Wait to Feed?

My hatchling escaped and was gone for about 2 weeks. Someone in my building found him and put him in a shoe box. Apparently he was "on her head" or right next to it, which i don't nessisarily buy, but that's beyond the point.
I'm not sure if she kept him in the box for awhile or gave him to me upon discovery. He's pretty freaked out, and possibly hungry? His normal feeding day is Saturday, and my question is, should i feed him now, on Thursday, or wait for Saturday? If i do wait until saturday should I leave him alone to let him get re adjusted?

I would wait until Saturday. I know it's hard not to just feed the poor thing, but it would be better to not risk a regurge. Glad the little guy was found!

blckkat said:

I would wait until Saturday. I know it's hard not to just feed the poor thing, but it would be better to not risk a regurge. Glad the little guy was found!

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Yeah, i agree. You do not want to stress the snake, can cause them to regurgetate it and that is not good... uke02:

If it's truly a hatchling, it should be eating more often than once a week, anyway. More like every 4 or 5 days, while eating pinkies. I would probably be more worried about the snake not eating for so long than the off chance that the snake might regurgitate. If the snake looks emaciated and weak, I would probably feed asap so as not to risk the snake becoming so weak it can't eat. From what I've heard, most snakes simply won't eat if they are 'stressed.' Regurgitation is normally caused by handling after feeding. Obviously don't handle him/her at all for at least two full days (48 hours) after feeding, whether you feed today, tomorrow, or Saturday. Again, I would be feeding more than once per week.

larryg said:

If it's truly a hatchling, it should be eating more often than once a week, anyway. More like every 4 or 5 days, while eating pinkies. I would probably be more worried about the snake not eating for so long than the off chance that the snake might regurgitate. If the snake looks emaciated and weak, I would probably feed asap so as not to risk the snake becoming so weak it can't eat. From what I've heard, most snakes simply won't eat if they are 'stressed.' Regurgitation is normally caused by handling after feeding. Obviously don't handle him/her at all for at least two full days (48 hours) after feeding, whether you feed today, tomorrow, or Saturday. Again, I would be feeding more than once per week.

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I disagree with this completely...
Two weeks is NOT a long time for a snake to go without eating...and if it is emaciated...pushing a feeding on an already stressed snake is like signing it's death warrant...if it regurges it may become unrecoverable...
You should treat this snake like it is new to you again...give it time to readjust to it's surroundings and enclosure...feed it and wait to handle it...you may want to introduce it to the fresh water dish when replacing it in the enclosure, as it probably needs to rehydrate more than anything...

I have had two escapees this year...one was gone for three weeks (the other two)...and was just a SMALL hatchling at the time...she is currently my most voracious eater and fastest growing snake.
You can feed your hatchling more often than once a week, but I personally wouldn't feed more often than every 5 days...the snake needs a chance to digest and recycle before digesting MORE food...the act of digesting can be hard on the snake...if it is doing it constantly. I feed all my hatchlings once a week...they may start slowly...but if prey item size is increased at a regular interval as determined by growth...they will grow well...and be healthy.

Alias47, have you considered the possibility that the snake you allowed to escape for 3 weeks managed to find food on its own? I don't mean to be argumentative, but that seems like something you may have overlooked. One of my hatchlings died about 16 days after her last feeding, and she was too weak to eat by that point. Also, if the snake has been gone for about 2 weeks and he only feeds once per week, it could be more like 3 weeks since last feeding. Sorry, but I don't agree an emaciated-looking snake is reason to wait an extra long time to feed. (jmo)

larryg said:

Alias47, have you considered the possibility that the snake you allowed to escape for 3 weeks managed to find food on its own?

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Complete improbability...it never left my basement, which is finished, and definitely does NOT have ANY rodents in it (or other edible creatures)...it was winter...so the possibility of the snake escaping to the outdoors, eating, and then returning is non-existant.
Besides the snake was living in temperatures cooler than it's enclosure...which would lead to a slower metabolism. Just like MOST snakes that escape within the house...I don't think that most people keep their houses above 80 degrees (unless you are seriously sick...in the head :nyah: )

larryg said:

Sorry, but I don't agree an emaciated-looking snake is reason to wait an extra long time to feed. (jmo)

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I never said this...an emaciated looking snake should not be given an "extra long time" before feeding...BUT I have dealt with emaciated non-feeders...and waiting a couple of days to relieve stress could be the dividing line between a successful feeding and a regurge...and if the snake IS emaciated a regurge at that point would almost surely end in death...better to rehydrate and allow a few days for adjustment...

If you had a snake die 16 days after a successful feeding...there was either an underlying condition or the snake was SEVERELY malnourished to begin with...did you have a necropsy done?
A little over two weeks should not be long enough to kill a snake that was previously healthy...

Often what happens is 'escapee' snakes will find a warm spot, such as under/behind a refrigerator (near the coils), near a furnace, or near some other appliance or source of heat.

I agree...and should have addressed that above as well...

However...16 days without food should not kill an established hatchling regardless...unless husbandry conditions were so far out of whack it could not survive them...or it had an underlying condition that was truly the cause of death.

I'm with Alias47. Stress and regurge is of more of a concern. If the snake is so health compromised (I'm not saying it is) that it can't go another 3 or 4 days without food, then it's prognosis is not good anyway. I've had snakes go months without eating, I've also lost snakes that have regurged. After the first regurge, sometimes it's difficult to stop.

JMO

Mike

thanks for all the advice guys

i held out until Saturday because he didn't seem sick in anyway, just a bit freaked out from the whole incident.
i'm glad I waited until Saturday because upon reaching the pet store i noticed they had a motley het for butter for around $70
I asked my friend who works there to see it, and ended up getting the snake as well as the pinkie for $40
it had just gotten there from the breeder as well, which is better then it having been in the pet store for foreverness

Woohoo, a bonus snake! What good timing.