non-feeder....not a baby

[Steve'sMom]

I have a male Miami that I got on October 15th. He ate once a couple weeks after I got him...it was a live/stunned mouse. That is the ONLY time he's eaten for me! I'm getting really worried. He's not a baby, so he's obviously eaten SOMETHING before. He's about a foot and a half, and he's maybe the circumfrence of a nickle...haven't actually measured him, but I'm guessing. He hasn't lost weight or anything, but I don't want him to start. I lined his cage with paper towel, thinking he was nervous when I took him out....so then I could feed him in his cage. He seems affraid of the mice. He doesn't pay any attention to f/t, even if I leave it in there over night. He's deathly affraid of live, and he'll kind of look at a stunned mouse for a while, then go away to the other end of the cage. I've tried everything that I've read on here with mice. The only one I haven't tried is getting an anole and scenting it. I've heard of people having a frozen one and having a live one. Which works better? Can the frozen one be thawed and re-frozen over and over or will it go bad?

Is there anything else I can do? His cage is warm enough, but does he maybe think he needs to brumate?

[gwb8568]

i will let the pros answer about the scenting and everything else. but if the "soap" trick didn't work on a f/t...........then what i have to do sometimes is place the feeding container with snake and f/t mouse in a quiet, dark room and leave for an hour or so. if you have to, then cover with a blanket or towel. i have found some of my problem feeders will eat if they are left alone and without much light on them. i wouldn't know about trying this with a live prey though. good luck.

[dwyn127]

I have a male Miami that I got on October 15th. He ate once a couple weeks after I got him...it was a live/stunned mouse. That is the ONLY time he's eaten for me! I'm getting really worried. He's not a baby, so he's obviously eaten SOMETHING before. He's about a foot and a half, and he's maybe the circumfrence of a nickle...haven't actually measured him, but I'm guessing. He hasn't lost weight or anything, but I don't want him to start. I lined his cage with paper towel, thinking he was nervous when I took him out....so then I could feed him in his cage. He seems affraid of the mice. He doesn't pay any attention to f/t, even if I leave it in there over night. He's deathly affraid of live, and he'll kind of look at a stunned mouse for a while, then go away to the other end of the cage. I've tried everything that I've read on here with mice. The only one I haven't tried is getting an anole and scenting it. I've heard of people having a frozen one and having a live one. Which works better? Can the frozen one be thawed and re-frozen over and over or will it go bad?

Is there anything else I can do? His cage is warm enough, but does he maybe think he needs to brumate?
I have 2 that will only eat a pinky if it's tipped with an anole. I started off by breaking off a piece of the tail while it was still frozen, and putting it in the pinkys mouth. Then the legs, then I thaw and cut a small piece skin and put it on the pinky's nose. I do this until the anole is unreconizable. Each time the anole is refrozen and I've never had a problem; you'd be suprised how long 1 anole will last.

[Steve'sMom]

I already tried leaving him alone in the dark. I put him in a feeding container, but I then put it in his enclosure so he'd be more secure, and left him in the dark overnight. No luck.

That anole suggestion sounds gross....but I suppose, anything for my kids! Does putting the mouse in with a live anole work at all? I saw someone on here who was going to do that. I did actually try putting a mouse under my bearded dragon (since she was just sitting there basking anyway) LOL. But apparently bearded dragon doesn't smell like anole! And Sydney was quite disappointed when she realized she had been sitting on a treat, and then I wouldn't let her have it! LOL! I have also squeezed some blood out of the mouse's head so he'd smell blood.

I can't imagine what he would have eaten before I bought him! :shrugs:

[dwyn127]

I was first successful with a frozen anole. That's how I knew to scent the pinky with it's skin. It sounds alot grosser than it really is.:-puke01:

[Steve'sMom]

I was first successful with a frozen anole. That's how I knew to scent the pinky with it's skin. It sounds alot grosser than it really is.:-puke01:

Well, I suppose, tomorrow I'll be off to the store to get a victim. My friends think I'm quite strange not wanting to kill a reptile and being fine with killing cute little fuzzy things. Well....cute little fuzzy things like to bite me and they stink! :grin01:

[Nanci]

I had three animals that I was using for scenting. (I wasn't successful with any of them, though.) I had a tree frog, an anole, and a toad. No way could I kill any of them! I recently released the frog and anole, but have become attached to the toad so he is staying at least for the winter. (You can see him in the General Chit Chat thread under "Basking Buddies.")

I've heard of people scenting the prey by putting it in a bag with the scenting animal, too.

Well, good luck with him.

Nanci

[Shade]

I've heard that some Miami's will only eat mice that are scented with anoles, because they eat lizards more often than rodents in the wild. I could be wrong, though.

[MegF.]

Sounds like a male going off feed for breeding season. He seems a little small to be interested but if he's at least 1 1/2 it's possible. My amel went off food about that age although he was bigger than yours was. He quit for about three months.

[Steve'sMom]

Sounds like a male going off feed for breeding season. He seems a little small to be interested but if he's at least 1 1/2 it's possible. My amel went off food about that age although he was bigger than yours was. He quit for about three months.

Hm, could be. Only thing is, Steve does that in spring, but when he thinks it's breeding season, he crawls all over the place and is very active. This guy has been hiding. He never comes out unless I take him out.

[MegF.]

That is a little different. Could be he's too nervous then. I wouldn't have a heart attack just yet though. He could also be nearing shed and that combined with possibly not caring for the prey can be enough to get them to not eat. I use anoles too, but I just rub a well washed pinky on the mouth and it's usually enough.

[Susan]

I would suggest trying a smaller prey item, probably a medium - large pinky (maybe just getting fuzz) for the size snake you're describing, and preferably a live one. If that doesn't work, try a live newborn rat pup (the smaller the better). Also, if you haven't tried tuna scented yet, I would suggest that as well.

[Shakota]

Someone may have already suggested this. I have not read all of the posts. You might try rat pinkies. I have one that will eat frozen thawed, but only if left in her tote alone in the dark. You might even try housing him in a tote. If he was in a tote before he may not feel comfortable in his surroundings. I also have another corn that will only eat rats of various sizes. She won't even look at a rat. Hope this works for you. Thanks, Sarah

[Shakota]

"She won't even look at a rat. "

Oops meant to say she won't even look at a mouse. Sorry about that. Sarah