bredli wont eat :@

[cwebb]

hey guys!
im having trouble getting my bredli hatchie to eat. his tub is at the right temp, i think i have him in the right kind of environment..
so i dont know what his problem is. he seems healthy, very active etc..
he can get really snappy when handling so i assume he is hungry, and when i present him with the mouse i pop it open so blood is coming out, which really gets his attention, he raises himself up and looks at it and acts like he wants to take it, even strikes at it, but i havent been successful with it. ive waisted 5 mice on him now and that **** aint cheap! hes eaten twice in 4 months..
please help

 

[HoffOff]

What's the temps?

 

[cwebb]

27 degree cold end and 32 degree hot spot most of the time, does change cos its so friggin cold in bathurst

 

[Kelly86]

what, he strikes but doesnt latch on? are the mice warm?

 

[cwebb]

yes mice are warm, i thaw them in luke warm water and then either place it on the heat mat til it feels warm or take it straight from hot water to paper towel to the snake..
he strikes and sometimes misses, or i flinch and he misses.. first time i fed him he took it straight away, second time was unsuccessful so i left him for a whole month, third time he took it straight away, and i have been struggling ever since
im about to call the breeder but i dont want to hassle him
i dont want to live feed either

 

[Kelly86]

nargh dont live feed, hrmm thats how i feed mine too, but my bredli eats every five days without fail. i put my fuzzies in a container of hot tap water for bout 5minutes then dab on paper towel and he takes it right away, do u use forceps?

he might just be a bit shy... maybe try feeding him with a hide so he can eat while he's hidden good luck!

 

[noah2112]

Does he have a hide at each end so he feels secure? Some snakes also take awhile to feed, but it seems to me that something isn't right.... Personally I think 27 for cool end is too hot. Try braining the mouse? Might make him/her more interested....

 

[cwebb]

i dont actually have a hide for him.. he gets under the paper towel but..
ive tried leaving the mouse for him to have on his own accord but its always still there the next day
i havent tried braining cos when im drying the fuzzy with paper towel, the guts always pop out. i have also tried cup feeding, BHB do that with their problem feeders and nooppeee didnt work. i use forceps. dont know where to turn next

 

[noah2112]

Use a toilet role as a hide. He needs hides! Just defrost the mouse without boiling water then de brain it... I know it's messy but. You could also try feeding outside his enclosure like in a different tub... Box etc

 

[Kelly86]

you can use empty toilet rolls as hides. when u thaw the mice make sure the tap water is as hot as you can get it and just dab the dripping water off. wish i could help more, im new at this too but hopefully someone can give better advice

 

[Ramsayi]

27 degree cold end and 32 degree hot spot most of the time, does change cos its so friggin cold in bathurst

More than likely the temps are the issue.In particular in the early part of the morning,the coldest part of the day.
Get a min/max thermometer so you can check what the minimum temp is actually getting down to.

 

[Em1986]

27 degree cold end and 32 degree hot spot most of the time, does change cos its so friggin cold in bathurst

It has been freezing here lately in Blayney too!
Where and who is the breeder? If they are a local they may come check out the set up and give you tips and be able to come assist you.
Did the snake come with a feeding record? You need to know how often and how many times he was fed before you got him, sometimes breeders may sell problem feeders but not actually tell you.
Is the heat mat on a thermostat? If so, what temp is it set to?
Reptile one does quite a good dual probe thermometer if you don't have one. Temps will vary here quite a bit through the day so you need to check it regularly for a while to make sure the temps are staying stable.
Which shop are you buying the food from? Everything pet and reptile is quite cheap for frozen rodents
I don't have any experience with snakes as yet but happy to try to help in other ways

Oh and i forgot to ask how big the click clack is? Can you maybe put up a pic showing the ventilation in it as it may not be enough down the cool end if the temp in the cool end is too high. You may need to add more holes in the cool end. The heat mat should only be under 1/3 of the click clack.
Sorry if you know all this and have it all correct already

 

[angie90]

My imbricata hatchy didn't feed for 2 months until recently. I had tried everything & was getting desperate. I turned his heat mat up to 34-35 & defrosted the mouse this time in a bag so it didn't get wet & didn't lose it's scent. Then I got a skewer, poked it's skull, & offered (after having the heat higher for about 9 days). He took it after offering it 3 times. Now he's had 3 feeds with me but he'll only feed if the mouse is defrosted this way. I didn't handle him at all during this time. Maybe give this a try? Good luck

 

[cwebb]

My imbricata hatchy didn't feed for 2 months until recently. I had tried everything & was getting desperate. I turned his heat mat up to 34-35 & defrosted the mouse this time in a bag so it didn't get wet & didn't lose it's scent. Then I got a skewer, poked it's skull, & offered (after having the heat higher for about 9 days). He took it after offering it 3 times. Now he's had 3 feeds with me but he'll only feed if the mouse is defrosted this way. I didn't handle him at all during this time. Maybe give this a try? Good luck

<br><br>hey thanks thats a great idea!! (defrosting in the bag) , that might be the problem, he flicks his tongue at it and looks interested but its just not enough, he must lose interest cos he cant smell it (lets hope its something as easy as that haha)

It has been freezing here lately in Blayney too!
Where and who is the breeder? If they are a local they may come check out the set up and give you tips and be able to come assist you.
Did the snake come with a feeding record? You need to know how often and how many times he was fed before you got him, sometimes breeders may sell problem feeders but not actually tell you.
Is the heat mat on a thermostat? If so, what temp is it set to?
Reptile one does quite a good dual probe thermometer if you don't have one. Temps will vary here quite a bit through the day so you need to check it regularly for a while to make sure the temps are staying stable.
Which shop are you buying the food from? Everything pet and reptile is quite cheap for frozen rodents
I don't have any experience with snakes as yet but happy to try to help in other ways

Oh and i forgot to ask how big the click clack is? Can you maybe put up a pic showing the ventilation in it as it may not be enough down the cool end if the temp in the cool end is too high. You may need to add more holes in the cool end. The heat mat should only be under 1/3 of the click clack.
Sorry if you know all this and have it all correct already

hes in a 9 litre click clack which is plenty of room for him but not too big, thats the tub he came in from the breeder. i will have to upload a photo of him in it later. he has 2 rows of vents holes all around the tub and on top of the lid. i dont have a thermostat for the heat mat yet, i figured that might be something i need when it starts to warm up but ill get one now if you can suggest one thats one the cheaper side? (poor uni student haha)

he came with a feed record ... in 3 months he took one feed... bad. i know. how long is it safe for a baby to go without food? :/
i actually got the snake through everything pet and reptile, their breeders name is graham. i got mine through him as a friend of mine got a stimsons python through him and it stopped eating after about a year and they breeder took the snake back and replaced it with a bredli python.. i know he would do the same for me but i like my snake haha, i dont want a different one! hes feisty!

 

[Em1986]

Ahhh i see, the cheapest i found while there the other week was at everything pet and reptile and i think it was around $115! It would more than likely be enough to do the snake in a larger enclosure too so it's something that will last! It's a microclimate branded one and i think it did up to 300w.
The frozen rodents are cheap there, i think Graham breeds them and freezes them himself.
He isn't a bad bloke from what i have heard (the guy i got my beardies from has sold snakes to him and knows him etc) so it isn't too bad. Just ring him and tell him what's been happening. If you can't get him feeding with all the tips here then maybe contact Peter Carter (and the other Peter guy), they live in Bathurst somewhere too and are breeders and do the reptile displays at shows etc.
I don't blame you for not wanting a different snake as you get a connection with the specific animal and it wouldn't feel right changing him for a new one just because he is a dificult feeder.
With hatchies they absorb the yolk for their first 'food'/nourishment so they can go a while without food. As i said i don't have any experience with snakes yet so can't really help much. When was he hatched? What sized food is he supposed to be on?
I agree with the bag thing, it keeps it smelly and also is a lot 'cleaner'. I have fed my beardies pinkies (rats, a place in orange sold them to me when i asked for pinkies) and fuzzy mice (Graham's shop didn't have any pinkies) and have de-frosted in a bag and found it a lot nicer to handle and you don't need to dry them off or even touch them if you do it properly