Another question about non-eating

[stiffler]

I have a 6-7 month old female MD hatchling. The first week I got her she did not eat. But she was shedding so that was cool. It had been about 3 weeks since her last meal. So a day after her shed I offered a velet mouse. She did not take it. Another attempt a couple of days later she didn't take it again. A couple of days latter I offered her another one. She never struck at it but she kind of slowly coiled around it. After about 15 minutes she ate it. Cool.
A week later I offered her another. No interest. A couple of days later (today) I offered her another. Still not interested.
All my other snakes eat like crazy and they are hatchlings of similar age.
Tonight I have put her in a click-clack with a velvet and put it inside her enclosure. She has been in there about 2 hours and hassent eaten.
I know this is only early times but when snakes are like this do they normally grow out of it and have good appetites when they are older?
Or can you get a snake that is like this all their lives?
Thx.
Oh and any tips on what I should try if this dosent work, by all means say.

[africancichlidau]

I've got a couple of Hatchy Childreni that wouldn't feed for weeks after their first shed, had to start one on mouse tails and the other on a fish. Very intermittent feeders for a couple of months but now they are voracious eaters They will change just sometimes take a while to get going properly. The two I speak of are now such good animals I am reluctant to advertise them.

[stiffler]

Can you explain "mouse tailing"?
Thx

[africancichlidau]

It's just starting a hatchy to feed by "assist feeding" a tail removed from a mouse, usually follow it straight away with a pinky mouse or the like. If you cut the tail off the mouse at about 45 degrees and get the thick end of the tail into the hatchies throat then it can not usually reject it because of the hairs on the tail and therefore it has no option but to swallow it.

[stiffler]

So if you put a cut off tail in their mouths and the have to swollow it they then generally will eat a mouse straight after?
Thx

[africancichlidau]

Not generally, but if you are lucky yes. The hatchy I started on tails took a few weeks before she'd take the pinky to follow.

[serpenttongue]

G'day Stiffler

I have found that young pythons that are difficult feeders usually grow up to be awesome feeders, and all it takes is a little patience from you. This snake has fed for you so it will feed again. When i have young pythons that are difficult to feed i tap them along the side of their body with the mouse and they will usually constrict the mouse first and then bite it, once the mouse is in its coils. Keep offering her food in the enclosure that she previously ate in. Moving her into other containers to be fed at this early age may keep her from feeding. Also a lot of young carpets prefer to be up on branches so they can strike down on their prey.

[stiffler]

Ok, sounds good. Thanks for all the advice. She didn't eat in the click-clack last night so I wont bother with that idea again.

[soulweaver]

read the post that zoe started about the hypo-coastal that wouldn't eat.......there was lots of good ideas in there to help you out.