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Crow
Snake mite
11 Posts |
 Posted - 25/06/2015 : 04:28:34
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I've had my rainbow for six years now. It was tough getting her to eat at first, but we eventually overcame it and she began eating eagerly. When I switched her to rats, she became a reluctant eater again. I solved the problem by heating a mouse with a rat each time, and she'd eat both. This worked for a while, but now she's not even eating with that. It's been a month. I know she's hungry, she wanders the tank every night. Temperature is in the 70s and my hydrometer never worked, but the humidity with the plexiglass and water and jungle substrate has been enough to rust screen lids.
Any advice? Maybe the rats don't get hot enough? I drop them into 120 degree water in their little plastic bag. Not sure how to make them hotter.
I've tried leaving them in the tank over night, but in the morning, there they are.
It's really frustrating paying a hefty amount for rats that just get thrown out. |
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Snakesitter
Rainbow Master
USA
2718 Posts |
Posted - 25/06/2015 : 20:53:56
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I hear your frustration, Crow.
To reassure you, feeding refusals are usually no cause for concern. An animal at a healthy weight can go for months without food. Just keep a loose eye on their weight and watch for any sudden drops.
Refusals could be due to several factors
Conditions off: double check her temps and humidity again, just to be sure nothing changed, and make sue she has enough places to hide
Unfamiliar food: does not sound like an issue here
Unwanted audience: does not sound like an issue here
Breeding season: is there a male rainbow in the vicinity she can smell?
Illness: has she been exposed to anything?
If all else fails, I've noticed that females rainbows sometimes go on a hunger strike for live mice. Try offering a few of those one at a time. She *should* go for a meal. Afterwards, just slowly re-wean her to frozen/thawed.
Good luck, and keep us posted! |
Cliff Earle
Living Gems Reptiles
Premium Brazilian Rainbow Boas from a disease-tested facility
Website, Facebook |
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Crow
Snake mite
11 Posts |
Posted - 27/06/2015 : 05:21:30
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Thanks for the reply. Temperature is still good. Her setup hasn't been changed in...a little over two years, so, since she is six, I don't think that is the cause.
No males in the vicinity. No new animals I'm the house in several years, and I haven't handled reptiles from outside for a while, so she probably hasn't been exposed to anything.
I'll weigh her more regularly as a baseline for concern. |
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Snakesitter
Rainbow Master
USA
2718 Posts |
Posted - 29/06/2015 : 20:39:17
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| OK. Try the mouse thing and let us know how it goes. Good luck! |
Cliff Earle
Living Gems Reptiles
Premium Brazilian Rainbow Boas from a disease-tested facility
Website, Facebook |
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Crow
Snake mite
11 Posts |
Posted - 07/07/2015 : 04:34:01
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| Update: Still not eating. Still very active. Currently 4.2 pounds. |
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Snakesitter
Rainbow Master
USA
2718 Posts |
Posted - 08/07/2015 : 20:59:49
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| Did you try the live mice? |
Cliff Earle
Living Gems Reptiles
Premium Brazilian Rainbow Boas from a disease-tested facility
Website, Facebook |
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Crow
Snake mite
11 Posts |
Posted - 22/07/2015 : 17:42:09
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| Not yet. I'm reluctant to do so unless I really have to due to some people questioning the ethics of that. In the meantime, I've tried feeding her twice since I last posted. She declined. I've weighed her twice. Got 4.2 pounds, and then 4.4 pounds last night. (I'm guessing she's about 4.3 pounds, and the scale, which increases by intervals of 0.2, rounded up or down, maybe from how much or little water she recently drank.). She's still active. |
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Snakesitter
Rainbow Master
USA
2718 Posts |
Posted - 22/07/2015 : 20:45:53
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So long as she is not losing weight, don't fret it too much. :-)
And the people questioning the "ethics" of live feeding need to get a life: these animals were *designed* to eat live, and regularly do so in nature. You've already explored the options several times and nothing else has worked. They should not force real hardship on an animal to satisfy their false human sense of wrong. |
Cliff Earle
Living Gems Reptiles
Premium Brazilian Rainbow Boas from a disease-tested facility
Website, Facebook |
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Another "Why won't she eat?!" Thread
