Feeding live

[jimmy_the_kid]

Hey all one of my little coastals is being a bit of a fussy eater and has eaten for just over 2 months. I've tried most things like braining, fresh killed and going smaller and bigger with the mice. I really dont want to force feed and I know that I dont have to worry about that anytime soon. So I thought that I would try live to get her going again. Now I know this is risky and the snake may end up hurt or worse, but seeing I wont be here for 3 months I dont wont to leave this problem on the person who is going to be feeding them .

Is there anything i can do to make it safe? I was thinking of tying a bit of cotton around the mouses nose/mouth and hope he cant bite him and maybe file the claws. I'm probably worrying over nothing but has anybody here have any horror stories about feeding live.

 

[serpenttongue]

DONT DO IT JIMMY!! Theres nothing wrong with your snake. It just wants to fast for a while. It has willingly eaten dead prey in the past, and it will again in the future. Until then be patient and get this crazy idea of using live mice out of your head PLEASE. No cotton in the world is going to keep a mouses mouth shut. The person who will be looking after it for you should just continue offering dead prey to it until it decides to feed again. Is your snake a male? Males typically go off feed at any time of the year.
I have seen pythons get bitten in the mouth and chunks taken out of their heads by mice that have retaliated when seized by pythons. Snakes that refuse to take the mouse will have their snouts and tails gnawed down to nothing overnight by determined mice. A guy i knew put a live mouse in with a diamond once and when he came back the snake was dead and the mouse had chewed a big hole in the snakes gut and pulled out all the guts and intestines. Anyway, have a think about it.

 

[stripes]

have you tried putting skink blood on the mouse, thats how i got my l;ittle maccie to start feeding

 

[jimmy_the_kid]

havnt tried that yet stripes and ok serpent thats all i need to hear im not gunna do it then i will keep trying dead for a while

 

[africancichlidau]

No need to worry yet Jimbo.

 

[angelrose]

how young is it....... 2 months is nothing mate... it'll eat when its hungry.....

Angel

 

[cwarren72]

Jimmy if you get stuck and are still worried before you go let me know and I will look after it for you while you are away if you would like. I am at Burpengary just off the bruce highway. I have ample amounts of rats and have a pretty good success rate with problem feeders so if you need just give me a yell.

 

[jimmy_the_kid]

Nah, looks like she decided to eat thawed. I gave her 2 weaner mice tonight. She didnt seem to have a problem but Monty went of his food which is very unlike him. He has never turned down a meal lolbut i fed him last week so I'm sure he will snap out of it thanx for the input guys and thanx for the generous offer cwarren I'll keep u in mind if one of them has a trouble eating.

 

[MichaelJaynes]

why do males some times just go off there food. my male maccie did that he ate just every 2 or 3 weeks in stead of every week, anyone got any ideas???

 

[sxereturn]

It's not the food, it's how you're keeping the snake.