Coastal Carpet

[TimG]

I know this has been posted time and time again, but my snake (coastal carpet) hasn't fed in 6-8 weeks. It is only about 40cm long and whilst is showing no sign of sickness of discomfort, it is looking a little thinner than before. I am a new herper and don't know how to gauge how skinny or fat a snake is *really* supposed to be.

Is it time to take to a vet and get it force fed?

[lauraschram]

no-as long as it was in good condition to begin with wait a couple more months - force feeding can kill due to stress.
would be better top try other methods of feeding ie live pinkies etc... see past threads on getting hatchies to eat.
also check temperature is right (and humididty - again see past threads)

[richboy89]

there was a thread a couple of days ago and the guy said his hatchie didnt eat for 5 .5 months so i dont think you have anything so worry about as long as hes looking healthy

[TimG]

Yeah thanks guys, I had read those past threads but didn't know how long before I should take it to a vet. I guess I'll just try once a week unless it looks sick or too thin.

Thanks again,
Tim

[bitey]

i am in the same boat as you, new to this hobby and proud owner of a coastal for a while she stopped eating i gave up feeding on frozen stuff and at first bred a litter of mice i found that she has no worries eating live, never turns down a feed i probly overfeed her, she is about 7 mths old and approx 70 cm

[Serpant_Lady]

have you tries scenting with pilchards, braining and all the others I cant remember now?

[Forensick]

didnt someone say he had a hatchie didnteat at all for over a year and it only lost 3 grams?
or do i remember wrong?

[Pythons Rule]

hi how are you I have 4 snakes and have had the same thing numerouse amounts of time accure, now what are you feeding it at the moment? what size and where are you getting this food from?
Some places can sell you mice and rats dead that have been sitting in a freazer for a wile and gone off, which happened to to rats I started out with my snakes all didn't go anywhere near them so then I tryed live they took them strate away, I have now weened 3 of my snakes onto eating fresh frozen rats that have been gased and they love them, but my male capie wont touch anything that isn't live he likes the chellange it also gives them a bit of exersize to. the only thing with that is you have to nock the rat over the head first but not so it is dead, it has to be still kicking or dizzy so it doesn't try eating your snake and you must sit there and watch till he's finished. He is also very shy he will not eat if you are watching him which I find it very hard.

in saying that try a few different things and if all alse fales take it to the vet get him checked to see if it is undernorished and if so they will give it a vitemine shot which in most cases is all it really needs and it will start eating again.

if you get too worried to him to the vet.

cheers Jody

[rigga]

Young snakes love lizards, so a trick I have used is to get a house gecko or garden skink to surrender its tail and then dab the blood from the stump onto the pinkies head, I then let the lizard go. Then feed the tail to the snake quickly followed by the pinky.
It has worked for me