Night time eater

foman · 10-15-03, 12:08 PM

Hey all just have a question reguarding my baby hog, Is it natural for my hog to refuse to eat in the day(not show interest what so ever), but in the morning its gone. I have red that alot of boas act this way, but I dont want the food to do the feeding, I have seen what happens to the snake, and there is no way i want some mouse to make my snake a meal. (for now what i do is stick a piece of dog kibble in the cage so the mouse will eat that instead of the snake). Any info would be much appreciated.

ohh_kristina · 10-15-03, 12:28 PM

boas are nocturnal, so their hunting instincts are more profound at night. I feed my boas at night because of this and have never had a problem.

ohh_kristina · 10-15-03, 12:29 PM

also, try feeding pre killed or frozen thawed. Both of my boas took their first meals as pre killed. It is much safer that way.

BoidKeeper · 10-15-03, 12:43 PM

You should never ever leave your snake unattended with a live rodent for any amount of time. Like it's been said already Boas are nocturnal so feed it at night when it's awake and most active. Hogs will take F/T pretty easily too so the sooner you get it switched the easier it will be to feed. Once it's switched then you can drope in a rat and walk away from it.
Good luck,
Trevor

Linds · 10-15-03, 01:17 PM

Just like Trevor said, you should never leave a live rodent (other than pinkies/fuzzies) alone, not even for a split second, with a snake. Even if your snake does eat it, all it takes is a split second for that rodent to bite on to your snakes eye, mouth, neck, etc., when the snake grabs it. You need to be there at all times in the event that this happens.

As for your original question. Being nocturnal they usually feed better at night, however hogs are generally huge pigs and are always ready for a meal. It is in there instincts, since in the wild food is quite limited- they have to take what they can get, when they can get it. So is it natural? I would have to say no. Snakes are all unique and perhaps your snake just prefer meals at night, but I wouldn't call it natural for the subspecies.

foman · 10-15-03, 01:23 PM

thanks guys i have tried f/t and she did not eat them but she will eat live. I soon plan to try f/t again i just wanted to get some food in her belly. Thanks that puts my mind at ease,I was just worried about my little dude cause my other boa eats no matter what.

ohh_kristina · 10-15-03, 01:26 PM

don't try f/t and then give live. Don't feed her until she eats f/t..she won't starve herself. She will take it eventually.

BoidKeeper · 10-15-03, 01:35 PM

With my hogs I had to go from live to stuned to fresh kill to F/T. They would not make the jump I had to go in steps. I always fed them from Hemostates too.
Cheers,
Trevor

BoAddict · 10-24-03, 08:22 AM

your snake wont take frozen you say , try feeding it at night with all the lights off and then leave it
my hog wont eat in the light , so i just wait till it gets dark and she eats like a champ

SD-SNAKE · 10-24-03, 08:48 AM

Not every snake will eat FT or pre killed. Its just how it is. All of mine feed on pre killed but one. take care Nick

djc3674 · 10-24-03, 08:49 AM

hmmm?? interesting...my hog eats no matter what time of day. He gulps down mice right infront of us in broad daylight. He is about 6 months old. Maybe this will change as he gets older, I don't know. But for now, he is an awesome eater so I have no complaints. I feed live mice to him for now, and I would never walk away from the tank until he has killed it. Leaving a mouse in his tank overnight is a big mistake and you shouldnt do that anymore. If your hog refuses it, take it out and try later that night or the next day. Its more stressful for the snake if you leave a mouse in his tank that he isnt interesting in eating.

MouseKilla · 10-26-03, 08:01 AM

Another thing to remember is that boas tend to be ambush hunters. When other snakes get hungry they wander about searching for prey, boas go to a spot and sit still waiting for something to make the mistake of walking by. Mine eats f/k or stunned way quicker than live because the live ones sometimes don't walk by him for a long time. I just grab the dead or dying prey by the tail and kinda wiggle it a few inches from the snake's head, he'll take a few licks at the air then BAM! It scares the hell out of me every time! This way you don't have to watch in agony as the stupid rat wanders around the enclosure, both animals seemingly unaware, the rat fouling the cage's every corner... If you do it this way I think you'll find that he'll take it everytime, usually without much reluctance.

BoidKeeper · 10-26-03, 08:42 AM

Quote:

I feed live mice

Any snake that will require rats when it is full grown should be fed rats from the begining. Hogs get way too big to be eating mice. Rats are easier to digest and are more nutriouse. If a snake grows big enough to eat an adult rat then it's born big enought to eat a baby rat.
You might want to consider switching to F/T crawler or hopper rats instead of mice. You'll see a big growth spurt too.
Cheers,
Trevor