For anyone with problem feeders... Try egg yolk.

[Tobe404]

So I offered my problem feeder MD a Fuzzy Rat last night.
After a long time of refusing them (19th of December. Took a couple of Mice on the 24th of February, but then went back to refusing Mice/Rats once again) he finally took it down and actually finished it.
What finally did the trick was egg yolk I thawed the Rat out in hot water like normal but added egg yolk into the mix.
Within about 30 seconds the Rat was struck and coiled and about 15 minutes after that the Rat was in his belly.
Just thought I'd let anyone know who has trouble feeders of their own.
I just hope this continues to work.

 

[Tesla]

Non feeding snakes are usually due to incorrect husbandry. It's important to first assess what you as a keeper are doing wrong rather than trying different scenting methods to get a snake to eat.
To this day I am yet to have to scent a rodent to get a python feeding, colubrids are a different story

 

[Tobe404]

Non feeding snakes are usually due to incorrect husbandry. It's important to first assess what you as a keeper are doing wrong rather than trying different scenting methods to get a snake to eat.
To this day I am yet to have to scent a rodent to get a python feeding, colubrids are a different story

It's kept in the same conditions as my two other Pythons who only ever miss the occassional feed when coming up to a shed. So I doubt it's anything to do with husbandry

 

[buffcoat]

Non feeding snakes are usually due to incorrect husbandry. It's important to first assess what you as a keeper are doing wrong rather than trying different scenting methods to get a snake to eat.
To this day I am yet to have to scent a rodent to get a python feeding, colubrids are a different story

I disagree totally. My Royals will not eat. Have not eaten in 6 months. We recently took in another Royal, eats like a champ. My husbandry is spot on. I've checked with about 15 different breeders. They show interest and then snub it. I've had many different colubrids for many years, my hognose decided he was gonna be a brat and not eat pinky rats, I tried 3 times, after that hopper mice and never missed. My other colubrids are eating machines. I actually feed them the refusals from the Royals.

Now I'm definitely no expert on Australian fauna but over here, for me at least, its the exact opposite.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk 2

 

[JrFear]

out of my 16 MD Hatchlings all but 2 ate fine! all housed exactly the same!

Will try this method thanks

 

[Tobe404]

See how it goes... I've tried pretty much every other method wth little success. Tuna kind of worked, got him to strike and coil but he never actually finished his meals.
My Jungle and the Sister MD had their feeds last night too. As usual with them there was no hesitation though.

 

[MarlaChoodles]

My colubrids always eat just fine. Especially my rat snakes. But its easy to get colubrids to feed f/t because they are occasional carrion feeders in the wild.

However my royals can be a pain. My pastel male eats one week then for two weeks snubs the foid he's been eating. And all three of my big girls will just randomly go off feed. Then I have a huge girl that never refuses a meal. I've actually had to limit her intake because she was becoming obese.( we rescued her and she was severely under weight, stuck shed and layers of eye caps, and a huge wound on her head. She is still horribly scarred up. So maybe that's why)
As for the carpets they fed great until breeding season came around. However the girl who laid her clutch last weekend ate tonight. So, I may tey this with my male carpet.
BTW my temps and humidity is all a OK. Some snakes are just picky! !

 

[Tesla]

My colubrids always eat just fine. Especially my rat snakes. But its easy to get colubrids to feed f/t because they are occasional carrion feeders in the wild.

I am talking about Australian colubrids. Not corns,rat snakes and garters ETC.
Try getting a hatchling Dendrelaphis punctulata feeding on pinkie parts and then come and tell me how easy it is.

I am talking about Australian snakes as this is an Australian forum. Morelia are some of the most ferocious feeders so I again reiterate check your husbandry practices. This includes housing, heating, offering method (including temp of food), type of food item etc etc.
It's all too easy to blame a snake for our mistakes.

 

[saintanger]

funny how quit a few times on here i have seen people ask for advise or give advise on non feeding snakes/ pythons and there is always 1 person or a few that straight away jump up and say its to do with husbandry.

sometimes it is but the OP has given no details about husbandry but yet people think '"you have to be doing something wrong for your python not to eat."

i have 29 pythons and i keep all the same way except for different temps for different species and yet i have 5 darwins, 1 eats like a monster, 1 never misses a feed, 1 misses a feed every now and then and 2 are night mare eaters and have gone upto 6 months not eating. and all are kept in the exact same condition, temps and humidity.

so definatly nothing to do with husbandry skills or doing it wrong.

 

[Tesla]

funny how quit a few times on here i have seen people ask for advise or give advise on non feeding snakes/ pythons and there is always 1 person or a few that straight away jump up and say its to do with husbandry.

sometimes it is but the OP has given no details about husbandry but yet people think '"you have to be doing something wrong for your python not to eat."

i have 29 pythons and i keep all the same way except for different temps for different species and yet i have 5 darwins, 1 eats like a monster, 1 never misses a feed, 1 misses a feed every now and then and 2 are night mare eaters and have gone upto 6 months not eating. and all are kept in the exact same condition, temps and humidity.

so definatly nothing to do with husbandry skills or doing it wrong.

If you truly feel you are doing everything right wouldn't the next step be to take them to the vet to have any physical ailments ruled out? If a snake is in good health and husbandry is correct there should be no reason for it not to feed.

 

[Dragonwolf]

I adopted a hatchy Spotted around May last year. It was hatched on Australia day 2012, fed and shed once and then refused all other food items. The breeder housed all the hatchies identically but this one just wouldn't eat.
I've never breed snakes or raised newly hatched pythons - always bought them as established feeders. Over a 4 week period this little one refused 2 pink mice and then struck at a 3rd that I'd rubbed in chicken down. The 4th pinkie I dipped in a freshly layed egg yolk and it took it immediately. Coincidence maybe :?.
I also received the advice about plain cultured yoghurt from Troy Kuligowski during a conversation with him at the Scales and Tails shop.

 

[jeffa_8]

I recently received a problem feeder so this will be great to try. Thanks.

 

[sharky]

Most babies struggling to feed will do well when you thaw the prey item in 'skink' or 'lizard' water There are many options though for adults. I had to get my spotted baby started on geckos as she wouldn't eat anything else! Took to pinkies after a gecko though.

BPs have always been known as problem feeders They are very picky eaters...maybe that is why they are known as Royals :lol:

 

[sharky]

Oh and well done for getting your snake to feed! It always feels like a hige accomplishment getting those trouble feeders to eat!

 

[Tobe404]

Oh and well done for getting your snake to feed! It always feels like a hige accomplishment getting those trouble feeders to eat!

Thank you.
Oh I forgot to mention. I did try scenting with a Gecko but that didn't work either. (Plus every other method you could think of, except for Quail.)

I just hope he keeps eating from now on. I've had a lot of times where he's taken one feed then refused another anywhere from a few weeks to a few months apart...
Even when using the same method the next time around.

For the people who questioned my Pythons husbandry.
Subsrate is dried out Coir/Coco-Peat.
Hot end is anywhere between 32-34c. Hide is over the heat source.
The rest of the enclosue is around room temperature. 26 at the moment.
Food is thawed out in a tub of hot tap water, dried off a little (so not dripping wet) in paper towel, then offered.

All three are kept in identical conditions. The only time the others refuse food is when they're coming up to shed.

 

[saintanger]

If you truly feel you are doing everything right wouldn't the next step be to take them to the vet to have any physical ailments ruled out? If a snake is in good health and husbandry is correct there should be no reason for it not to feed.

both have been seen by a reptile vet and there is nothing wrong with either of them, they are just problem feeders and stuborn and will eat wen they decide.

 

[tonesanlainie]

Non feeding snakes are usually due to incorrect husbandry. It's important to first assess what you as a keeper are doing wrong rather than trying different scenting methods to get a snake to eat.
To this day I am yet to have to scent a rodent to get a python feeding, colubrids are a different story

Yes is very true as being a first thing to check, and then if correct try different foods and as the OP suggested some methods of scenting. As a keeper there has been a line of captive breed stock. I have found that from any given clutch some will feed and some will a problem. Usually the husbandry will be the same for most hatchies. I do believe however that often genetics plays a part, and is inherited from the parents. In the wild poor feeds would not survive and so the genetic pool was rich with strong feeders. In captivity often these poor feeders are helped along and so the pool of genetics isn't as strong as what it may have been in the wild. In addition we are often feeding stock with food items that are convenient to us, and may not necessarily be what would be found in the wild. Now I am talking from personal experience here and just what I have observed, and discussed with others whom have found similar thoughts. I think scenting with egg yolks may well work, and I have known of others whom have also had success with it.