BP Won't eat

[jimbousmc]

cmon guys its not that gross and trust me you dont wanna know what ive eatin over lol. it really isnt that bad.

[Wolfus_305]

It's not gross, it's just kind of depressing that the first thing I read in the morning was about whacking mice.
In the morning I have enough trouble just eating breakfast before school because it's so early. Once I've had the chance to wake up it takes a lot to gross me out.
Kenny

[lanalizard]

I dont want to disappoint you but I once had a BP that didnt eat for 18 months. Then i had a baby and gave him to a friend, he then force fed him and then he started eating again.

But i do agree with the other posts and try a live mouse. Or even a gerbil! Gerbils work well for that.

[Wolfus_305]

Hi everybody,
Ok I tried feeding Wolfus again last night. I thawed the rat same as usual and when it was nice and thawed and heated i ran just the head under very hot water to try to obtain a good heat signature. I wiggled it for a bit and then gave up and went to bed.
When I woke up the rat was still there. *sigh* 7 months and no food.
Kenny

[Chu'Wuti]

Kenny, is Wolfus acting like he's hunting at all? I wonder if you need to change things around in his habitat to stimulate him a bit.

Are you trying to feed him in his enclosure, or are you taking him out to feed?

[Wolfus_305]

Define: hunting.
He's usually out and about in his enclosure around 11pm. Also my dad works shifts and says he's moving around like crazy usually around 2am.
He's still drinking and occasionally he's sitting in the water.
His enclosure is still set up the way his previous owner had it set up. I would be willing to change it around a bit to persuade him to eat.
Kenn

[Chu'Wuti]

he's moving around like crazy usually around 2am.

How difficult would it be for you to get up and try to feed him then? It might kick-start his appetite . . .

I wonder why my BP comes out earlier than yours? Maybe just different personalities. but maybe something about the habitat or your environment around it is affecting him. Where do you have the enclosure located in the room? Is there a lot of activity in that room from about 7 p.m. until close to 11?

Tell us what tricks you have tried so far to get him to eat--in all their gross detail! LOL

[citysnakes]

hey Kendra was the previous owner feeding f/t? and can you give us all the details about your enclosure?

also next time you leave the f/t rat inside the enclosure overnight, put it inside one of the hides. this has worked for me a few times so maybe it will be worth a shot.

[Wolfus_305]

Chu: from your first post --> I am feeding him in his enclosure because that's what his previous owner said she was doing. He was located in her room with plenty of activity. currently he is in my "office" area. I am usually typing homework with just an over-desk lamp light on until around 9:30-10. This room is quieter than most of our house since the puppy isn't allowed in this room. Wolfus' habitat has sliding front glass doors...now complete with a lock. The top is solid (well it's not clear, it's wood) The tank is located on a wrap around counter under a windosill. The room is nice and light during the day, due to one window (above his habitat) and one window on the other side of the room. he is not getting direct sunlight though. He has a heat light (a red one...does that make a difference) on one side of his habitat and all along the back is a nice long UV light. The heat light is on all the time, since our house is pretty cool and being under a window that area is a bit cooler. The UV light is currently on from 7am - 8pm (i think that's pretty close to what the natural light here is right now). I have not changed anything about his habitat since I purchased him in september. In fact I am still using the same waterdish. I give him room temperature water every morning (since that's when I look after the rest of my pets before school) I mist him (not on him, but in the enclosure) usually around 7 or 8pm to keep the humidity between 50 and 60%. When I mist the enclosure I mist the walls of it and lightly spray the substrate so that it is not wet. Right now the temps are Hot side = 86F and cool side = 76F. The 2am thing won't work for me on a regular basis. I go to school monday to friday and I work tuesday, thursday, saturday. That leaves me with minimal time for sleep. On a weekend I would probably be able to get up around that time and thaw a rat as long as I have something to keep me entertained. Maybe that's what I will try when I next attempt feeding him.

Julian: Yes. Wolfie's previous owner was feeding "large f/t rats" She even showed me her bag of rats for him when I went to look at him. The ones I buy look the same. I have been told to try a smaller size. I Went down to medium but he still didn't want 'em.

When do you think is a good time to try feeding him again? I was told (by his previous owner) to wait a while between feedings so that he doesn't think that food is every night. "he is supposed to eat when you offer him food, don't spoil him."

Thanks so much,
Kendra

[Chu'Wuti]

OK, first of all, you have no need for the UV light. Lizards need UV radiation, but snakes (at least all of them I know of) do not. If you want a light on to mimic daylight/for you, that's fine, but it doesn't need to a fancy/expensive UV bulb.

Second of all, one of the problems may be your temps.

The ambient air temperature throughout the enclosure should be about 80-85F (27-29 C)-during the day. The hot side or basking area should be kept at 90-95F (32.5-35 C). At night, the ambient air temperature on the coolest side may be allowed to drop down no lower than 73-75F ( 23-24 C) only if a basking area of at least 80F (27 C) remains available.

My BP did not start eating until I brought the temps up to these ranges. From what Mykee, Aaron_S, and Julian have explained, BPs cannot digest a meal properly unless the temps are high enough. Your BP may instinctively know that he won't be able to digest properly because he isn't quite warm enough.

So try raising your temps--monitoring closely to ensure they stabilize where they should be. Also be sure there is good padding between your BP and the heat source for your hot side. After a few days of increased temps, try offering food again.

Good luck!

BTW, I finally decided to toss out the "don't spoil him" advice and feed mine when he acted ready to eat, because I was really concerned about his weight. I decided I'd rather have him alive & growing as he should be even if he is eating "too often" by some arbitrary standard rather than dead because I refused to feed him when he acted hungry if it was in between the "set" feeding days.

He finally began eating really well at the beginning of March--eating rats, which he had previously refused. Now that he's eating regularly, he's gaining weight again. I'm feeding him about every 5 days average, but his meals are a little small (I haven't been able to get rats right at 10% of his body weight--I have some rats that are about 6-7% of my BPs weight and some that are about 13.5-15%, and he will only eat one at a time). Once he's put on some weight and I have him eating what he should for one good meal (10% of body weight per Mykee), then I'll space out his feedings more.

[Wolfus_305]

The Uv light came with the tank so its not something that i went and specifically purchased.
The heat light is surrounded by a cage so he can't wrap around it. what do you think the best way to raise the temps would be?
Kenn

[Chu'Wuti]

First, put your hand on the window--is it cold? That can be a source of significant cooling of your tank. Even room temp (normal for humans) can cool off a snake's enclosure too much. Moving the tank away from the window is possibly one solution.

Alternatively, or even in addition to moving the tank, you might add insulation all across the back of the tank and the two ends to help reduce heat transfer.

Another would be a UTH--Can you get one? You could add that to one end, near your basking lamp, to increase the temp in that area. Adding insulation under the UTH can help direct heat up into the tank, too.

Do you have a thermostat? Using a thermostat can help regulate your heat, though if all the light & heat devices are on full strength, you won't be able to increase their output. That means adding another device, which is why I mentioned the UTH. However, in the summer, you may find his enclosure getting too hot, and then a thermostat would be very important to prevent cooking your BP.

I realize I'm talking about $$ devices, but it may be important for your BP's health.

If I can think of any other solutions, I'll let you know.

[Wolfus_305]

What is a UTH and where can I get a good quality one? Where could I get and how would I use a thermostat for his enclosure? I think there are pictures of his enclosure in my profile somewhere.
The back wall and two ends are styrofaoamy insulation covered in foam insulation covered in grout...to make it look like rock. The window is not warm but it isn't significantly cooler either.
Would a stronger heat light do the trick?
Thanks again for all your help.
Kendra

[siz]

UTH = Under Tank Heater. ZooMed makes a good one and you can get it from pretty much any pet store that sells reptiles/ZooMed products. Just ask and they can probably order one.

[Wolfus_305]

Mkay, thank you!

Chu: Just to let you know...because I asked about a stronger light in a previous post the one I am using now is 75 watts. That's what his previous owner had.

Kendra