[c1aire]

hi, i brought a royal python ( he's 8 months old) just over a week ago (the 7th jan) they told me he feeds weekly on a thursday but i haven't been able to get him to eat.
Have tried severaly times have even left the mouse in with him and today even resorted to cutting the head of the mouse to get the blood smells flowing but still he just smelled it and didnt look interested at all.
He has done a poo last night so this would be from his last feed, which as far as i know was on the 4th jan.
Am keeping his day time temp 80-85f and night time at 75f.
Any one got any idea's? Please let me know if you do, cos i'm starting to worry.

cheers.

 

[boa-stu]

he may still be stressed from the move,my royal i got two weeks ago hasn't ate yet.but my guessing is the move might have upset him.

 

[c1aire]

well thats what i thought but didnt/dont want to leave him too long.
cheers

 

[boa-stu]

i try mine every 5 days,see how he is...last time i tried he didnt move,yesterday he struck at the rat but didnt eat it..so next time i try he should take it hopefully.

 

[Guest]

you may find this useful
http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=18654

 

[tigger79]

when buying a new snake it is best to leave for 10 - 14 dqays to allow the snake to settle,

ensure the viv is not too big for the snake, an 8 month old royal will require the maximum of a 2ft viv, and ensure that the temps are correct,

also do not handle the snake until this settling in period is over,

AS it is winter and we will soon be moving into breeding season, snakes can refuse feeds so i would not worry about your snake missing a feed,

What you need to do, is
offer a feed in a weeks time,
weight you snake on a weekly basis so that you can notice any sudden drops in weight,
and the most important thing to do is relax and not to worry.

 

[Triangulum]

More And More Comman Now Adays (As Im Sure All The Experts And Old Members Will Agree)

It doesnt help with the time of the year. They slow down alot, With the seaons being the coldest. My Roya And I know of about 4 other owners who's royal's are eating. One of them being exatly in the same scenario as you.

I wouldnt worry too much. Attempt to feed your royal every 5 days like stu said. Im trying the technique of feeding mine really late. My royal is out just now, and resting on rocks, but still active. So im going to attempt to feed now.

But its more paitence then anything. Dont worry to much

 

[c1aire]

have been trying late , tried bout half hr ago. cos he's still active and wandering around. ok so will weight him tomorrow and try him again in five days (cos i've been trying every night for the last week..ops)

thanks

 

[tigger79]

My biggest male royal stopped eating in October, he hasnt lost any weight and has been more active over the last week as all he is interested in is getting his leg ova (excuse the pun)

 

[Triangulum]

Aslong as the snake isnt eating. I Suppose you could offer as many times as you like. it's just your food supply going to waste i suppose. aswell as it could stess the snake out, wriggling an animal infront of it that isnt interested at all.

Best of Luck Mate. Im Going to attempt to now like i said.

 

[c1aire]

yeah will leave it a week and see how we go...
cheers

 

[Triangulum]

Yeah, Probably best bet. Nope. No Strike. Leaving in over night, we'll see Wouldnt worry to much, most male royals wouldnt each much now anyway, breeding season soon, And the odd females.

Good Luck!

 

[UKbob]

as its youngster i wouldnt bother with the night-time drop and keep the temps constant 24/7 also try bumping up the temp up to 90F

make sure that you have a couple of hides that he can squeeze into, tight spaces can make hatchlings feel secure at times. other than that its just a waiting game... some ball pythons i've found are voracious feeders others need a while to settle into their new surroundings

regards
bob

 

[Razaiel]

It's early days yet - you've only just got him and it will take a little while to settle in. My girl didn't feed her first week but did the second.

I agree with UKBob - up the temps - cool side should be 82-84 hot side 92-94.

How big is your viv? Too large a space can stress it out. A good tip I learnt on a BP specialist forum was to put in a load of scrunched up paper inside (looks messy but makes snakey feel secure). I thought the idea sounded mad, but I did it and it worked. Best of luck!

 

[fluffy]

1 week is probably a bit early to be worrying just yet.

BUT:

A friend of mine gave me a great tip the other week. For the 2 or 3 days leading up to a feed, give the viv a really good spray.. get the humidity right up, apparently this triggers an inbuilt instinct, they think the wet season is coming, so they are more likely to take a feed (I guess in preparation for a chunk of time hidden out of the rain)

Then on the last day of 'rain' pop a mouse in a hide in the late evening, go to bed and leave your snake in peace to find it. Brain the mouse if you wish...

Apparently this worked 9 times out of 10 for my friends snake.

Why not give it a try?

 

[BELIAL]

thanks for the advice everyone.
so Bob if i were to keep his temps up and not give any night time drop, how long sholud i try this for? and at 90f instead of 85f?
thanks

 

[Razaiel]

I'm not Bob, but the answer is always. Your Ball Python and herping headquarters - Sections - Caresheets - Ball Python (Python regius) Caresheet (my favorite caresheet). They need the higher temps to digest their food.

 

[UKbob]

thanks for the advice everyone.
so Bob if i were to keep his temps up and not give any night time drop, how long sholud i try this for? and at 90f instead of 85f?
thanks

with my ball pythons i generally run them at a constant temp all year round, the room seldom drops below 78F and the hotspot is in the 90's, the only time i use a night time drop is when i start to cycle my adults for breeding.

there are loads of little tricks etc that you can try assuming that general requirements are correct... but what i've found is the main two are patience (you need loads LOL!) and a selection of food items. what works quite well for me with new arrivals (even those that have had a short flight across the pond) is after defrosting a food item i'll warm it up on a radiator or heat matt till its warm to touch and offer it on a pair of tongs as some tricky feeders respond better to warm food. generally my first choice is rats after several unsucessful attempts i'll try something else like mice, gerbils or hamsters. to begin with i'll offer food every 5 to 7 days and usually in the evening when i can also ensure quiet dimly lit surroundings.

regards
bob

 

[Dexter]

Hi Claire, I'm sure my qualified forum colleagues have already given you all the advices, but I'd like to add to it because I've recently bought a new ball.

I bought my ball 8 days ago (11/01/2007), and the first 2 or 3 days were very stressfull for her, because I took her to probe, moved her into 3 different viv's, etc. I tried to offer her food on sunday (3 days after I got her) and he refused, not interested at all.

On monday she was moved into the viv she is gonna stay for good, and I left her alon since (at the right temperature, very nice set up indeed). I was just going there to check what she was doing and change the water every other day.

Last night (thursday - exactly a week after I got her), I offered her a monster mouse (not expecting she was gonna take it). I went back to check 15 minutes later and she was already eating it.

I think you should make sure the temps are fine and she's happy in the enclosure, leave her alone for a few days, and then offer the prey. Good luck.

 

[rantasam]

From The Corn Snakes Site - Information and Corn Snake pictures

"If it refused a pinky the first time, don't worry, but leave it another three days before trying again. If you keep offering pinkies every day and the snake keeps refusing, it can be counter productive - you may put the snake off the idea of feeding even more. So leave it at least three days."

Might be worth considering...