benjamind2010
Well-Known Member
Surely it doesn't take any longer than 1 week for morelia carinata? Most morelias I've had in the past took their first feed within 2 days (unless they were going into shed when I got them). It's the first time I've had Rough scaled pythons, I recently got a pair of 6-month-olds from a reputable breeder, and even have their feed sheets which detail their history, so everything is fine on the breeder's side.
The male took his fuzzy mouse without any problems, so I know I'm not going to have any trouble with him. The female, however, seems like another story and I feel I'm going to have a little bit of trouble getting her to eat, she seems interested but ends up not eating it. I've tried using small tweezers holding the fuzzy by the tail and just dangling it about an inch away, and she inspects the prey item but does not take it. Next attempt (next Wednesday) I'll defrost a fuzzy in warm water and see if it makes any difference. I'm not sure if that will work but I will give it a go and see.
I think it's a case of nerves, because I observed both of them, and she was exploring her click-clack quite a bit more than the male who was just chilling out and resting on both occasions I checked on them during the last few days. My instincts tell me that whenever I see that kind of thing, I know that I'm in for a bit of trouble, and that set off alarm bells and I thought "Yep, she's going to be a bit of a problem". In this case I was spot on because she refused to eat. So that confirmed what I had been thinking when I was observing them on both occasions.
Anyway I'm just going to give the male her fuzzy and let him finish it off and worry about her later. But this has me worried where one snake eats fine and the other one just refuses, my hunch is she's more timid than the male and she stresses more easily. I know for a fact that she's eaten several meals before I got her, so she's obviously been feeding fine. I know that moving them to a new habitat can stress them out and I'm OK with that, they've been here for a week so they should be settled in by now. The temps are fine, they have somewhere to hide, they're in small click-clack containers with just newspaper and the tiny hide box to help them feel more secure and of course a tiny water bowl. I've tested the ambient temps which are about 24 to 26 degrees, with the hot spot being around 31-34 degrees.
I know snakes can go a long time without feeding, but these are juveniles and it would be great if both of them would feed so I could get them to grow to roughly the same size together.
The male took his fuzzy mouse without any problems, so I know I'm not going to have any trouble with him. The female, however, seems like another story and I feel I'm going to have a little bit of trouble getting her to eat, she seems interested but ends up not eating it. I've tried using small tweezers holding the fuzzy by the tail and just dangling it about an inch away, and she inspects the prey item but does not take it. Next attempt (next Wednesday) I'll defrost a fuzzy in warm water and see if it makes any difference. I'm not sure if that will work but I will give it a go and see.
I think it's a case of nerves, because I observed both of them, and she was exploring her click-clack quite a bit more than the male who was just chilling out and resting on both occasions I checked on them during the last few days. My instincts tell me that whenever I see that kind of thing, I know that I'm in for a bit of trouble, and that set off alarm bells and I thought "Yep, she's going to be a bit of a problem". In this case I was spot on because she refused to eat. So that confirmed what I had been thinking when I was observing them on both occasions.
Anyway I'm just going to give the male her fuzzy and let him finish it off and worry about her later. But this has me worried where one snake eats fine and the other one just refuses, my hunch is she's more timid than the male and she stresses more easily. I know for a fact that she's eaten several meals before I got her, so she's obviously been feeding fine. I know that moving them to a new habitat can stress them out and I'm OK with that, they've been here for a week so they should be settled in by now. The temps are fine, they have somewhere to hide, they're in small click-clack containers with just newspaper and the tiny hide box to help them feel more secure and of course a tiny water bowl. I've tested the ambient temps which are about 24 to 26 degrees, with the hot spot being around 31-34 degrees.
I know snakes can go a long time without feeding, but these are juveniles and it would be great if both of them would feed so I could get them to grow to roughly the same size together.