Reptile Forum, Reptile Classifieds - CaptiveBred

[lol93]

Our royal tends not to eat unless the prey item is really warm. We wrap the rat in kitchen roll, then leave it on top of an AHS viv heater for a few minutes. Even just giving the face of the mouse an extra heat eg. by holding it next to a light bulb for a few seconds can elicit a strike response.

Perhaps even heat it up then place the prey in the hide for him? He may feel more secure eating in there.

Good luck!
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[gsrawlinson]

mike, thanks for taking the time to write that for me,

seems a good idea, i am going to be using a heat mat from now on i know that for sure. and i know people who keep more than one royal use this method a lot, I've seen how they are set up and everything.

what should i do if it still refuses food, keep trying every 7 days or longer?

[mike h]

thanks
its the million $ Qs.
I would try every few 4/5 days. Also try avipro plus Get it from livefoods.co.uk in the water.
Probably it is just having a fast if it was eating mice and needs a bit of time to adjust.

mike
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[gsrawlinson]

i have been worried about the size of the hides for a while now, because they arent very tight around the royal at all, im just hoping changing the environment will not stress it out completely.

it is in a unused room and ive not handled him for about a month now

[serpent]

I would also change the substrate to one that hold moisture better.
What are you using ?
Looks like aspen ...not particularly good for royals IMHO

If you haven't noticed, royals are not the most active of snakes in the world, i have had them and noticed that they move about as much as a pet rope.

Royals can go for months without feeding with no adverse effects.

Personally, I would change the substrate to orchid bark or add a larger water bowl to raise the humidity, check the temps INSIDE the hide and raise if needed to around 31-32C , change the hide for a container (if the container is clear then tape it up with black tape , i use gaffer tape) with a entry hole in the lid and leave it alone for a few weeks without disturbing it except for water changes. Then try feeding it late evening with a mouse that is slightly warmed up on a radiator, place the mouse outside of the hide and forget about it until the morning.
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