Hail_Britannia
Animals > People.
As some of you may know, we got a new snake at the New England Reptile Expo a few weeks ago- a rosy boa. I'd been wanting one for a while and we found one that was reasonably priced. He appears fat and healthy, and the vendor said that while he had been feeding on live pinkies, he had also taken frozen/thawed, so I didn't worry. Unfortunately, we haven't been able to get him to eat any of the frozen pinks we bought for him yet.
It's only been a few weeks, so I'm not too worried, but I'd like suggestions on how to get him eating. When we brought him home, we let him be for five days without handling before offering him a meal. He wouldn't touch it. No big deal, we waited another five days and offered again. He seemed more interested, but still no dice, so we cut a slit in the pink and left him alone with it for about four hours. He still wouldn't eat it. He's in a 10 gallon cage with a screen top. He has a very small bowl of water available to him at all times. The temps on his warm side range from about 88 to 92 degrees F (controlled by thermostat). The cool side temps are usually between 70 and 80 degrees, although they have dipped into the high 60s on a few occasions when we forgot to turn the apartment heat on at night. He's on aspen bedding, deep enough to burrow (and he does). He has two hides, one on the warm side and one on the cool side. The humidity in his tank sits at around 10%. He is in a room of fairly high traffic, as he's right above my computer and I spend a lot of time in here with the light on.
Does anyone have any suggestions for getting him to eat frozen/thawed (or indeed, anything at all)? I was under the impression that rosies were pretty easy to feed, and while I know it's not panic time yet, I'd feel a lot better if he would eat a few meals so that we can begin taming him down. He's pretty flighty. I would be willing to track down a live pink to jump-start his appetite if that's what it takes, although I'd far rather feed him frozen/thawed. We'd really appreciate any thoughts you folks might have on the subject!
It's only been a few weeks, so I'm not too worried, but I'd like suggestions on how to get him eating. When we brought him home, we let him be for five days without handling before offering him a meal. He wouldn't touch it. No big deal, we waited another five days and offered again. He seemed more interested, but still no dice, so we cut a slit in the pink and left him alone with it for about four hours. He still wouldn't eat it. He's in a 10 gallon cage with a screen top. He has a very small bowl of water available to him at all times. The temps on his warm side range from about 88 to 92 degrees F (controlled by thermostat). The cool side temps are usually between 70 and 80 degrees, although they have dipped into the high 60s on a few occasions when we forgot to turn the apartment heat on at night. He's on aspen bedding, deep enough to burrow (and he does). He has two hides, one on the warm side and one on the cool side. The humidity in his tank sits at around 10%. He is in a room of fairly high traffic, as he's right above my computer and I spend a lot of time in here with the light on.
Does anyone have any suggestions for getting him to eat frozen/thawed (or indeed, anything at all)? I was under the impression that rosies were pretty easy to feed, and while I know it's not panic time yet, I'd feel a lot better if he would eat a few meals so that we can begin taming him down. He's pretty flighty. I would be willing to track down a live pink to jump-start his appetite if that's what it takes, although I'd far rather feed him frozen/thawed. We'd really appreciate any thoughts you folks might have on the subject!