Jungle Python will not feed.

[Rob8290]

Hi guys. I'm starting to get slightly worried as I have a jungle carpet python hatchie of about 4 months old that refuses to eat and has done for about three weeks.. He was eating like a champ right up untill now on two fuzzie mice every 6 days. I have tried everything braining, scenting with a quail, leaving over night in there , braining the quail and putting it over the fuzzie, I even tried getting him to take a pinkie with no luck. He is in a click clack and has fresh water every two days, two hides in either end and is being kept at 33 degrees in the hot end and 26-28 in the cold end. I read somewhere that warm chicken stock smeared on the mouse would work and I plan to try that next. I've tried different methods of thawing mouse and still no luck. He gets close and "sniffs" the mouse and shows an interest for abit but then just refuses to eat. He doesn't have mites or an RI. His weight appears to have not dropped but after that long of a hatchie not eating it worries me. Advice please?

 

[Riffherper]

Could he be coming up to shed? Have you switched rodent suppliers?

 

[Riffherper]

Also don't freak out. He won't starve in three weeks.

 

[saximus]

Try live, I know a lot of people are against it but it seems to work. What do you rather a dead rat or dead mouse

This is poor advice. Moving to live food is a step backwards and if it had been feeding on F/T mice up until now, it would point to a husbandry issue. There is no valid reason to move to live food, especially after three weeks of not eating.

Where do you live Rob? How cool are the night time temps getting? Sometimes, even if you have a warm spot, the ambient temps can cause them to go off their food. This is especially true for Antaresia but may also be the case for you. Where does he spend most of his time - hot or cool end? I would try bumping up the hot spot a couple of degrees. I bought a couple of non-feeders a couple of years ago and I was surprised how quickly I managed to get them feeding by cranking the hot end up to about 35-36°.

 

[Khagan]

Saximus is spot on. Live feeding is an ABSOLUTE last resort, and even scenting at this stage i'd advise against. Bump up your temps and leave him alone for a couple days, then thaw out his usual food item in just plain warm water.

If you want to be sure you can try braining, just get a pin or such and stab some holes in the head till the liquid comes out, this usually works pretty well and will not effect them in future like scenting or live feeding would.

 

[PieBald]

This is poor advice. Moving to live food is a step backwards and if it had been feeding on F/T mice up until now, it would point to a husbandry issue. There is no valid reason to move to live food, especially after three weeks of not eating.

Where do you live Rob? How cool are the night time temps getting? Sometimes, even if you have a warm spot, the ambient temps can cause them to go off their food. This is especially true for Antaresia but may also be the case for you. Where does he spend most of his time - hot or cool end? I would try bumping up the hot spot a couple of degrees. I bought a couple of non-feeders a couple of years ago and I was surprised how quickly I managed to get them feeding by cranking the hot end up to about 35-36°.

Your snake dying is a step backward.

 

[saximus]

Your snake dying is a step backward.

No snake is going to die after three weeks of not eating. Hatchies can and do go for months and are still ok. Don't offer advice if you don't know what you are talking about.

 

[Rob8290]

I live in central QLD but where I am actually gets very cold. Past few nights have been down to around 8-12 degrees. All my other snakes are feeding fine. I also had to remove his perches from his click clack because he would spend his entire time up on them and wouldn't go in his hide in the warm or cool end..At the moment he's spending most his time in his warm hide or ontop of it. I haven't handled him since his feeding stopped as to reduce stress.his click clack is in a low traffic room and I usually have it covered with a pillow case on half of it during the day Then I fully cover it at night. I will up his warm end temps to 35 as suggested.He isn't coming upto shed. He stopped feeding just before his last shed and didn't begin feeding again. I have not switched suppliers and he has no retained shed that I can see.

 

[Khagan]

You can put his perches back, they won't be a problem. You have to remember, he knows best when he needs to be warmer or cooler. He'd also probably feel safer perched up.

 

[Rob8290]

I was just abit worried about him constantly perching as where he perches only has an ambient temp of about 26-27 degree because I use a heat mat as the heat source. He never came down off it to warm up. Whenever I saw him he didn't anyway. So having a constant low temp I was thinking he could perhaps catch an RI or it could be the source of him not eating as he couldn't digest with that temp properly. I only removed the perches a couple days ago. I'm trying to "experiment" with what could be the cause so that's why I removed them. Thanks for all the advice everyone. If anyone has any more feel free to chime in. Any advice from experienced keepers is always appreciated.

 

[saintanger]

i agree, live feeding should be a last resort. 3 weeks is fine, even 3-4 months won't kill a healthy snake.

do you have 2 hides in the enclosure, try one on the hot end and one on the cool end.

 

[Rob8290]

I have two hides in his enclosure. A cold hide and warm hide.

 

[Ambush]

I had a rescued Jungle that would not eat.
Simple thing was. I just left it int he enclosure. He didn't like me holding it and wanted me instead.. (yes i was using tongs) I ended up just leaving in in the enclosure. He ended up taking it.
He still now at times will strike it. Then leaves the prey. Does a lap around the enclosure and then takes it.
He never ate for many months.

 

[saintanger]

thats good, try and get him to stake it while moving the mouse around with tongs if not leave it in the enclosure over night and he might take it.

 

[Rob8290]

I use tongs and wriggle it a little. Then I usually leave it over night. Is it possible that he is sencing the change in season and just won't eat untill it warms up? I don't belive it is that as my other three pythons are all eating fine but is it a possibility?

 

[Tobe404]

I wouldn't worry for a fair while yet.
Just make sure temps are correct (around 33 hot spot/hide)
Try feeding every 5-7 days. Don't change food source.
If everything is right and it's not in shed mode leave it completely alone for a week and try again after that.
If all else fails and it's been a few months you could try scenting the food in chicken stock/tuna oil/feathers/gecko (or skink). Braining or gutting the food item. You could also try Rats (stranger things have happened).
Or what did it for my MD (other two [another MD and a Jungle] eat fine) who went off food for months on end on more than one occassion and nothing else did the trick, was Quail. But I'd only try that as a last resort... It may only ever eat Quail once it's had a taste for it.

Hope these ideas are of some help. Good luck.