Help Please.

[Shaggy]

I am soooo new to this and there is so much contradiction. Everything i read has said live food should be fed as last resort. I offered it to the snake and it seemed to see it more as a threat then food. I left it a good half hour before asking advice, then a while after that. He told me if she didn't take it to freeze it.

 

[africancichlidau]

Mate, if you are going to freeze it kill it first. Freezing live is a very painful death.

 

[Shaggy]

I did kill it first.

 

[africancichlidau]

Good man, mate

 

[steve6610]

hi shaggy,
in my opinion you should have tried to feed your new snake, i bought a darwin from URS and he ate 2 fuzzys the next day, this was after a flight from S.A. to nth qld, i'm sorry if the so called experts say to leave it a week or more, but thats not the case for every snake, every reptile is different and you could have given it a chance to feed, and yes, i'm a nobody, but this nobody has 16 different snakes and have been looking after them for the last 3 years, i'm not having a go at anybody, but give me 1 reason that it will harm the snake to at least give it a chance to eat, and yes, i've had new snakes that wouldn't eat the next day, some took a few weeks, but at least they had the chance to eat, our first coastal took 5 months to eat her first fuzzy, and it took me almost 2 years to get her eating right, but now she eats 2 rats every week, the point i'm making is it should always be left up to the reptile if it eats or not, not somebody that doesn't even know the snake or where it came from or how often it feeds,
i'm sorry if this has gone of topic a bit, but it's a shame the so called experts never give advice to other questions like helping new owners on the right way to get their reptiles ready for breeding,
my appology to shaggy for going on, and my upmost respect goes to the couple experanced herpers who did say to at least try to feed him,

cheers,
steve........

 

[Shaggy]

Ok, just to clear things up. I did try to feed her, she wouldn't take it. I was only asking how long i should keep trying for, only to be told that i shouldn't be feeding her, but I did give her the chance to eat..

 

[instar]

Your doin just Fine Shaggy, no harm in offering tucker once, however now that you have, and shes refused, This is where you follow advice and leave her alone for a week or so to settle in. Dont offer food again yet and try to limit handling or dont handle at all till this time next week, then offer again.
Sometimes they take a while to get their bearings, tiny brain, not the brightest bulb in the animal world It will eat reg when its settled, it wont starve even over a month or two, dont worry.
Congrats, pics when its settled please.

 

[PilbaraPythons]

steve6610
Your post is bang on the money and you saved me the time posting the same points.

 

[Jenny]

Just to prove that every snake is different.

I brought home my new adult Murray Darling this afternoon. Popped her into her enclosure and an hour later I offered her a feed. She took it without hesitation.

I have a yearling carpet that hardly ever eats no matter how hard I try.

Snakes are like children and often refuse to eat. Even so, they are unlikely to starve themselves to death and will eat when they are ready.