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is my baby royal underweight?

2K views 29 replies 14 participants last post by  royalpython 
#1 ·
hi everyone

We bought a beautiful royal python about a week and a half ago. He is our first snake. Since buying him though we have began to wonder if he is underweight and if so, what we can do about helping him (well we think it's a him). He is around 16 inches long and weighs 48g. From what I have read this appears to be quite lite. I am afraid that the snakes age is uncertain, as he was given to the pet shop by someone who did not want him.
The feeding record from the shop showed that he had eaten a week before we got him, so saturday 21st june, but refused food when offered in the shop on the 28th(the day before we picked him up). We tried to feed him on the 4th July with a fuzzy, which is what he was taking in the shop, but he didn't take it. I think this is mostly because we unfortunatly gave in to temptation and handled him in the first week, but have since left him well alone, only changing the water daily.
We are currentlly housing him in an exo-terra (12x18inch) with 2 hides, one at warm end and one at cool end. The ambient temp during the day has been 82 to 88 degrees farrenheit and night time temp 75 to 80.
We aren't sure whether we should try and feed him again this weekend or leave him alone for a further week in the hopes that he will settle in and feel at home.

I have taken a couple of pics of his faunarium. There the best i cold manage without taking the lid off, as i didn't want to disturb him.

Any help greatly appreciated
 
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#2 ·
hmm id turn the heat up a little for starters

it does seem a little underweight.as for the not feeding dont worry,hel take it in time.if he is losing weight quickly then a vets trip is necessary but otherwise dont worry.

he might just need a little longer to adjust.

and welcome to rfuk :D
 
#5 ·
Personally, I would be worried about a baby royal who wasn't feeding and weighed 48g.

48g is small even for a hatcling royal, and he should be bigger by now if he is feeding as you have been told.

What I would do is scrap the faunarium for now, and keep the baby in a 5L RUB. gie it a couple of empty loo roll tubes as hides, a small waterbowl (ramekins or empty GU pudding pots are good for this) and then put some screwed up paper in to pack out the tub, basicaly, so everywhere the baby goes it can feel something on it's sides. It wouldn't hurt to sprinkle a tiny bit of water around the hot end before closing the tub aswell.

Then cover the tub with some kitchen roll or similar, leave for 4 days without disturbing at all (I wouldn't even water change for now until it has fed).

After that, offer a very warm (warm the thawed item with a hairdryer) rat pup or fuzzy/small mouse, until it is what you think is too hot for the snake to take, an doffer on tongs. If the snake doesn't strike pretty much right away, it probably won't, so leave the food in the tub under all the paper, or in the end of one of the toilet roll tubes, then leave until morning.

I have got four baby royal non feeders this year, three of which had never taken a feed by themselves, but had several assist feeds in the shop, started right away doing this.
 
#8 ·
say you place a mobile phone next to your royal so we can get a good indication of its physical size.

sometimes it hard to tel the size of snakes without a reference

:2thumb:
 
#10 ·
I'd swop the exo-terra for a 9l Really Useful Box with some holes drilled in (staples sell them). I find exo-terras are too clear to provide enough security for baby royals and don't hold the humidity well enough as the lid is too well ventilated so you end up with bad sheds. I had one that wouldn't feed for 3 weeks in a exo terra and 2 days after swopping to the RUB she ate.

Just noticed on girlfriends account. It's fishboy.
 
#12 ·
Yes the snake is underweight.

I would personally, change to a 5/9l R.U.B with two hides and a small water bowl, and shredded/ small balls of paper filling the rest of the rub,,

Raise the temps a bit higher around 90 hot end and cover the RUB with a sheet or similar for 4/5 days without disturbance i.e. a quiet room don't even disturb to change water. Then on the 4/5th day buy a Rat Pup/ Fuzzy Mouse or possibly even a pinky. Use a Hairdryer and warm the prey up concentrating especially on the head, then using tongs offer nthe mouse to snake, make sure you get the snakes intrest and wriggle the mouse around, so it looks alive, if the snake tries to move away put the mouse back infront of her, if after 5 mins or so the snake does not strike place the mouse in the hot end of the RUB and leave the snake alone, check back the next morning to see if the mouse has been taken.

If the snake does not take the mouse i would suggest at 48g the next step would be assist feeding, so call your local Vet/ local pet shops to see if anyone has experience in assist feeding.

Best of Luck,

P.s. When offering the mouse try not to touch the snake with it as this seems to spook them.

Regards,

Ryan
 
#18 ·
Yes the snake is underweight.

I would personally, change to a 5/9l R.U.B with two hides and a small water bowl, and shredded/ small balls of paper filling the rest of the rub,,

Raise the temps a bit higher around 90 hot end and cover the RUB with a sheet or similar for 4/5 days without disturbance i.e. a quiet room don't even disturb to change water. Then on the 4/5th day buy a Rat Pup/ Fuzzy Mouse or possibly even a pinky. Use a Hairdryer and warm the prey up concentrating especially on the head, then using tongs offer nthe mouse to snake, make sure you get the snakes intrest and wriggle the mouse around, so it looks alive, if the snake tries to move away put the mouse back infront of her, if after 5 mins or so the snake does not strike place the mouse in the hot end of the RUB and leave the snake alone, check back the next morning to see if the mouse has been taken.

If the snake does not take the mouse i would suggest at 48g the next step would be assist feeding, so call your local Vet/ local pet shops to see if anyone has experience in assist feeding.

Best of Luck,

P.s. When offering the mouse try not to touch the snake with it as this seems to spook them.

Regards,

Ryan
Thanks for the advice. With regard to the temps, most of the time the ambient temp seems to be around 82 to 85 ambient with the far cool end being a little lower and the hot end does normally seemto be around 90, sometimes hotter sometimes cooler but not by much. Am i getting the temps right?
 
#16 ·
i think midori's advise is pretty good tbh.

where are you? someone may be able to give you a live rat fluff, it might just do the trick
 
#21 ·
I always keep the hot end for my royals between 91 and 93F by using a stat rigged up to a heatmat
never had a problem with feeding/sheddings ever
 
#22 ·
My royal was born late April 2009 and weighs 120g ... probably a little more than this now!

 
#24 ·
yup wouldnt go any hotter really than that
 
#25 ·
hi everyone

Not sure if anyone is following this thread anymore, but just wanted to thank everyone for there advice. Unfortunatlly the reason i had stopped posting was because i have been busy trying to get our snake better, but failed. He passed away this evening I'm afraid, sadly before i could get him in to see a vet. I had him booked in for tomorrow, but his symptoms progressed extremelly quickly over the last 24 hours and it became obvious that nothing could be done, he had lost 6 grams in 24 hours. He had other symptoms and wonder if it could have been IBD.
Anyway, thank you everyone for your advice.

Paul and Donna.:cry:
 
#27 ·
hi everyone

Not sure if anyone is following this thread anymore, but just wanted to thank everyone for there advice. Unfortunatlly the reason i had stopped posting was because i have been busy trying to get our snake better, but failed. He passed away this evening I'm afraid, sadly before i could get him in to see a vet. I had him booked in for tomorrow, but his symptoms progressed extremelly quickly over the last 24 hours and it became obvious that nothing could be done, he had lost 6 grams in 24 hours. He had other symptoms and wonder if it could have been IBD.
Anyway, thank you everyone for your advice.

Paul and Donna.:cry:
sorry that you lost your royal, i would think that his death was more than likely down to not feeding or internal problems ..he was very light for a royal hatchling...please dont let it put you off having another but maybe buy from a breeder and ask to see it feeding.........not all babies make it and you tried your best for him
 
#30 · (Edited)
sorry for your loss.

I'm just wondering where you positioned the thermostat probe... i know you said centrally in the faunarium, but that doesn't tell us too much. Was it in mid-air? Was it on the heat matt?

Also just wondering where you were measuring the temperatures as well. It's just in case your snake was over heating, and you decide to get another... better to solve any keeper problems if there are any :)
 
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