02-08-09, 08:06 PM

I agree with Julian. I don't think I could whack a mouse. I know some people who don't agree with me trying to feed frozen because they don't think it was a natural way for the rodents to die...I would rather have f/t or have my bp kill whatever live prey I offer him. I think as long as you are responsible and don't put a large live rat in with a small snake everything will work out fine.

**Aaron_S** · 02-08-09, 09:55 PM

I think Julian was referring to ensuring you supervise the feeding and not just the size of prey item vs size of predator. I've done live feedings. Quite a few and I don't mind doing it. I just prefer not to. All it takes is one bite to your snakes eye and it's gone. Nobody is fast enough to intervene before it happens.

Kmef07 · 02-09-09, 11:23 AM

It was only one that i had to hit 3-4 times and i put it in a plastic bag and smacked it into the wall really hard. I'm not a wuss and am pretty athletic and i pitch in baseball so i know that arm is not weak. after it took that long to kill that one i just made a CO2 chamber and killed them that way. it was just weird that they keep twitching. and when it actually started moving again it freaked me out. im all about being humane and killing them fast but it just wouldn't die.

Wolfus_305 · 02-09-09, 04:53 PM

Oh, ok...that makes me feel better! =]
I like baseball, I prefer playing it to watching it though!
How did you make your CO2 chamber?
Mhmm. The twitching would freak me out too!

Smilts · 02-09-09, 08:27 PM

a large metal ice cream scoop to the back of the head and neck seems to kill very affectivly.

Kmef07 · 02-09-09, 09:59 PM

i found it on a website Instructables - Make, How To, and DIY it is a website that has a ton of different things to build just search co2 chamber. its really quite cool.

Wolfus_305 · 02-10-09, 06:45 AM

Coy: oh man I made the mistake of eating breakfast at the computer while checking ssnakess.

Kyle: ooo sounds pretty cool!!