My New Boa Finally Ate- Simple Solution

NycFlip22 · #1 (**permalink**) 03-31-2007, 02:54 AM

Hey guys! I haven't been posting a lot because I've been busy. My snake shed last week . It was a perfect shed from the head to the tail.

Now. I've been trying to figure out why my snake hasn't eaten and it didn't eat for about 3-4 weeks.
Possibilities:
-Mites (no mites)
-Temperature/Humid. (was a little low. fixed but still wouldn't eat)
-Stress (maybe stressed but lived there for 3 weeks)
-Shedding (Shed 2-3 weeks after i owned it. I tried to feed it the day and week after but no luck)
-The Fuzzy (tried EVERYTHING. Tapped it on the glass, poked a hole in it for more smell, made sure it was warm and dry..no luck)

Sooo, I ran out of the 4 fuzzies..I had only Weanlings/Small mice left.
I read a guide on how big of a mouse i should feed him. My snake is about 23inches and the guide said fuzzies for 22inches and 24inches should be fed weanlings...So I thought I will just try to have him eat the fuzzies till I run out.

Today I warmed up a weanling and layed paper on the substrate. My snake was on a vine. He came toward the f/t weanling and struck and ate it!!!!!! I was so happy when it finally happened and the weanling was fully consumed in about 3+mins

louise · #2 (**permalink**) 03-31-2007, 03:02 AM

congrats! isn't that the greatest feeling?

danktat · #3 (**permalink**) 03-31-2007, 03:13 AM

Don't you love it when they get over that feeding hump? The faster the better. My stress levels are more testy than the snakes when it comes to getting them on food...lol

trendkill · #4 (**permalink**) 03-31-2007, 03:22 AM

Congratulations! I always worry about those things. My new baby boa ate for me tonight.. but I was worried she wouldn't. She insisted on hissing at the rat fuzzy for a good 2-3 minutes before I got impatient. She had her mouth wide open, hissing like crazy, so I actually stuck it in her mouth, haha, and sure enough she just swallowed it down. Funny stuff.

Bluzmn59 · #5 (**permalink**) 03-31-2007, 12:05 PM

Great. I hate that feeling when they won't eat. I agree that I am more stressed about it than they are, for sure.

TongueFlick · #6 (**permalink**) 03-31-2007, 01:11 PM

That's great! Every time my sav doesn't want to eat, I'm over there all day biting my nails and hoping he'll eat that cricket in top of his rock....LOL

JuliusSqueezer · #7 (**permalink**) 03-31-2007, 04:12 PM

Congrats...but a lot of reluctant boas are reluctant because they are being offered mice. You will typically get fewer grey hairs from stressing over them not eating if you start them off on pink rats and continue with rats. With exception to premmies and a few very small runtlike insular locales of boas, no boa should ever even have to know what a mouse is

I have had a couple before though that reversed it all...wouldn't touch a pink rat but would scarf down a hopper mouse. They grew out of that eventually. But I've only had that happen like twice. It's certainly not normal for any boa constrictor to prefer mice. It's also not unusual for a boa to be near starving before even considering eating a mouse. Rats are better for them anyway. Get some and try it

NycFlip22 · #8 (**permalink**) 03-31-2007, 05:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by trendkill

Congratulations! I always worry about those things. My new baby boa ate for me tonight.. but I was worried she wouldn't. She insisted on hissing at the rat fuzzy for a good 2-3 minutes before I got impatient. She had her mouth wide open, hissing like crazy, so I actually stuck it in her mouth, haha, and sure enough she just swallowed it down. Funny stuff.

LOL

Thanks a lot everyone. I was so happy he ate and started cussing

:censored:

He decided to eat because I went from a fuzzy to a weanling/small mouse. When I tried the fuzzy, he would smell it and just go away. The weanling, he ate right away. I guess the fuzzy was too small for him even though he's just 23inches. Why would size matter? The fuzzy was basically as big as the widest part of his body.

Quote:

Originally Posted by JuliusSqueezer

Congrats...but a lot of reluctant boas are reluctant because they are being offered mice. You will typically get fewer grey hairs from stressing over them not eating if you start them off on pink rats and continue with rats. With exception to premmies and a few very small runtlike insular locales of boas, no boa should ever even have to know what a mouse is

I have had a couple before though that reversed it all...wouldn't touch a pink rat but would scarf down a hopper mouse. They grew out of that eventually. But I've only had that happen like twice. It's certainly not normal for any boa constrictor to prefer mice. It's also not unusual for a boa to be near starving before even considering eating a mouse. Rats are better for them anyway. Get some and try it

Really?? So people have had trouble feeding mice instead of rats?
I wonder if mine could tell the difference

JuliusSqueezer · #9 (**permalink**) 03-31-2007, 06:01 PM

Yes, they can tell the difference. They smell absolutely nothing alike.

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