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Baby Coastal Carpet Not Eating...Need Help

S

SWDK

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Roughly 3 weeks ago I was given a baby Coastal Carpet. It was 3 weeks old when I got it. I got it from a friend of mine who just hatched a clutch. I asked if they were eating and he said he thinks so. He would throw a bunch of pinkie mice in the cage with all the babies and let them have at it. So there was no real way to tell who ate or not. Some were fatter and some were skinny. I picked a fatter one.

In the three weeks I've had the coastal it has not eaten on its own. I've tried live pinkie mice, frozen pinkie mice, live fuzzy mice, frozen fuzzy mice, live rat pup, frozen rat pup and still nothing at all.

I decided to force feed a small pinkie mouse becase I was in fear the snake might die.

Anuy suggestions on how to get this little guy to eat?
 
The first step is to make sure your set up is correct for a baby carpet...since you've given no information in that regard, we can't comment.
Second (no skipping steps - they're in this order for a reason), baby carpets are strongly movement oriented...you'll have the best success with prey that attracts their attention. (read: crawlers, or small hoppers)
There are other things that help, but let's not get too far ahead of ourselves. Don't force feed it again - that adds stress and food, both of which work against you getting it to eat. Make any husbandry corrections, then leave the snake alone (do nothing but spot clean and change water) for at least 5 days. Drop in a live, active prey item; then leave the room for an hour or two.
 
Here's some information about the setup. I have it in a 20g long aquarium, cypress mulch substrate, two cork bark hides (one on hot side and one on cool side), wooden skewers fixed together for higher up perch, uv light and ceramic heater. I tried an under the tank heater, but the snake never went to the warm side. Now that I have the ceramic heater the snake moves about the cage much more.
 
Here are some pics of the little guy.

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Have you tried other prey items like lizards, geckos, etc? You could try scent mice with lizard or geckos to see if that entices him to eat. You could also try scenting the rodents with chick down as well. If he still refuses to eat i would take him to a vet.
 
hadenglock said:
Have you tried other prey items like lizards, geckos, etc? You could try scent mice with lizard or geckos to see if that entices him to eat. You could also try scenting the rodents with chick down as well. If he still refuses to eat i would take him to a vet.
Click to expand...

I never thought of trying anything else like that. Should I got to a pet store and get any particular type of lizard or gecko? Can I catch a small frog or salamander and try that or is it risky they might be toxic to the snake?

I'm willing to try anything at this point. I've owned snaked for many years and have never came across a snake this hard to feed...that includes the pickiest of ball pythons I've had.
 
SWDK said:
I've owned snaked for many years and have never came across a snake this hard to feed...that includes the pickiest of ball pythons I've had.
Click to expand...

Really??

Sarcasm aside, you've had the snake for about 3 weeks...you've offered it multiple prey options, and force fed it already. Leave the snake alone already; give it some time, and offer it a slightly larger, more active prey item. Lizards might trigger a feeding response, as suggested; but, personally, I wouldn't go there yet.

Granted, when I was breeding carpets regularly, I said that 20-25% were typically difficult starters...but in that same sentence I would admit to choosing f/t over live because I didn't want to breed rodents. If you've got live rodents available to you, that's the way to go, IMO. The number of difficult starters is much lower, and you can leave even small hoppers in overnight.
You can start scouting lizard options, so you're prepared if it comes to that, though. :thumbsup:
Don't get discouraged, this is part of the fun!
 
Ok, I'll back off a bit. I just got worried because I thought it may die. This is my first new born snake ever.
 
You said you picked one of the fatter ones...as long as it stays hydrated, I wouldn't worry too much about it going 2-3 months unless it starts looking skinny. That doesn't mean I'd want it to go that long; but I've had plenty of babies take 2 months to start feeding.
If, after a few attempts (no more often than 5-7 days), it still hasn't taken a meal, I'll pass along a few tricks.
 
Thanks for your help Harold. I'll keep you updated on how it's doing. Next week I'll try to feed again with a rat pup or fuzzy/hopper mouse. Should I try putting it in Right when the lights go out? The carpet is definitely more active at night.
 
I would skip the rat pup - you're looking for something with more activity. I know that a hopper probably seems too big, but that is the kind of movement that gets a young carpets attention.
 
Great!
The easiest way to switch to f/t is to let it get hungry between feedings, so that the response is fast & consistent. If you don't have feeding tweezers, get some - after he's taken 3 to 5 meals with little hesitation, you can try the switch. Like with BPs, you'll have the best luck if you get the prey item nice and warm.
 
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