bad feeder

[tys-mart]

my python has not eaten for the whole time we have had him
he is a childrens and he has just shed but i am out of ideas
if anyone has a little secret that could help me please share

CHeers
tys-mart

[ex1dic]

how long is that?

[adbacus]

How long have you him and when was the last time he was fed.

[tys-mart]

had him for 5 weeks lasr time he was fed 5 weeks ago

[Jason]

thats not that long, although if he was a great feeder it most likely means that something has changed in his/her enclosure, eg temps water, hides. lots of snakes dont like to feed on shed and some will wait a while until they feed after a shed. best thing is not to panic. make sure everything is right as said he may be under stress. other wise try a live mouse as a last resort you can sent but DONT do that yet cause the snake will most likely snap out of it. even the best of the best will have a change in feeding responce sometimes.

[adbacus]

Has he pooped in that time? Is the temp in his viv upto 32 degrees? What was he fed last time? Hav you tried dragging the food on his back. Is the food fresh killed or frozen? Is the or has the food been warmed?

[tys-mart]

yes he has pooped in the first week - the temp is 32 - a frozen fuzzy - yes - food is frozen - the food is warmed for as long as it takes to get to 37 degrees before fed.

[adbacus]

Is he striking? Try lightly touching him in the neck and back using the prey on forceps to stimulate a strike response. You can also try leaving food in cage and coming back later if he is shy to feed in front of you. You can pierce the fuzzie's head with a needle anduse the juices to stimulate feeding response. You can scent food using cod liver oil or a fish dabbed on food.

In either case he is able to go for a little while before he needs to be fed again.

[caffiend]

I second above points, and re; touching on the neck and back with prey item, while our maccie had RI he lost interest in eating and a fair percentage of his body weight went too. I found that because he was really inactive and disinterested, he wouldn't take food on his own, but if I touched him with the item, and then left it in his coils, I'd come back in an hour or so and it would be gone. Once I hit on this formula, he took 5 out of 6 six feeds this way, refusing only once.
Good luck and 5 weeks is still fine, particularly if he is new to you and his enclosure
Cheers
Cat