Reptile Forum, Reptile Classifieds - CaptiveBred

[iriechris]

My friend has a 6 month old albino royal with a feeding problem, I know that sometimes royals are picky feeders but this female will not strike however when assist fed she immediately constricts the mice and eats very quickly. Is this a unusual problem????

as he has had a dozen babies and this is the first he has experienced troubles with.

Thanks for all replies

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Curently Keeping:

Varanus 0.0.1
Rhacodactylus 1.0.0
Uromastyx 1.1.0

[PaulG]

It is nothign to worry about, if she is not feeding and you are assisting a decent sized prey item. .
they will coil, its a good sign that the snake has a feeding response.

Mine does this, as I have to assist.

Has he tried all the usual methods getting it to feed? heating the head, leaving it in over night etc etc.
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Regards, Paul.

:.Rhacodactylus.:.Eublepharis.:.Stenodactylus.:.Nephrurus.:

[Dracowoman2]

Several of mine don't strike, I just leave the warmed rats in over night, and they are usually gone in the morning, even my ones in blue that would normally strike feed eat this way, so far anyway. I have an adult that is the same, leave it in overnight apparently (I haven't fed her yet myself) and it's gone in the morning.

Like Paul said, try all the usual options if he hasn't already. Certainly sound like she has the right idea about what to do with it after a little assistance.
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www.draco2.co.uk

"Life without animals isn't life, they give much and take little"

Claire

[Lynne]

with all the ones of mine that have not eaten, and i mean not eaten, including the one last night, i find that heating the head over and over till its roasting got them on way. but i wouldnt worry as he is getting something down her, but you dont want to assist for too long. so keep trying to get her to strike herself.
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[Lynne]

also try dragging the mouse/rat around the tub with tongs. sometimes they like the chase too.
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[Dracowoman2]

I agree with Lynne about the heating the head right up and the dragging about with tongs, seems to work for me this way as well, although I have a couple that you can barely get the rat in with before they've had away with it
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www.draco2.co.uk

"Life without animals isn't life, they give much and take little"

Claire

[mike h]

Hello

Ocassionally a couple of live feeds is neccessary to get them into the swing of things.
Not ideal but worth a try.

THE FOLLOWING IS WHAT I DO
1: Get the rat defrosted.

2: Place in hot water and get kitchen roll and forceps ready.

3: assuming the snake is in a box type setup, slide out or get lid off.(try not to make too much fuss etc)

4: Pour recently boiled water into the container, so that you can only keep your fingert in for a couple of seconds(watch for belly burst if smaller rodent) also hatch royals can eat larger food than what you think.

5: Put food item in kitchen roll and quickly get excess wet off, dont let get cold, it needs to be HOT not warm.

6: Gently put near to snake.

If snake refuses still but shows interest make even hotter, so much so the water in the container makes you go OUCH
Also try the above with lights out except for say a computer monitor screen. I have spent many a evening in the dark with a hot rat and a snake which is still learning
remember the snake wants to eat more than you want it to eat, it just needs a little help.
A lot of people don't like the hot water method but it really works well.
Often simply by increasing the temp of the food from warm to HOT makes a massive difference to a royals feeding response.

hope helps
mike
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Check out my albino royal python website!

[Dracowoman2]

Yep the belly burst is a bugger, I managed that with my hairdryer. And the very dim lighting is how I feed all of mine as they are naturally nocturnal, I also usually wait until about 8pm or after before feeding. My weaner rats I get out in the morning and put them into a tub with the lid just covering it and put that on the top of the rack for the little ones to defrost through the day, that way they can smell rat all day and that night they get the spoils. Don't know whether this helps or not, but with the hairdryer to warm the rats up as well, it certainly makes for very restless snakes. Usually hubby warms them as I get each little ones box out, then grab rat by shoulders and straight in.

Good luck with getting the little one to eat on it's own. Lynne went 6 months with her Mojo and finally won yesterday, and has been tube feeding another, just shows what you can do with a bit of patience and some understanding. I think we should saint her
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www.draco2.co.uk

"Life without animals isn't life, they give much and take little"

Claire

[Lynne]

aw thank you draco! but if you had heard the cursing i did when they didnt eat, and seen the texts i sent poor pete.....you wouldny be making me a saint!!!!
and i always said i would never assist, but with kya if she hadnt been tube fed she would have eventually gone too far down the road. as it was three weeks tube feeding to get bit of strength up(on dog food) and she has bever looked beck. now she treats me like dirt!!!!
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[Dracowoman2]

I can well imagine the cursing Lynne, and the text come to that

On the bright side, you didn't give up on her, and she is alive and feeding herself, so a little divaness probably just shows she's healthy or she's been having lessons of the TRUE diva
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www.draco2.co.uk

"Life without animals isn't life, they give much and take little"

Claire