Eating Problems

[Liccy]

Hi,

I have a 7/8 month old Diamond that is about 70/75cms long. I was told by the breeder i bought him off to feed him with normal kitchen tongs so he doesnt associate food with my hands. I do this, but he follows the tongs. I put the food in, and when i take the tongs out, he stares at where the tongs left, and not at his food. Sometimes he finds his food anyway, but sometimes he doesnt, he has even struck at the tongs before.

Does he associate the smell of his food with the tongs? or

Does he find the tongs a threat ?

How do i stop my snake doing this?

thanks,
Alicia

 

[peterescue]

Perhaps he meant you to hold the food in the tongs until it has taken the mouse/pinkie.
If this is how it was fed then maybe it is looking at the tongs because thats where the food should be.

 

[OuZo]

i find my diamond gets easily distracted by me moving things around even after he's struck at the food. i'd do what peter said and hold the mouse/rat til he's taken it and then slowly move away.

 

[spooky]

Also while you have the mouse/rat in the tongs,move them so that they look like they are still kicking until the snake actually grabs and coils.

 

[womas4me]

Another option is get rid of the tongs and use a claw. Mine is metal and thin, allows me to grasp the rodents at the base of the tail and move and jiggle it around. I 'll get a photo of mine to show you, i only suggest this as tongs can be large and dwarf a small rodent. Up to you in the end.

Jim

 

[womas4me]

The claw

 

[rodentrancher]

Speaking of feeding probs. Our little boy MD hatchling Boof still won't take food. There is no comparison between him and Emdee(she's a guts by the way, will eat anything you wave in front of her nose). They were both born in January, but Emdee would be at least twice the size of Boof. We've had good advice from Fuscus, Donna from URS, Susan Gerrard(MD Breeder), also from Simon and Diane Stone(last night). Diane Stone told us that we should be starting to worry, as MD's are usually very easy to get to feed. Boof was being fed once a fortnight at URS, but no way will he take anything now. Not pink mice or rats, velvet mice. Nothing. Tried pinkie with chicken feathers, rubbed gecko over them, brained pink mice, and now we are trying Diane Stones method of cutting a cross on the top of pinkies head and smearing the grey matter every where(yucky poo!). He never ate that last night so she says to give it another go 2night. Boof is still so small that he fits in half a panadol box, whereas Emdee fits in a hide bigger than a light globe box. We now have his water bowl in the warm end as advised, running heat mat at 31C. Boof has two hides, one at hot end and one at cool end, but he seems to gravitate to the cool hide all the time. He's freezing in the mornings after a night in this cold shed. Should we take out the second hide(cool one)? He hasn't shed, but found a minute amount of white poo in his tub. Just wondering if the probing could have damaged him in some way? How could you tell anyway? Might have to take him back to URS on my next run to Adelaide and get him checked out by Tim? We now have both the snake tubs in a blanket box with a hinged lid, in the hope of making the temp more ambient overnight. The lid of the box is propped open to allow some airflow overnight. Oh well, we'll just keep trying till the 24th when I go to Adelaide. Pity, cos he's a nice little MD, and very placid like Emdee. Sob! Sob! :cry:

 

[Stevo]

Sometimes they take a bit to settle into a new enviroment RR , i wouldn't worry about it at all.

 

[rodentrancher]

Yeah but! Emdee only took 2 weeks, then $hit, shed and ate! :?

 

[Stevo]

There all different darl

 

[rodentrancher]

I'm gonna try the Chicken Soup trick as well. LOL!

 

[serpenttongue]

Liccy i would definately get rid of the tongs, i think they're a bit too big. For pythons up to 1.5m i use thin forceps/tweezers which are about 30cm long. The food is offered, the snake grabs, cage door closes and i walk away. If your snake doesnt start swallowing but instead follows you, then offer it the meal again. If the rodents still in the snakes coils just wriggle it a bit and the snake will focus its attention on the prey.

 

[alby]

i had the same probelm when i got my baby diamond do you buy frozen or live mice if there frozen maybe there not warm enough for him and if it is maybe you should giggle to mouse around a little bity make it look like its still alive and gentley tap the end of your snakes tail with it than he thinks its alive than bang he should hit it

 

[Liccy]

Thanks guys,

I am feeding him frozen pinky mice at the moment, although i think he is ready for something a little bigger (so i am breeding rats). The tongs definately dwarf the little pinky - so i usually put in then leave it. He has even gone back to sleep with a pinky that i have put in the middle of his coils...
i will get a set of those forceps - look great!

Should i be holding the food till he takes it?? I just wiggle it, let him realise it is there, and drop it in front of him...also, if he his half asleep? should he want to eat as quickly as usual? or not really..?

rodentrancher: when i first got mine (in january) he didnt eat for nearly a month...i was soo worried but the breeder said it was all ok and came and checked him. He was just getting used to his surroundings.

 

[womas4me]

I wiggle mine heaps to get their attention with furred mice, but pinkies i put right in front off their face.

 

[Ricko]

definetly keep it in the tongs till it grabs it then let it go.

 

[NoOne]

Hey Liccy,

Welcome to the site.

I'm surprised your 7/8 month old diamond is still on pinkies. is this what her/his breeder was feeding it on?

you can get cheap tongs for feeding snakes around $10, they are thin and don't get in the way.

-Naomi

 

[NoOne]

I am feeding him frozen pinky mice at the moment, .

BTW, sorry if this is a dumb question, but are you thawing the mouse out before feeding it?

 

[Liccy]

Hi,

Yes he is still on pinkies, and eats twice/3 times a week. I will be getting him on pinkie rats soon, and perhaps bigger if he can handle it (waiting for the rats to have babies -ewwwww gross)

yes, i am thawing them, in a glass of warm water.

Also, he has jsut shed (after moving to a new heated enclosure) what is "normal?"

eg how often do they shed?? and when is normal for them to shed? (in captivity)

thanks,
Liccy

 

[DaneSnakeBoy]

Eating

Hi,
I think the pinkys could be to cold try heating the water until it's to hot to put your hand under then let it sit there for about 3-4mins but before feeding hold your finger on the head of the pinky for around 20seconds and if the head goes cold then it will be to cold for your baby.

Hope this helps.

Cheers
Dane