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Need to Commiserate!

Kaleidescope_Eyes

Kaleidescope_Eyes

Reptilian Goddess
My beautiful new butter lady decided to get 1/3 of the way onto her mouse (the first she's actually taken at my house) and backed off. Then she sat in her feeding tank on the opposite end of the mouse. =( I made it all warm and yummy for her.

None of my babies have ever started and stopped on a meal. I feel like I probably moved around and scared her or something. I'm leaving on a 10-day trip tomorrow and I hate leaving her here without her weekly meal and since she decided to skip last week as well, by the time I get back from vacation, it will be her 3rd week without food.

I'm not looking for advice really (I'm confident I'll get her going eventually); it just bums me out! I hate leaving knowing not all of my animals have eaten. I almost wish I wasn't leaving on vacation! :crying: <--(this is my dramatic side)
 
As long as she's an otherwise healthy adult, three weeks without food will be fine. With any luck she'll have built up an appetite while you're away. If she's still settling in, some peace and quiet will probably be good for her.
 
Some snakes are just very shy about eating. I have one that is not only shy, I have to leave the room, turn the lights off, she will eat only live (neither Jeff Mohr nor I have been able to switch her to F/T) and then, she skips meals if she is anywhere close to shedding (a week before she starts to get dull, the week+ she is technically in blue, and won't eat until after 5 days have passed after she shed).

Just give her some time, and maybe try something live to jump-start her. Rat pinks seem to be the best as I have yet to see a snake that has been a good feeder refuse one.
 
I wouldn't worry about it. How I would handle that situation, in the future, is reheat the mouse, put it back in with her, cover her up and don't disturb her for an hour. You're leaving her with two water bowls, right?
 
We have a couple of difficult feeders, here, and 2 of them (both boas) that only like to eat in a closed-up, smallish paper bag, of all the weird things.
 
Thanks guys, I'm hoping she's just a sensitive lady. When I get back, she'll get to eat in peace in the dark. My parents are watching her while I'm in Arizona. I know I can leave snakes alone for the week but I'm such a worry wort that I usually have a friend or family member come check on the kids. I made her a humid hide before I left and my mom said she is in there all the time so maybe she's thinking about shedding. That could also play into why she refused food. But you know animals, it never fails that someone wouldn't eat before I left!
 
My ball python went the entire winter eating twice. He just ate a chicken broth scented rat last week. We may have conditioned him to the chicken broth, that's fine by me since we have a python that eats f/t. I'd use chicken broth as a second to last resort though.
 
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