help non feeder

[river]

my spider royal wont eat ( had her 4wks) i have tried alsots pinkies, fluffs, live, fresh killed and defrost she is so skinny im getting worried (i fact she was skiny when i got her ). temps are fine and she is in a 9 lit rub i have also tried a 5 lit but still no interest what so ever. apart from force feeding (which i have never done)can any one suggest anything else. thank you

sorry i cant put pics on i cant get them to load on this forum

Originally Posted by river

my spider royal wont eat ( had her 4wks) i have tried alsots pinkies, fluffs, live, fresh killed and defrost she is so skinny im getting worried (i fact she was skiny when i got her ). temps are fine and she is in a 9 lit rub i have also tried a 5 lit but still no interest what so ever. apart from force feeding (which i have never done)can any one suggest anything else. thank you

sorry i cant put pics on i cant get them to load on this forum

go back to the person who bred her and ask what he/she was feeding this snake!?

[river]

henry got her for me, i have been intouch with the breeder and have tried the live mice which he fed, her spine is also sticking out does this mean she hasnt feed for quite a while

could she just need a bit more time to settle from her trip, my main worry is the spine
the other 3 royals i got are fine feeding wise

she weighs 35gms if relivant

Originally Posted by river

henry got her for me, i have been intouch with the breeder and have tried the live mice which he fed, her spine is also sticking out does this mean she hasnt feed for quite a while

could she just need a bit more time to settle from her trip, my main worry is the spine
the other 3 royals i got are fine feeding wise

she weighs 35gms if relivant

Thats the downside to imports you cant return them

i would try to assist this snake if its showing bones that badly

any pictures for us?

[river]

i will try again with pics when OH gets home
i think i will take her along to a reptile shop to see what they think and maybe they can assist her with feeding, and like you say i cant take her back, but she is a little darling bless her
thank you

[mleadley]

Take to a vet, better safe than sorry !!!

[Rainmaker]

If she's that skinny she certainly needs a feed. But to be fair you've only had her four weeks and already changed her living quarters twice!

Give her time to settle in, no disturbances. At least two tight fitting hides, no lights, no handling and plenty of warmth (to encourage hunger). If she's seriously anorexic to the point her bones are visible after four weeks there could well be something else wrong (protozoa for example). As was said above a vet check wouldn't hurt but leave well alone after that to let her settle.

When you say from Henry, I presume you mean she's a Bob Clark import. Have you spoken to Henry about this?

[Athravan]

At 35g on a snake of that high a value I personally wouldn't be waiting for it to settle in more than 4 weeks - it simply can't afford to lose much more weight. I would be syringe feeding raw egg mixed with critical care or assist feeding pinkies.

If in doubt though, go to a vet, as people all have different ways of dealing with non feeders. I don't think time is really on your size, I have not seen many royals surviving at less than 35g, especially if she's already gone a month without food.

[royalpython]

thats amazing. i'd never have guessed anyone would sell a 35g (maybe 40g) royal to someone. doesn't sound like it's ever been an established feeder.. maybe she's fed, but likely not too often. I'd probably be quick to try assist feeding if she won't take live.

[Rainmaker]

Just to add on to my previous post, how did you try the live feeding? Just put it in the tub with her? You could try putting her in a REALLY small tub (say a small margarine tub) with a few air holes. Put a paper towel down, or whatever substrate she's used to, and leave her in it overnight inside the viv with a live fuzzy in with her.

The very close quarters will mean she's in a dark and secure place, staring at food the whole time, which at that age will be wriggling around shouting "eat me, eat me!"

It's worth a go, and if not assist feeding as mentioned above is worth a go. That way you're not forcing her (and potentially causing damage). Just pick her up, hold her gently behind the head/jaws, and push a prekilled or FT fuzzy into her teeth. That is, don't shove it down her throat, just gently move it up and down as you press it against her mouth (to coerce her jaws apart). Once it's between her teeth she'll likely clamp down on it. Put her straight back in her tub and cross your fingers.

Once she has hold of it, and it tastes like food, she'll hopefully just swallow it. Try it a couple of times if not, but don't go too far or you'll stress her out big time. I found more success in putting the food in the back at one side of the jaws rather than directly at the front. A dose of Flagyl and metronidazole won't hurt either, just in case.