Saturday, April 24, 2010

My retic. python hasnt eatin in almost 9 montsh and i need a second opinion on this one. My vet is a quak!!!!!

I have a reticulated python. she has been with me since 05 and has a normal eating schedual. for 9 months she has not been interested in eating the rats i buy her. I was always whure to feed her outside of her tank and she has never been agressive. My vet has told me nothing to worry about but i need a second opinion. I am less uneasy since she recently shed her skin. she is almost 5 1/2 feet and has gourgouse markings. if any of you have experienced this please let me know about it.........

My retic. python hasnt eatin in almost 9 montsh and i need a second opinion on this one. My vet is a quak!!!!!
I've noticed that a lot of people on this questions and answers feed their constrictors dead, frozen rats and that's some what new to me and the people I know. I started raising snakes when I was six years old, that's over forty some years ago and had snakes from time to time that just stopped eating for no reason. From pythons to Rattle Snakes (I had over 60 of them and milked them for the making of anti-veniom and I learned that I had the most luck with live food. Even so, I've had snakes that quit eating and it used to stump me until the unknown became common. I think you need to feed your snake dark colored rats (not white) and need to know it's eating habits for a while before you become familiar then concerned. changing your snakes eating habits, trying to figure out what is wrong is the worst thing you can do. If you had no problems feeding a snake a dozen times or so you pretty much know what and how that particular snake eats and what it's habits are. It's not rocket science. On the other hand, a snake that stops eating the same regiment has something going on and needs to be watched. Not necessarily a warning or sickness but something different. After my Vet told me there's nothing wrong with a 18 foot ret. python I had, I've found some mouth rot that came up some days latter, treated it and she was back to normal in no time. The time of year, weather change, shedding, new bedding heck, even different water and amount of handling can change your snakes eating habits to the point to where you might have to force feed her until you figure out what's wrong if anything. since I'm NOT a vet, if you really concerned and don't think your vet is up to par...See another vet and put your mind at ease.
Reply:okay calm down sweety. i as a snake owner have just been through this myself with my 5 ft ball python. she refused to eat for almost 11 months.





first the longest a snake has been recorded without eating is 1 year and 9 months!!!! the snake is alive and well today. snakes, all snakes i should say can go a very long time without eating. they also will not get sick or die of starvation. their bodies are made to be able to fast for qlong time if they so choose to. if they chose not to eat this doesnt mean that they are sick either. in your question you didnt say if she was showing any other signs of sickness so i will presume she isnt sick.


this is normal what she is doing. at some point in time all snakes will refuse food for a lenghty period of time. again it is normal. no need to worry. now if she shows signs of any sickness, fluid draining from her mouth, nostrils clogged, breathing with mouth open, mouth rot then yes be worried she isnt eating because of sickness.


some ideas for getting her to eat are


#1. wait it out, continue to offer her food and give her 30-60 minutes to eat it, if after this alotted time frame she doesnt eat, simply return the rat to the petstore.


#2. if she is eating "live" rats, offer her a thawed previously frozen rat, you can get these at petstores as well. the immense smell of "death" just may get her to eat.


#3. if the dethawed rat gets refused , you can refreeze it. by doing so in a ziploc bag only. again in 2 weeks offer this, and this second time of thawing will make it smell even worse, and may get her to eat because of how "deathy" it smells.


#4.offer a smaller rat or even mics to see if those get her attention and make her want to eat.


#5. IF THESE DONT WORK THEN YOU HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO GO BACK TO #1. but continue with the schedule you had her on by offering it to her.





very good job feeding outside of tank. if you feed inside of her tank "her home" she will associate "home" with eating. so this is good you take her out to feed her. this is how people get bitten they feed inside the tank "home"





as for her shedding, it isnt wise to hold your snake while/during a shed , their eyesight which already is poor is next to nothing they cant see at all, its all cloudy(and yes they can see, not good but they can see) as well as their sense of smell is off as well. with these senses bad they will get a little more aggressive if provoked. i myself have raised my snakes f from babies, and have handled them in every single state of shedding, ive evn shed them myself when they had trouble. i only advise this if you have done so from day 1.





if there is any other questions or suggestions please feel free to click my name and email me. i will get back to you a.s.a.p. good luck and i hope this helps.
Reply:You have your answer. Your python is a she..and she's in "heat" for a lack of a better word. When a female is ready to mate she will lose interest in eating. Is it possible that her cage temperature has changed? That usually promotes the urge to mate.


There are times when mine goes months without eating esp. the female. Don't panic. Just keep offering the food.
Reply:If she is still muscular ,healthy and has recently shed her skin I would not be too worried. I would try her on smaller food than she took when she last fed. Try a defrosted day old chick to tempt her or a large mouse. She should be on large rats but after such a break her stomach may not be able to cope with a large meal at first, just like some one who has been on a diet and then trys to eat a large steak and fries wil be sick.


Try and make sure the viv is warm enough and she is warm before feeding. A full spectrum lighting system might stimulate her into feeding,


I own a pet store and sell snakes of all sorts.


http://www.artsaquaticsandanimals.co.uk
Reply:If she has been healthy I would not worry to much . Are you feeding the right size pray for her ? You should feed her something that is the size of her largest girth . If you feed to small of pray she may not take it . Also double check your temps . Make sure she is warm enough and try feeding in the evening , right around dusk . I always feed in the same enclosure . Snakes can tell the difference between you and the rats by sight and smell . I have owned and raised many snakes including a 12 foot Burmese , 10 1/2 foot Red Tailed Boa and two 6 foot Monical Cobras so I know what I am talking about .Only try feeding once every week so you do not stress the snake out . You might try a small rabbit small gunia pig ,chick ,or braining the rat . I always feed dead pray so you can cut open the head and expose some of the brains this will usually work . If that does not work try dipping the rat into chicken broth then feed .





Suggesting that you force feed her is a ridicules suggestion .





Here a couple of good web sites or you ca contact me if you need more help any time


http://www.repticzone.com


http://www.kingsnake.com
Reply:Something is wrong- nine months is WAY too long for a snake to go without eating and remain healthy. Even if you do get it eating again, rest assured that its digestive system is weakened, and regurgitation may be a problem.


You probably realize that you're keeping it wrong somehow. My first guess is that it may not be warm enough. My second guess is that feeding it outside of its normal cage is throwing it off feed. Whoever told you to do this is wrong.


The first thing you need to do is get its feeding response back. Start with a very small LIVE mouse, maybe a fuzzy or a hopper. If it eats, and holds it down, feed it again. Start with small prey and work your way up; if you feed it something too large, and it regurgitates, you will have problems, as once they start regurgitating, it can be difficult to get them to stop.


You don't need a vet; you need to read up on basic snake care!
Reply:no most snake wont eat while shedding, and as to the 9 month thing, the record for pythons not eating is 22 months, almost two years, dont worry, unless she is losing weight, try a different kind of mice. also if your feeding live mice, chedck for bite marks, bites might cause the snake stress and therefore to stop feeding.


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