Help with force feed!

[tan]

I have a maccie which hasn't eaten since i got her (early July), I have tried absolutely everything (advice from here) and am at the conclusion she needs a feed. Shes not grown since I got her (has shed once). When i got her she was of a good size and feeding on pinkie rats so she looked rather big for her age but my smaller, younger maccie is now cathing up on her, and she seems to be losing weight.:cry: I am willing to try forcing a pinkie mouse and have heard how to do this but would like some advice, any experienced people, Please help.
Thanks in advance
Tanya

 

[Kyro]

I've heard of snakes going longer without a feed but if she is losing weight you should get her to a vet before you force feed her. I have heard that some snakes get force fed it can be that way for the rest of their life so not really worth it IMO unless of course we are talking life or death.

 

[Rosemary]

Help with force feed

Just a thought, i would definitely be taking her to the vet but try washing (just in plain water) a defrosted pinkie to take all the pinkie scent away and then smearing it with either sardines or pilchards (i used cat food ones). I had a macci and she wouldnt eat for ages and I did have the vet force feeding her once a fortnight (as I was too inexperienced to try this myself) but then just tried the above and she has never stopped eating. I used the same method for a few feeds after the first one and then just gave her plain pinkies
Good Luck
Rosemary

 

[Lurk]

Hang on do not do any thing yet.

Who did you get the snake off?

 

[Lurk]

Tan I have sent you a email.

 

[junglepython2]

How old is she mate? July isn't really that long. Maybe put some pics up so we can see her condition first.

 

[hugsta]

Force feeding any snake should not be done by anyone who doesn't know what they are doing. Get someone to show you a few times first before you attempt it as you can seriously injure or kill your snake. It is not hard if you know how to force feed them properly. You should first try assist feeding, force feeding should be a last resort.

 

[tan]

Thanks guys, I haven't done anything yet I'm trying leaving a pinkie with her for a few hours till i get home tonight, will try that pilchard thing tomorrow. I think I was over stating what I meant by force feeding, I was going to try just getting the pinkie in her mouth to see if she would take it from there but no luck, I couldn't even get her to open her mouth. Any other thoughts would be appreciated. I have to go out for a few hours will check back in tonightThanks again, Tan

 

[timthevet]

what temp (hot spot and cold spot) have you had the enclosure at for the last couple of mths. If he has lost more than 10% bodywt, I would be quite concerned and get it to the vet. Also if it is looking dehydrated, skinny or less active, would also be cause for concern - prominent bones, with a sort of triangular body shape. Wouldn't force feed cos there could possibly be an underlying disease causing the inappetence that probably needs attending first, but nothing wrong with trying to encourage feeding - maybe try cutting the food up.

 

[najanaja]

i knoow its not recomended,,
but have you tried it on garden skinks,,,i used to do the sardine trick with skinks,,clean the pinky and rub a garden skink over it,,but if worst comes to worst try feeding it the skink.

 

[tan]

I might try the sardine thing first, or a garden skink tail if i can get one, if not what are opinions on a live pinkie?? Its not something I would normally do but if all else fails should i try that maybe? Timthevet- her temps are fine, I've been all over the common causes, she seems to be quite active, however, i can't even get her to snap at me? Tried stirring her up with the pinkie to get her to snap at it and also left it with her for a few hours in the dark. Should I try to get the pinkie into her mouth to see if that encourages her to take it? All of my other snakes are great feeders so I've never encoutered this prob before.

 

[tan]

How old is she mate? July isn't really that long. Maybe put some pics up so we can see her condition first.

I will try to get a pic of her tomorrow, she still has a nice shine to her scales and i can't see her bones or backbone but i do feel she has lost a little weight.
I'm not sure if this means anything but when i got her iceman came to probe her for me and he said she looked quite big for her age, could there be something to this, maybe she was overweight and she's stopped herself feeding because of this - just throwing ideas out there?
Might try to get in contact with iceman, to take a look at her.

 

[rodentrancher]

We had the non eating problem with our MD boy "Boof", didn't eat for nearly 3 months after we got him home. He's the same age as "Emdee" our girl, but still only half the size. He did eventually eat though. I just followed some of the advice on this great site from other members. "Emdee" hasn't had a shed since late November last year, and hasn't eaten since the end of March this year. I guess she's decided it is winter, and that's that. We've just bumped up the temps a bit now, and also the humidity to see if that will help with the shedding side of things.(She was in shedding mode nearly 2 wks ago(cloudy eyes), but nothing has happened) Cheers Cheryl

 

[Pythoninfinite]

Thru the winter and at this time of the year, regardless of the temps at which the animal is kept, it is most likely seasonal. Antaresias or notorious for binge feeding then just stopping, sometimes for months, and it's just not something to worry about. They can lose a little weight but remain in excellent condition while fasting for up to 6 months or even more.

There are many cues that affect their behaviour, and temperature is only one. Day-length, atmospheric pressure, hormonal fluctuations can all have a bearing on the behaviour of your animal. If it is well grown for it's age and has been feeding OK until it stopped (in the middle of winter!) then it will start feeding again when it is ready. You risk far more harm to your snake by trying to force it to eat when it just isn't hungry.

Jamie.

 

[triptych_angel]

someone recommended to me that you defrost the mouse in some chicken stock, then dry it off and apparantly snakes cant resist it.

Cheers
Emz

 

[tan]

Thanks for the reassurance, i probably panic a bit, just don't want anything to happen to one of my babies

 

[tan]

Cheers emz, will give anything a go!

 

[tan]

Relief!!

She ate!!!!!! Thank-you to all those who offered advice and reassurance to me with my recent feeding issue. I tried the chicken stock thingy on the pinkie but no luck, thanks anyway emz will keep it in mind for future. With nothing else to lose and her failing to take both pinkie rats and mice I thought i may as well try a hopper mouse I had left over from another and guess what, ... she struck at it and bit me!! It was the best bite I was so happy:? ! Finally a positive sign. She tried to swallow it a couple of times but spat it back, mes thinking it might be a bit big so I sent hubbie to the shop for a few fuzzie mice to try. No luck even after braining them and leaving her with both fuzzie and hopper. I went, disparaged, to have a shower and decided to remove them when I got out....low and behold, when I came back, not only had she eaten NOT one, BUT BOTH!!! I am so relieved, she is now under her lamp with a rather fat tummy to work off!! She didn't want pinkies anymore that's all.. she promoted herself to fuzzies/hoppers (or both). I'm so happy I'm gunna go do a little dance ....WEEEEE.:lol:
Thanks again to all those with advice
Happy herper!!!!

 

[junglepython2]

Glad it turned out well

 

[Miffy]

Instead of a pinkie, have u tried a fuzzy?

I know diamonds love fur, maybe your snake might too.