Tula_Montage
12-17-2006, 07:59 PM
A few tips on non feeders... Theres been a lot of posts recently regarding many species and most of what is written here will apply. Some of these are highly regarded by myself though personal experience ie for royals dipping mice in BOILING water (they are heat seekers) For hoggies rat scenting + chopping up prey items...
- Double check that your temperature and humidity cycles are correct and your snake has a few places to hide in the cage.
- What season is it outdoors? It's pretty common for adult males (and sometimes females) to go off feed during the winter months, as that is also the breeding season.
- If your snake is shying away from the food item, chances are it's stressed about something.
- Are you handling/disturbing the snake? If so how often? Try leaving the snake alone for a week or so and then offer food.
- Is there another snake in the tank? Some snakes find co-habitation EXTREMELY stressful.
- Is the cage in a room that gets a lot of foot traffic and noise? Try moving it to a more quite room.
- Is it within a few days of, or during a shed cycle? Some snakes won't eat during this period.
- Are you offering live? Try offering dead, or if you are offering dead, try offering live.
- How large of a meal are you offering? Even though they might be able to swallow a large meal, some snakes prefer smaller ones.
- Are you offering different types of rodents?..Mice? Rats? Gerbils?
- What color of rodents are you offering? Some snakes don't recognize white lab mice and rats as food items. Try and get some with some color on them.
- What is the temperature of the dead rodent? Sometimes a fresh kill is the right temperature, and a thawed rodent isn't.
- When you offer food, how are you doing it? Are you disturbing the snake first? a lot of times, if you use tongs and dangle a rodent in front of the snake or, just in front of the hole in the hide box, they will take it.
- What time of day are you offering food? Remember that most snakes are nocturnal and may not want to eat if it's light out.
- Are the lights on in the room when you offer food? Some snake like it dark when they eat.
- How far away from the snake is the rodent? Somewhere around 2-6 inches from the snakes face is about right.
- Try putting the snake in a brown (opaque) paper bag over night with a DEAD rodent. Make sure you put the bag back into the tank! Sometimes they get out of the bag.
- Talk to a local petshop and see if they will provide you with some soiled rodent bedding. Or use your own to scent prey items.
- Try scenting a dead rat or mouse by rubbing it against a dead gerbil or vice versa.
- It isn't very pleasant, but try splitting or cutting the dead rodent's skull so that some brain matter and blood come out...
- Try scenting live food items... ie pinks covered in rat scent.
- Chopping up prey items sometimes encourages the snake to "take a bite"... Nothing more pungent than blood and guts!
Feel free to add anything I may have missed!
- Double check that your temperature and humidity cycles are correct and your snake has a few places to hide in the cage.
- What season is it outdoors? It's pretty common for adult males (and sometimes females) to go off feed during the winter months, as that is also the breeding season.
- If your snake is shying away from the food item, chances are it's stressed about something.
- Are you handling/disturbing the snake? If so how often? Try leaving the snake alone for a week or so and then offer food.
- Is there another snake in the tank? Some snakes find co-habitation EXTREMELY stressful.
- Is the cage in a room that gets a lot of foot traffic and noise? Try moving it to a more quite room.
- Is it within a few days of, or during a shed cycle? Some snakes won't eat during this period.
- Are you offering live? Try offering dead, or if you are offering dead, try offering live.
- How large of a meal are you offering? Even though they might be able to swallow a large meal, some snakes prefer smaller ones.
- Are you offering different types of rodents?..Mice? Rats? Gerbils?
- What color of rodents are you offering? Some snakes don't recognize white lab mice and rats as food items. Try and get some with some color on them.
- What is the temperature of the dead rodent? Sometimes a fresh kill is the right temperature, and a thawed rodent isn't.
- When you offer food, how are you doing it? Are you disturbing the snake first? a lot of times, if you use tongs and dangle a rodent in front of the snake or, just in front of the hole in the hide box, they will take it.
- What time of day are you offering food? Remember that most snakes are nocturnal and may not want to eat if it's light out.
- Are the lights on in the room when you offer food? Some snake like it dark when they eat.
- How far away from the snake is the rodent? Somewhere around 2-6 inches from the snakes face is about right.
- Try putting the snake in a brown (opaque) paper bag over night with a DEAD rodent. Make sure you put the bag back into the tank! Sometimes they get out of the bag.
- Talk to a local petshop and see if they will provide you with some soiled rodent bedding. Or use your own to scent prey items.
- Try scenting a dead rat or mouse by rubbing it against a dead gerbil or vice versa.
- It isn't very pleasant, but try splitting or cutting the dead rodent's skull so that some brain matter and blood come out...
- Try scenting live food items... ie pinks covered in rat scent.
- Chopping up prey items sometimes encourages the snake to "take a bite"... Nothing more pungent than blood and guts!
Feel free to add anything I may have missed!