Feeding when shedding

[Lisa]

Right.....Last night I thawed a mouse out for my baby boa but when I got him out I noticed his eyes had gone cloudy which I gather means he's going to shed soon. I offered him the mouse seen as I'd thawed it out anyway but he wouldn't have it....which didn't suprise me because I've read that they won't feed while in this stage anyway. but it might be another week or so before he sheds his skin so what do I do about his feed.......is it ok to wait till he sheds even if it means that he goes 2 or more weeks without food or should I try to feed him again when his eyes clear up a bit before he sheds because he's only a baby and is supposed to be fed every 7 to 10 days.......thanks.
[addsig]

Toss the rodent he didn't eat for starters. Once dethawed you can't refreeze it. YES they can go off feed when in shed, some will eat though. You can wait till after he sheds np..he won't starve waiting for his next feed. [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_wink.gif[/img]
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[Dr.Oviparous]

in the wild when snakes go into shed they usually don't hunt because thier vision is even worse than normal. over time thier matabolisms adjusted, so it's normal for a snake to refuse a meal when shedding. I would wait until after he's done, then feed 'em. -Juggalo
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[XzyluM]

Well, like the others said, it's obvious a snake will refuse to eat during shed. Try to feed it, if it refuses, it's not a big concern. Some feed during shed, some won't. Like Lori said, it won't starve while not feeding during shed.
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[Constrictor_BO]

It all depends on the snake. I have one that eats when in shed and some that wont even think about rats until after the shed is done. It wont hurt to let your snake wait until after it sheds, that way you wont chance wasting the rat. But it's up to you if you want to try it or not and see what yours will do.

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[thomasito]

I have a Venezuelan Boa and she eats her rats in shed out of shed .in the water SHE eats like shes starving!!and I sometimes give her 2 mediumsized rats in a week!
but then I also have a Surinam Boa ,he never wants to eat when he's in shed and 4get about dead prey he only takes live rats ..I always try it ..but he never takes it ....then i give it to the other boa's that I have .

but your boa won't starve they can go 4 months without eating.
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[Reticu-Lady]

In my experience, I have found that it's always my adult and sub-adult snakes that are willing to eat whike in shed. I am guessing it's because they have finally realized that they are not going to be eaten while they eat in shed. I wouldn't get too worried about him. He should be fine. Don't handle him as a tiny baby while 'in blue' That seems to cause them a bit more stress and the babies go through enough stress just be being paranoid little babies. As he gets bigger/older, he will come to realize that he is safeand learning will overcome instinct and he will be fine.
Best wishes!
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[Lisa]

I 'm taking your advice and leaving him till he sheds....it shouldn't be too long till he sheds now. My corn snake fed as usual when she was opaque except she only took one pinky instead of 2.
The main thing that worries me really with my boa is that he's a bit skinny anyway and seems to be a bit of a fussy feeder. I've only had him about 3 weeks anyway so I'm not used to his feeding pattern yet, but so far he's never accepted a f/t mouse and I've only been able to feed him f/t pinkie rats which is not a problem except I bought a batch of frozen mice when I first bought him cos thats what the pet shop owner said he was on.

The difference in the appetites of my 2 snakes drives me nuts. My corn snake acts like she's always starving and takes pinkies immediately and eats them just as fast but the boa takes ages. I've had to throw a few mice away that he refused since I got him, shame the corns not big enough yet or I could give the refused meal to her. Even when the boa took his meal he just lay still with it in his mouth before he started to try to swallow it down, and took a long time doing it too.

Just to clarify something. My corn snake is about 15" long now. Whats the best way to feed her...one pinkie twice a week, 2 pinkies every 5 days, or as many pinkies as she will take once a week. She is at the width that only pinkies are the right size for her so I won't be trying her with a fuzzie yet.


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	Corn Snake The Corn Snake or Red Rat Snake (Elaphe guttata) is a species of Rat Snake.

[impermanentrage]

<TABLE BORDER=0 ALIGN=CENTER WIDTH=85%><TR><TD><font class="pn-sub">Quote:</font><HR></TD></TR><TR><TD><FONT class="pn-sub"><BLOCKQUOTE> Once dethawed you can't refreeze it. </BLOCKQUOTE></FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD><HR></TD></TR></TABLE>


Reasons are because.......?


Peace,
Alex
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[ss26969]

my ball wont eat when its ready to shed... but my arg will eat when ever it can [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img]
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