Woma eating trouble

[MalstRavane]

I bought a one year old Woma snake two weeks ago and she refuses to eat. They fed her in the store the day that i bought her. Last Tuesday, i treated her for mites (apparently she had mites when i got her) and tried to feed her a live pinkie on wednesday, and she refused to eat. I tried again the next day with a frozen pinkie, and she struck it but did not eat it. I decided to wait longer before i tried to feed her again, so i tried today. I bought a live pinkie, hoping she would eat, and again, she refuses too. I feed her separately from her enclosure, put the mouse into the feeding cage with her, and leave her there. Is there any way advice that you could give?

 

[Ramsayi]

Have you rang the store for advice?

 

[MalstRavane]

Yea, they didn't offer any help. They said that when I bought her she was being fed live pinkies and was eating on a regular basis, and didn't offer anything in the form of advice other than she might not want to eat at the moment.

 

[cagey]

Do you have a copy of her feeding and shedding records? You may want to determine if she is due to shed. There are also a number of threads on here covering husbandry and confirming appropriate temperatures for your snake. It may be of benefit to search for and read these as they may help.

 

[shaunyboy]

does she have plenty hides,fake plants,cover, etc so she can feel secure ?

i would feed in her enclosure as thats where she will feel most secure

are your hot end temperatures ok ?

are the mites gone ?

some won't eat during treatment

i would leave her in peace and quiet,only going near her to change her water,leave it another 2 weeks and offer prey in her eclosure

cheers shaun

 

[jacevy]

A pinkie rat is a tiny meal for a one year old woma. Our little one is only 4 weeks old and is on pinkie rats but really could go up soon.

I mention this because your snake may have been a fussy eater in store. Did you get a feed record? Was the snake eating weekly?

 

[Woma_Wild]

apparently she had mites.
did the pet shop tell you this?

I agree with the above comments re pinkie. That's way to small for a year old woma.
My girl is on adult mice.

Check a few things like
1. is the mite situation under control

2. Is she starting to shed

3. Are your temps in the enclosure good.( I have mine at around 28 on cool side and at 33 and higher on warm end)

4. as a yearling, she was probably used to a certain environment then she was moved. Was she given a chance to settle in her new environment.

5. If all the above is checked and is all good, try feeding her at night. Leave the food close to her so she picks up the scent then let her be. Just check on her from time to time and if food doesn't get eating when you go to bed, remove it from enclosure.

6. she may not like mice. Try a small rat. ( mine hates rats and won't eat)

7. all the above comments. Feeding records, spoken to the sales person, etc.

 

[Woma_Wild]

Any updates on your little woma ?

 

[Djbowker]

Two weeks isn't that bad, but what I don't understand is 1. Why was the pet shop feeding it live pinkies, and 2. Why did it have mites at the pet shop?

Using my Woma's as examples, it should easily be on at least hopper rats.

 

[MalstRavane]

Sorry for not responding. I had computer issues. I managed to get rid of the mites. The store said that it didn't come from them but it must have since I have no other snakes or reptiles. She started eating very well, and I moved her up to F/T fuzzies, and she was eating well, but within the last two weeks she has not been wanting to eat again. She also has not shed in the last two months that I have had her and that worries me. I'm rather new to snakes, so do you guys think I should take her to the vet? From what i have read, two months is a very long time for a snake not to shed.

- - - Updated - - -

Also, I did not get the shed records, but they did give me the feeding records and she was being fed every week. The store is LLL reptile ( which if you go to conventions on the west coast you will know their name) and are very reputable on this coast, but from what you all are saying i'm rather disappointed in the information that they gave me. I keep the hot part of my enclosure at 32 C and the cold side at 28 C. She has a bamboo shoot hide on the hot side and a bark hide on the left side.

 

[zulu]

I would be treating and checking for mites again ,its hard to get rid of them in one go.Pet shops are a haven for mites as they are always getting in new stock.
The mites carry all sorts of blood born diseases which are present everywhere including western australia .
The woma i suspect is a hatchling if its eating pink mice .

 

[MalstRavane]

I treated her 3 separate times, and thankfully i have not seen a mite on her since!

She has been eating fuzzier for about a month now, but for the last two weeks had refused them. I don't see any signs of shedding that I read about, but being new to this I'm learning every day.

 

[zulu]

Couple of this years hatchlings mal around 3 months old, they are in little plastic tubs on a couple of rows of 50 watt heat chord ,easy to clean and they hide under the paper towels on the warm end. Mites are easily controled kept like this as they cant hide and breed easily and the snake feels secure .
Pic of one in hand going into shed ,you can see its dull and a bit blue in the eyes ,opaque,under neath where the tummy is normally a brighter orange or yellow its dull and blueish looking. cheers

 

[aspidito]

I treated her 3 separate times, and thankfully i have not seen a mite on her since!

She has been eating fuzzier for about a month now, but for the last two weeks had refused them. I don't see any signs of shedding that I read about, but being new to this I'm learning every day.

I dont think you need to worry so much, womas are a tough snake & if it has been eating well as you say then just maitain good husbandry practice, ie: a good temp aprox 35 DegC at the hot section & a cooler spot, keep nice & dry & always provide fresh water & a hide-box or paper towling / newspaper for it to hide under & feel safe, womas love to burrow & bury themselves even if it is under newspaper. It is more than likely coming into shed & you will get used to indications & patterns the more experience you gain.
The more they eat the more they grow & the more they shed, 2 months is certainly not a problem.
There should be absolutely no need to feed live food of any sort... Offer a defrosted & warmed weaner rat under the paper late evening for best results. Are you sure it had mites!

 

[MalstRavane]

Thank you! I will try feeding her a weaner rat next time. I've been doing all of the above, so this reassures me that I am doing things right.

She did have a small case of mites. I found two on her body, and after that I treated her once a week for three weeks, and i treated the cage, and I have not seen any since.



A picture of Freya, to thank everyone for their help. All your help has helped make her life better!

 

[MalstRavane]

Just an update for everyone here! She continued not to eat for about another three weeks. I had tried everything i could think of and read online, from braining a f/t mouse to trying live. Last week, a friend of mine that has a 4 year old corn snake recommended trying to move her down to a pinkie again, because his snake had done the same thing. She ate the pinkie, so hopefully i will be able to work her back up to mice appropriate to her size. Thank you all again!

 

[Woma_Wild]

Just an update for everyone here! She continued not to eat for about another three weeks. I had tried everything i could think of and read online, from braining a f/t mouse to trying live. Last week, a friend of mine that has a 4 year old corn snake recommended trying to move her down to a pinkie again, because his snake had done the same thing. She ate the pinkie, so hopefully i will be able to work her back up to mice appropriate to her size. Thank you all again!

Getting a bit confused here so just wanting to ask
1. She is a year old ?
2. You are feeding pinkie mice?

My girl is 14 months old and is feeding on large adult mice. (She won't eat rats)
This has been mentioned before but:
1. Do NOT feed live prey.
2. pinkie mouse or rat is TOO SMALL.

She can go for quite a while without eating so don't over stress.
One thing you could try is quail.

Saying that, if she continues not to eat and you think she may still have mites, take her to the vet as there may well be another problem.

 

[Tiffany]

From the pictures she looks more like a hatchling not a yearling. My woma is 5 months old and on fuzzie rats once a week and she is growing quick and doesn't turn down a feed. I hope she settles for you and starts eating again. I have gotten my snakes from private breeders not pet shops as I don't agree with how pet shops operate (or at least some of them) I was given a Full feeding and shedding record for my Woma and she never stopped eating. I have been told they are hardy snakes and survive quite well. Hope everything turns out good for you

 

[Lawra]

[MENTION=39456]MalstRavane[/MENTION] like it's been said, you definitely have a hatchling there. You said you have a feeding history - does the history go back a year?

What method are you using to warm f/t and how are you trying to feed her?

For comparison, my yearling woma weighs 550g and has a length of about 1.2m long.

 

[MalstRavane]

I was told she was a year old but i am starting to doubt it from the responses i have been getting.

The reason i was feeding her pinkies was because she stopped eating bigger mice for about two months, and i was told from an old friend to try to reset her feeding cycle. She is now eating fuzzies regularly, and i am continuing to treat her for mites.

I am still trying to switch her over to frozen. She keeps refusing them. I am thawing them by putting them into a plastic bag and putting it into luke warm water for a few hours.