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19adam85
Snake mite

United Kingdom
31 Posts

Posted - 25/07/2011 :  10:03:24  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
ok so as some of you know ive been having trouble with a brb that i got a month ago from someone who force fed it and ive tried every thing to get this to eat but its now been a month and still no luck im getting more concered now as it looks like it may be loosing wieght my scales are broken now so i cant be sure till i buy new ones but its still only small any way

any one have any advice as to where i can get help as i just dont think any thing i do will help but i could not have left this poor brb being force fed with previous owner

i figured if i re house it in seperate viv from a much larger one it was living with(i dont think these people had a clue what they were doin) it would start eating

but no i was wrong and now gettin worried

any advice or help would be great cheers

CDN_Blood
Rainbow oddball

Canada
489 Posts

Posted - 25/07/2011 :  13:02:03  Show Profile  Visit CDN_Blood's Homepage  Send CDN_Blood a Yahoo! Message  Reply with Quote
I would make sure the snake has 2 things - a hide where it can feel safe in it's enclosure, and a nice, quiet spot to keep the enclosure.

If it already had those and still won't eat for you, I'd try live food. If it didn't have those, dig-up something around the house that it can use for a hide and move it to the quietest spot in the house you can find and leave it there for at least a day or two and then try live food.

Until baby Rainbows gain their confidence, they can be very insecure little things, so minimize the handling and other disturbances until you get it eating. One other thing of note is that a lot of people tend to underestimate the size of prey that gets them going, so if you're trying it on pinkie mice or something, you may want to consider increasing the size of the prey to stimulate it's natural instincts.

Keep us posted and best of luck!

TODD
25 Years of Commitment and Responsibility in Private Herpetoculture
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19adam85
Snake mite

United Kingdom
31 Posts

Posted - 25/07/2011 :  13:12:43  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
yea live food is the only thing i have not tried as its illegal in england but i may have to try any way and it has everything else and is in the quitest spot in the house has hides and the rest but this brb is not shy i havnt handles it for 2 weeks now but when i first got it the brb loved to come out the viv and explore its really very strange

cheers for reply
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Snakesitter
Rainbow Master

USA
2718 Posts

Posted - 25/07/2011 :  23:02:42  Show Profile  Visit Snakesitter's Homepage  Reply with Quote
Adam, I'm guessing you've already checked the climate parameters (temp/humidity), but I'd check again just to be sure. They could have slipped, and that might spur a feeding refusal.

If you do try non-dead, go for a "mouse hopper." Those are still small enough to be eaten, but are like crack candy to little Brazilians -- maybe because of all the movement? Anyway, once it eats a few times you should be able to make a quick and painless transition to frozen/thawed.

Good luck,

Cliff Earle
Living Gems Reptiles

Premium Brazilian Rainbow Boas from a disease-tested facility
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19adam85
Snake mite

United Kingdom
31 Posts

Posted - 26/07/2011 :  10:12:50  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
yea all my temps and humidity are right a chech these every day

the main reason for the brb is the fact the previous owner used to force/assist feed this brb every week which we all know is a real last resort that should really not be done unless the snake will die

and upon checking up with him last night he even siad the place he got it had done it to and that the brb would grow out of it (which is not the case) this is the reason i couldnt leave the brb with the previous owner

i knew this would be hard work to try and solve but i thought being in a better set up away from the larger brb it was housed with would help but it hasnt

i have had a few people give good ideas about dippin prey in tune juice and beef heart as the nuitriants are great for them but so far the brb has shown no interest at all if i cant solve this soon i will have to seek proffesional help or even give my loved brb to someone who can save it

i dont want to loose it tho so im really hoping something will work soon

cheers for replys
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CDN_Blood
Rainbow oddball

Canada
489 Posts

Posted - 26/07/2011 :  13:37:02  Show Profile  Visit CDN_Blood's Homepage  Send CDN_Blood a Yahoo! Message  Reply with Quote
Hmm...at this point you might just be best to wait it-out, if the snake is not underweight already. These things can go for a *long* time without food and rather than turning it-off of feeding with various attempts, it may just be better to let it settle-in for a month or so and then try it with normal procedures.

While snakes are not the most intelligent things, they do have memory and it just may need to have a little time to put it's past experiences behind it before it's prepared to move-on.

For examples of how long they can go between meals, my baby Argentine Rainbow wouldn't eat for me for the first 6 weeks (yet continued to grow), but now gobbles 2 adult mice per feeding. My 4 year-old Guyana Rainbow came to me between Xmas and New Years and has only accepted 3 small rats since (7 months have passed) and just keeps growing and shedding every 4 weeks like clock-work. I also have a 4 year old Royal Python which has only eaten 4 times in the past year, which is not uncommon for a male Royal. In my particular case, these things aren't an issue because I have others that will take the food refused by anything else, and I take consolation in the fact that those with the desire to feed infrequently will out-live (by a number of years) things that eat much more often.

These things have their own schedules and there's not a lot we can do to change them, but I hope it works-out for you soon because I know it can be stressful if you're not used to it.

TODD
25 Years of Commitment and Responsibility in Private Herpetoculture

Edited by - CDN_Blood on 26/07/2011 13:43:12
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19adam85
Snake mite

United Kingdom
31 Posts

Posted - 26/07/2011 :  14:00:39  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
oh right i do try not to worry really but yes its hard and stressfull i have a few snakes and have not had this trouble before all my others eat everytime with no fuss

and so far its been a month that my little brb has not eaten so i know it will be ok for now i just get worried its not goin to feed and have had lots of brilliant advice from lots of people but its hard to decide which ones to try really

if your snakes manage fine without feeding im sure my brb will be ok to ill just keep an eye on the wieght of it just to make sure its not loosing any so far it doesny appear to be loosing weight and shed fine a few weeks ago

lets just hope every thing works out fine i might still try find some one proffesional just to check it out and make sure there is nothin serious going on just so i can rule that out

cheers for the help

adam
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