"1 fuzzy rat every tuesday" I WISH!!!

[PicklePants]

i'm had my darwin since April 23rd and he absolutely refuses to eat. the breeder i got him from has been no help whatsoever...i specifically asked for hatch dates (we got two from him), feeding and shedding histories and feeding method. all i got in response was "1 fuzzy rat every tuesday"

i have tried warming the rat before offering, dangling the rat overhead, aboreal feeding, pipping the brain, leaving it with him over night, splitting the abdominal wall, freshly killed, mincing it up and squirting it down his throat (he will sit with his mouth open when doing this). if i cut off the head and give it to him he will sit there with it in his mouth for hours before swallowing it. out of sheer desperation i put a live pinky rat in with him over night, the next morning it was still alive and had no marks on it.

i have also tried different sized rats and mice with no luck. 2 weeks ago i decided to try a live fuzzy (ears and eyes still closed) in with him after yet another failed feeding attempt. he eventually killed and ate it (YAY). this still took him 3 hours to do.

i have checked and rechecked the temps and humidity, and there are plenty of hides for him. he has a very defensive streak and will strike at things moving near him. when i got him home he was constantly striking and holding on, but now he is usually ok to hold so long as you don't move your other arm. he still strikes but hasn't been drawing blood for approx 2.5 weeks.

when you hold him he feels kind of hollow underneath and when he wraps his tail around things, he looks lumpy from the muscles contracting. you can see that he definitely has lost condition over the last month or so and i am getting really worried.

does anyone have any suggestions?

 

[Ramsayi]

what temps are you running?

 

[PicklePants]

the hot end is 30 degrees and the cool end is 22

 

[Ramsayi]

Temps seem too low to me.Aim for 32/33 and a cool side around 25C.Keep at those temps 24/7

 

[JAS101]

what sate are u in?

 

[PicklePants]

vic. the other hatchie we got with him eats like a champ, she's kept at the same temps

 

[J-A-X]

reading through your previous threads it looks as though you have several snakes, and the temps you have stated are too low IMO, temp is a very basic need for a snake, and you seem unaware of this, please don't get anymore until you know how to meet their needs.......

 

[solar 17]

Today 03:26 PM #4
Ramsayi

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Join DateDec-03LocationherePosts2,447

Temps seem too low to me.Aim for 32/33 and a cool side around 25C.Keep at those temps 24/7
DITTO....cheers solar 17 [Baden]
​

 

[Daniel_Penrith]

Thats abit harsh.....lol could have said it in a nicer way.
Tried mice?? Once you bump your temps up and if u still have trouble try mice. I Had a childrens go off rats wouldnt eat for like 9 weeks, he use to eat rats like a champ then wouldnt touch em. Went to adult mice and never looked back.Obviously you cant keep him on mice for ever but it could be a start to getting some condition back. Goodluck with it

reading through your previous threads it looks as though you have several snakes, and the temps you have stated are too low IMO, temp is a very basic need for a snake, and you seem unaware of this, please don't get anymore until you know how to meet their needs.......

 

[PicklePants]

reading through your previous threads it looks as though you have several snakes, and the temps you have stated are too low IMO, temp is a very basic need for a snake, and you seem unaware of this, please don't get anymore until you know how to meet their needs.......

the temps these guys are at are different to the temps the other two are at because of advice given by the breeder and others. i am more than willing to put warmer globes in and will do so. i started this thread for ADVICE, so there is no need to be rude to me.

 

[FAY]

I also would not be even attempting to handle him until he is feeding fine..except to remove for cleaning.
Trying to handle him is another stress factor for him that he doesn't need.

 

[J-A-X]

the temps these guys are at are different to the temps the other two are at because of advice given by the breeder and others. i am more than willing to put warmer globes in and will do so. i started this thread for ADVICE, so there is no need to be rude to me.

and you have been given advice, up the temps, which you have said you are going to do, i wasn't meaning to be rude or abrupt, it just came across that way, but i still stand by what i said, temps can be the difference between healthy happy snake and a 'problem'.... your previous threads that you have started seem to suggest that you have jumped in feet first without really knowing what temps / humidity each species require, and have been lucky so far, so... my advice to you was to refrain from getting any more until you have all the basics all down pat, nobody likes to hear 'maybe your doing it wrong' - but the fact is, sometimes we can 'do it wrong', no one is forcing you to accept any advice given here, ultimately the choice is yours,

 

[driftoz]

i agree about temps, im not experienced but i have read alot of stuff and basic requirments for temps is what i have followed, last couple of days i have seen a couple diff threads all saying that they have there temps at 25-28*c on the warm end for only 12 hrous a day for a hatchling just because they are trying to mimic what happens in the wild and there pets are not feeding.

 

[snakelady-viper]

Try quail and raise the temps

 

[PicklePants]

i am in the process of fixing the temp problem. i originally had the temp for these two at 32 for the hot end and 25ish for the cool end and was told that this was too hot. hence why they are lower.

i understand that we can sometimes "do it wrong", that is why i was asking for advice in the first place. as for not knowing what temps/humidity each species require, there is so much information floating around and not all of it agrees, so again, i ask for the advice of more experienced herpers.

 

[Kristy_07]

Hi, mate (couldn't decide whether to call you pickle or pants...)

I have MDs that weren't feeding well initially (not at any fault of the breeder's. I chose to take them on early). I was doing all the same things you have, and at the end of the day, it was bumping the temps that worked. Once my temps were around 33 hot end and consistent, they started eating consistently, and within a few weeks, moved onto rats, and now strike and constrict as opposed to leaving in overnight and finding it gone the next morning.

I agree with you, there's a lot of conflicting advice about different species requirements, and it can be tough when the breeder has been of such little help. That's what a public forum is for - asking questions of the more experienced. I wouldn't worry too much if anyone turns their nose up at you for asking questions

 

[baxtor]

reading through your previous threads it looks as though you have several snakes, and the temps you have stated are too low IMO, temp is a very basic need for a snake, and you seem unaware of this, please don't get anymore until you know how to meet their needs.......

:shock::shock::shock::shock::shock:

 

[townsvillepython]

best advice i can give is get a copy of keeping and breeding aussie pythons from mike swam