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Hunger strike

randomrhetoric
08-21-2008, 10:18 AM
So my little girl has decided to go on a hunger strike. I have had her for 2.5 weeks now and she ate just fine a couple days after I got her, two weeks ago actually. Since I have tried to feed her 3 times and she has refused everytime. I don't think she is about to shed but I am untrained. I posted some pics of her up in the photos section if some more experienced members would like to see. I have no idea why she is refusing. I have been trying to feed her thawed pinkies that are warmer than body temp, at least I think it is, IDK how to acuratly check the temp. I have cut the back to let the blood out and I have even brained the pinkies. I have left her with the food over night and still nothing. I will try feeding her again tonight but if she refuses once again I will be at a loss. I am a first time snake owner and I am kinda freaking out. I just got her and I don't want to lose her... Please help if possible. Thanks

Nanci
08-21-2008, 10:36 AM
What procedure are you using to feed her, at what interval, and when was the last time she shed, and when was the last time you attempted to feed her, and has she been hiding/inactive lately?

randomrhetoric
08-21-2008, 10:43 AM
What procedure are you using to feed her, at what interval, and when was the last time she shed, and when was the last time you attempted to feed her, and has she been hiding/inactive lately?

I last tried to feed her monday night. I usually wait till about 8:30 to feed. I let the pink thaw for about 30-45 min in warm/hot water in a zip-lock baggie. I take her out of her viv and place her in her feeding bucket. I then use tongs to dangle the pink in front of her and rub it along her sides. After about 5 minutes of that I usually just leave the pink in the bucket w/ her then drape a towel over it to make it dark and I leave her alone for an hour. I even brain it or bleed it before leaving the two alone for an hour...

randomrhetoric
08-21-2008, 10:44 AM
I forgot to answer the other questions... Since I have had her she has not shed and all she does is stay in her hide on the cool side...

Nanci
08-21-2008, 11:24 AM
Ok, so what I would do is thaw the pinky much faster, in a cup of HOT water, as hot as your tap water will go, NOT in a bag. That should take five minutes or less. Slit the back of the pink about four times with a fingernail scissors or something similar. Put her in the feeding container with the pink, without dangling or teasing or touching her. In a darkened room, cover her feeding container with a dish towel and DO NOT PEEK for an hour. Be quiet if you have to be in the room. If she hasn't eaten, remove the pink, quickly reheat, brain it if you feel like it, and put the whole thing in her viv, in the middle not the warm side, and leave overnight. The feeding container should be small- think margerine/deli cup sized to _maybe_ the small rectangular Gladware size, with air holes. Another option if she doesn't eat in her feeding container is to put her in a folded paper bag in her viv overnight. Good luck.

Has she previously been active, and the hiding behaviour is new, or was she a hider since you got her?

randomrhetoric
08-21-2008, 11:34 AM
she has pretty much been a hider since I got her but she used to be more active at dusk/night. She used to crawl around and try to find a way out but now not so much..

Nanci
08-21-2008, 11:36 AM
Have you looked at her since Monday? It is quite likely that she is going into a shed cycle. That's how I always discover it, by thinking, "Hey, I haven't seen Snakey for a couple days!"

randomrhetoric
08-21-2008, 11:39 AM
I held her on tuesday but I had to get her from her hide to do so. I haven't seen her since. Could it be that I am handling her too much?

Nanci
08-21-2008, 11:42 AM
If she refuses this time, and is blue, then I wouldn't get too upset; plenty of snakes choose not to eat while blue.

Nanci
08-21-2008, 11:43 AM
I held her on tuesday but I had to get her from her hide to do so. I haven't seen her since. Could it be that I am handling her too much?

Probably not. If up till now she's been fairly relaxed about handling. If she's scared to death of you, and rattling, striking, death-rolling when you take her out, then I would cease all unnecessary handling until you have her feeding again.

sarcare
08-21-2008, 11:52 AM
death-rolling

Just a stupid newbie question, but what is death rolling?
I got out one of my new snakes to feed a bit earlier then the full week of settling in because the breeder hadn't fed them for a week and a half before I got him and I didn't want her to starve. He was not happy to be out, but didn't strike or rattle his tail, just squirmy wormy thinged (is that the death rolling?) , and actually ate the pink after being "introduced" He sat on one side of the tupperware and turned his head on the pink, so I moved the pink to where it caught his eye. Once he saw it and not me, he got down to business and ate it up! I'm going to leave him in his viv for four more days to digest and settle in more.

Nanci
08-21-2008, 12:03 PM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4HE9m7zxZ0 Snakes (and worms!) do a movement similar to this to get away from danger rapidly. You'll know it when you see it. Actually, they add more spring to it, too.

LBoz
08-21-2008, 12:15 PM
Holy cow! The rolling is cute and all, but that poor thing is going to have shaken gater syndrome. :rolleyes:

Random, hope the feeds go smoothly soon.

Nanci
08-21-2008, 12:21 PM
Same thing happens if you try to put a harness on a big iguana!

randomrhetoric
08-21-2008, 12:23 PM
Random, hope the feeds go smoothly soon.

Thanks! I think I have been using too large of a feeding enclosure. I am going to try again with a dixie cup or something smaller.

Nanci
08-21-2008, 12:24 PM
It has to be something the snake can't escape from, that has air holes.

drak2223
08-23-2008, 12:16 AM
and you would of wasted 2 weeks lol

my corn did this the pet store fed it well and it went on a hunger strike for 2 weeks it just ate for second time today or first in my house just wait it out and leave the mouse if it pinky leave overnight or if big mouse kill it first just leave him alone for 2 weeks and he should get bak into the the groove don't even touch hima fter he eats ors this will happen:-puke02:

sarcare
08-23-2008, 06:52 AM
Another thing to consider, is how much time you give your snake to eat. I am a huge newbie, so when I was trying to get my baby ghost corn to eat for the first time and she wouldn't I was a little worried. She was acting strange, and actually sat on the pinky and ignored it. After about two hours of trying to entice, then leave her alone for a half hour, and then reheat, I just got frustrated. I took her and put her, feeding container, pinkie, and all in her viv. I opened the feeding container and she was out like a shot, but about four or five hours later the pinkie was gone. (I sure hope she did eat it)
Anyway, sorry for the long rambling story, but maybe if you left her overnight with the pinkie she would get the picture eventually?

randomrhetoric
08-24-2008, 10:58 PM
Thanks for all of the advice. It really helped out a lot. I left her completely alone for 3 days while I went to the beach. She was left completely alone with lights on timers and in a place where she would not be disturbed at all. I came back tonight and thawed out a pink, determined to have her eat. After about 20 min w/ the water as hot as the tap would allow (not too hot though, I was still able to submerge my hand w/out to much discomfort.) I then cut holes in the lid of a small container, one that did not allow her to completely stretch out out. I put her in the container after washing my hands and handling her briefly. I placed put the pink in one half of the container and she was in the other half. I placed that in the middle of her viv w/ the lid on and turned off all the lights and left the room for about 45 min. I cheated on the hour rule and looked to see if she had eaten it yet and was VERY! happy to see that she had a pink sized lump in her middle. I am so relieved. I guess I was just being a first time dad.
**sigh**
So glad thats over. One of the main things I think I did wrong was placing her in a feeding container that was much too big. I believe it is a 5 gallon cricket cage kind of thing and I figured she would be able to grow into it but I think that since she had so much room to go away she would just coil up on the complete opposite side of the cage which is a good distance away. IDK. All I can say is that I am so happy that she is eating and a hearty thanks to those who offered their help.:D:bird::D

Nanci
08-24-2008, 11:24 PM
Congratulations!