[Roseanna]

Hi all,

I have a Cb10 Male Spotted python, I bought him back in 2011 and right from the word go he has absolutely loved his food, beginning of last year he began refusing food, only feeding once every few months and becoming increasingly active. I accepted he had possibly began searching for a female and didn't panic, he only ate a few times last year but he didn't completely stop. I did try different techniques in order to get his feeding response back but he simply wasn't interested.

In November I found that he would finally eat more regularly but he would only eat Mice pinkies, as long as I slowly twitch them and warm them up. At first, I thought great he's getting his usual feeding response back. However, he will now not touch anything larger than mouse pinkies, he flee's from larger items or shows similar reactions to last year such as simply showing no interest at all.

I can work with trying to get him on to larger prey items, I have a few tricks up my sleeve to experiment with.

However, this is a Cb10 python and he should really be eating a rat weaner etleest - he's more than capable! I shouldn't compare but I can definitely feel the lack of muscle tone and size on this little guy in comparison to my spotted who is of similar age, i'm worried feeding him on Pinkies will not provide him with the nutrition that he needs (he's already very small for his age due to his fussy feeding).

Half of me is tempted to pop to the vet and see if they can give him anything to help but then I fear the stress of that will completely put him off feeding again. So, i'm really trying to continue being patient and perhaps begin feeding him as many pinkies as he needs in order to gain a bit of health and weight.

My question is, am I actually over thinking and worrying too much?
Is feeding a snake mice pinkies (he could eat rat weaners) really as bad as i'm thinking?

Also, if anyone could give me a rough comparison of the nutritional value in mice pinkies vs the rats he should be on, that would be great :2thumb:

Thanks in advance

 

[Khonsu]

I can't comment of the top of my head on nutritional value but I'd expect it to be similar to largwer as basically it's the same thing only buigger plus if it was nutritionally deficent then presumably it wouldn't make little snakes into big snakes.

Aside from this I have had a couple of snakes who were pretty fussy feeders in that they would happily munch on pinkies but pinkies only, I found that if I rubbed a larger hot mouse mouse all over with a nice fresh pinky then fed them the pinky & immedialtely put the pinked rubbed mouse under thier nose they'd take it 9 out of 10, they occaisionally still insist on an a pinky aperitif, in fact my 2007 male Desert Kingsnake did yesterday, he turned his nose at a large mouse but after stuffing a pinky down his gullet he rippedthe large mouse of the tongs immediately.

Good luck

 

[Herpster]

Nutritional values of loads of prey are here


Nutrition Feeder Mice | Nutrient Composition of Feeder Animals

 

[Arcadiajohn]

this is a very diverse subject with many angles.

A diet of only really pink mice "maynot" provide the Ca or the other critical elements that are required in large enough quantities. Then there is the fur, this acts as a dietary source of fibre for snakes.

But..... it is far better to be feeding than not!

I had exactly the same with a CB rosy boa a few years ago. It would not feed. I had to assist it the whole time with chopped up pinks.

you may need to try pink rats or work it up by selecting pinks that are just starting to develop hair and kinda trick it with offering slightly increased prey sizes every other feed say and feeding very often.

The older a prey source is the more fat based vitamins will have been stored in the brain, eyes and other vital organs. The more dense the bones will be and as such a richer source of Ca.

so I think for now just feed it! feed it as much as you can safely and start to hand select prey sources that are fractionally bigger each time until you have it on the size that you require.

you could also try and obtain gerbil and multimamate pinks and really mix it up.

I would also put it on a full spectrum vitamin supplement if you can, some of which can be added to the water.

good luck!

John

 

[Roseanna]

I can't comment of the top of my head on nutritional value but I'd expect it to be similar to largwer as basically it's the same thing only buigger plus if it was nutritionally deficent then presumably it wouldn't make little snakes into big snakes.

Aside from this I have had a couple of snakes who were pretty fussy feeders in that they would happily munch on pinkies but pinkies only, I found that if I rubbed a larger hot mouse mouse all over with a nice fresh pinky then fed them the pinky & immedialtely put the pinked rubbed mouse under thier nose they'd take it 9 out of 10, they occaisionally still insist on an a pinky aperitif, in fact my 2007 male Desert Kingsnake did yesterday, he turned his nose at a large mouse but after stuffing a pinky down his gullet he rippedthe large mouse of the tongs immediately.

Good luck

Thanks for the advice! I'll definitely give that a go, He tends to constrict eagerly around the tiny pinky but it obviously doesn't fill his large coils! So, i'm going to try sneak a larger mouse in there whilst he's munching on the pinky :no1:

I haven't actually tried feeding him a larger item after he's eaten the pinky so I will certainly give that a go!

Nutritional values of loads of prey are here


Nutrition Feeder Mice | Nutrient Composition of Feeder Animals

Thank you! That's a very informative chart :2thumb:

this is a very diverse subject with many angles.

A diet of only really pink mice "maynot" provide the Ca or the other critical elements that are required in large enough quantities. Then there is the fur, this acts as a dietary source of fibre for snakes.

But..... it is far better to be feeding than not!

I had exactly the same with a CB rosy boa a few years ago. It would not feed. I had to assist it the whole time with chopped up pinks.

you may need to try pink rats or work it up by selecting pinks that are just starting to develop hair and kinda trick it with offering slightly increased prey sizes every other feed say and feeding very often.

The older a prey source is the more fat based vitamins will have been stored in the brain, eyes and other vital organs. The more dense the bones will be and as such a richer source of Ca.

so I think for now just feed it! feed it as much as you can safely and start to hand select prey sources that are fractionally bigger each time until you have it on the size that you require.

you could also try and obtain gerbil and multimamate pinks and really mix it up.

I would also put it on a full spectrum vitamin supplement if you can, some of which can be added to the water.

good luck!

John

Oh yes, as soon as he started eating pinkies I thought "Fantastic! He's eating again!" Then I realised it was only pinkies that he would eat and my reaction was the complete opposite :bash:.

I've tried Gerbils, Chicks and rats but he either turns his nose up or gets frightened and quickly slithers away. I didn't think of Multimamate, i'll order some of those this week, thanks for mentioning those.

Great idea with the slightly hairy and larger pinks, i'll note that down and give it a go.

Vitamin supplements, of course! Would the ones that people use to dust lizard prey with be ok? Or is this something I should go to the vet for?

Thanks for all the helpful replies everyone :2thumb:

 

[Arcadiajohn]

it may refuse a powder, try those that can be added to the water or even with good advice injected into a pink.

there is always a way : victory:

john

Thanks for the advice! I'll definitely give that a go, He tends to constrict eagerly around the tiny pinky but it obviously doesn't fill his large coils! So, i'm going to try sneak a larger mouse in there whilst he's munching on the pinky :no1:

I haven't actually tried feeding him a larger item after he's eaten the pinky so I will certainly give that a go!


Thank you! That's a very informative chart :2thumb:


Oh yes, as soon as he started eating pinkies I thought "Fantastic! He's eating again!" Then I realised it was only pinkies that he would eat and my reaction was the complete opposite :bash:.

I've tried Gerbils, Chicks and rats but he either turns his nose up or gets frightened and quickly slithers away. I didn't think of Multimamate, i'll order some of those this week, thanks for mentioning those.

Great idea with the slightly hairy and larger pinks, i'll note that down and give it a go.

Vitamin supplements, of course! Would the ones that people use to dust lizard prey with be ok? Or is this something I should go to the vet for?

Thanks for all the helpful replies everyone :2thumb:

 

[cjd12345]

Can you try a technique I've used to get some of my garters to take fish/pinkies (depending which they were refusing to eat).
With one that was happy to take a pinky I would give it a pinky and while it was chewing I'd poke some smelt into its mouth. Because the jaws are working they can't help but take in the second piece of food, and I've never had them stop and spit out the second item. After doing this a couple of times they start to take the non-preferred food without what I've called "the conveyer belt con".

 

[shaunyboy]

re nutrition.....


Rodent Pro's Nutrient Composition


cheers shaun

 

[Roseanna]

Can you try a technique I've used to get some of my garters to take fish/pinkies (depending which they were refusing to eat).
With one that was happy to take a pinky I would give it a pinky and while it was chewing I'd poke some smelt into its mouth. Because the jaws are working they can't help but take in the second piece of food, and I've never had them stop and spit out the second item. After doing this a couple of times they start to take the non-preferred food without what I've called "the conveyer belt con".

I'll give that a go, he is very nervous though so I think sneaking something so close to his mouth whilst feeding will make him spit the original food item out lol i'll give it a try though, thanks.

re nutrition.....


Rodent Pro's Nutrient Composition


cheers shaun

Thank you Shaun, i'll take a look now : victory: