[donna-and-paul]

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

 

[LadySofia]

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

 

[tricky]

cant see pic

yup, u need a bit more heat (on a stat too )

how u measuring temps?

you may not manage that with a faunarium and they arnt very good for stable humidity eith - better off with a 9L r.u.b.

 

[donna-and-paul]

I am using a thermostat. Measuring temps with a digital thermometer with a probe placed centrally in the faunarium. Thanks for the advice.

 

[midori]

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.

 

[LadySofia]

if u can get pictures up (using photobucket or the likes) then we can advice better,also a size reference would be good

 

[donna-and-paul]

sorry to sound really thick, but what do you mean when you say size reference?

 

[LadySofia]

sorry to sound really thick, but what do you mean when you say size reference?

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:

 

[midori]

Personally, I think a picture is irrelevant, it is just more unnecessary distrubance of the baby.

48g is small, whatever it looks like. Most hatchlings are around 60g plus.

 

[purpleskyes]

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.

 

[ryanr1987]

Lol nothing wrong with the temps my royal is on 83 at the moment. For feeding problems try asist feeding.

 

[rybuzz]

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

 

[ShellsAngel]

my baby royal is 5 months old she is about 15'' and weighed 80g about 2 weeks ago. dont know if thats any help?

 

[midori]

my baby royal is 5 months old she is about 15'' and weighed 80g about 2 weeks ago. dont know if thats any help?

What are you feeding her, and how often? As that seems pretty small to me aswell, unless it's been a bad feeder?

 

[ShellsAngel]

What are you feeding her, and how often? As that seems pretty small to me aswell, unless it's been a bad feeder?

i feed her a rat pup every 7 days. if she refuses i try again after 4 days which she always takes. she didnt eat for about 2 weeks when i got her at 3 months but she should have made up for that now right? apparently she'd had 3 feeds when i got her. do i need to worry bout it hun?

 

[markhill]

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

 

[midori]

i feed her a rat pup every 7 days. if she refuses i try again after 4 days which she always takes. she didnt eat for about 2 weeks when i got her at 3 months but she should have made up for that now right? apparently she'd had 3 feeds when i got her. do i need to worry bout it hun?

Once they are started feeding, baby royals aren't usually that fussy, that tends to happen once they get older.

A rat pup is tiny for a baby royal, she should easily be able to take a rat fluff, and offer every 5 days.

if she is refusing feeds regularly, maybe check her set up and the position of it over again. Is is noisy/high traffic where she is, for example?

Edited to say, I wouldn't worry too much, but she should really be bigger by now ideally.

 

[donna-and-paul]

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?

 

[ryanr1987]

Royal pythons can thrive on 80-85 in the hot end for the bare min.

 

[ShellsAngel]

Once they are started feeding, baby royals aren't usually that fussy, that tends to happen once they get older.

A rat pup is tiny for a baby royal, she should easily be able to take a rat fluff, and offer every 5 days.

if she is refusing feeds regularly, maybe check her set up and the position of it over again. Is is noisy/high traffic where she is, for example?

Edited to say, I wouldn't worry too much, but she should really be bigger by now ideally.

only refused twice but ate when offered again. shes eaten just now. will get some fluffs asap. god im so glad i replied to this thread now. thankyou so much for the advice i feel dreadful.