Need Help ASAP

Brad · #1 (**permalink**) 01-30-2004, 01:21 PM

Ok i have 2 ball pythons 1 Irain Jaya, and 1 Borneo short tail. and none of them will eat F/t. tried everything that i could think of. so if you guys or girls could give some advice it would be much apperciated.

Thanks Brandon

Ace · #2 (**permalink**) 01-30-2004, 01:40 PM

have you tried to put the F/T mouse inthe cage at night before you go to bed, and leave it in there. Ball pythons are very nocternal and eat better at night, or so I have found.

Brad · #3 (**permalink**) 01-30-2004, 01:49 PM

ok now i need advice about the short tail and the IJ the short tail ate last week so iam not so worried about him, but the IJ iam really worried about him. i got him from keith at earth exotic, and to be honest i think he lied to me. he said he had him feeding on rat fuzzies, but i have put many rat fuzzies in the feeding tub with him, i have put F/T and alive in there with him. we have had him for almost 2 months and the only thing it has eaten was a mouse hopper. and i have e mailed keith about it and he pretty much just told me that its not his snake anymore so its not my problem.But if you could help me with the problem IJ i would really appreciate it. I mean i love these snakes and I will be damned if one of them dies because of not eating.

Thanks Brandon

Ace · #4 (**permalink**) 01-30-2004, 01:57 PM

for the IJ have you tried only FT? how abouta prekilled mouse, they are still warm and maybe it might get his appetite back on track. also what is the temps in his cage? is he warm enough and does he have plenty of hides so he is not stressed.

Brad · #5 (**permalink**) 01-30-2004, 02:01 PM

Yea the temps are perfect and i set up his cage like natural habbitat with hide that look natrual but he dosent really like his hides he speads alot of his time on his branches. and also when i feed him the mouse hopper it was alive, and i know shouldent have done that but he had to eat, but after that it was FT only.

Wrasse · #6 (**permalink**) 01-30-2004, 02:03 PM

How old and how big is the IJ ? You say he ahs had a mouse hopper in this time, what size was it in relation to his girth and what were the circumstances surrounding that feed ?

Brad · #7 (**permalink**) 01-30-2004, 02:10 PM

the hopper was a litttle bit bigger then the IJ's gerth and i think keith said that his IJ's were april of 03 offspring and also what do you mean by what were the circumstances surrounding that feed ?

Wrasse · #8 (**permalink**) 01-30-2004, 02:27 PM

Try to repeat the circumstances surrounding that feed, if it was nighttime, try again at nighttime. If you left him in the feed tub all night, do it again. But use f/t.

That he has had a feed of (what sounds like) roughly the right size for him means that there is no real reason to panic yet. Just try to emulate the circumstances surrounding the feed he did have and you could try wiggling the f/t a little, but not obviously. I use a blunt rod to push my f/t's around if need be, and often, for a problem feeder, will push the skewer up and down on the f/t's back, to give a head wiggle only. No big hands and distractions nearby.

Brad · #9 (**permalink**) 01-30-2004, 02:31 PM

sounds good, now that i think about it it was night, and all i did was hold the hopper by the tail and the IJ took it right from my finger with in seconds of seeing it. Thanks for the advice its really apperciated.

Now can you give me some tips on the short tail

Thanks for all the post: Brandon

LdyDrgn · #10 (**permalink**) 01-30-2004, 02:34 PM

Many IJ's will only take mice, they are a pain that way! But, luckily enough, they don't get so big that feeding mice becomes a huge problem like it would for something as large as a Coastal carpet. My IJ will NOT take a rat no matter how hungry she is. She will strike and constrict it, but when it comes time to eat, she will drop it and like at me like, "What? Is this some kind of joke?"

Since she eats from her branches I don't bother using a seperate feed tub for her or any other arboreal snake. Try again with the rat but in her enclosure.

Brad · #11 (**permalink**) 01-30-2004, 02:39 PM

tried that didnt work we left it rat on the rock under his branch that he likes, and left it there the whole night and when we woke up the IJ was in the same postion still just looking at the rat , oue IJ has done that same thing before sroke the rat and consrticted it and then just left it there without eating it.

kid · #12 (**permalink**) 01-30-2004, 03:48 PM

Have you tried splitting the head or using tongs to wiggle it a little bit.

Brad · #13 (**permalink**) 01-30-2004, 08:35 PM

We have'nt tried exposing the insides or the brain for that matter but we have tried tongs a bunch. I guess i will feed mice since he seems somewhat interested in them at least and ate one for me.

LdyDrgn, I see your point on the rats vs. mice with such a small snake that wont be needing something as big as rats. Since i was going to buy 30 rat fuzzies from you i might change that to mice if you dont mind. Im going to see what i currently need and maby change a few things with my order and i'll PM you in a bit.

Thanks for all the replies, Brad

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