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Burmese Python Eating Question!!!!!

Burmgirl23

Burmgirl23

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Recently i've been trying to get my female albino Burmese off of LIVE Rats, And i've been trying to get her on F/T, but she just keeps turning her nose at them and refusing everything i give her,

This is really getting to me, and i really want to know how to get her on F/T , so any suggestions would be great to help me along the way!!

I HATE keeping live, their a pain in the butt!

but any help would be awesome! THANK YOU!

I haven't been over to my boyfriends house in 3 weeks, just got there lastnight, and he said she refusing every meal, i tryed F/T lastnight But All she did was smell it and then did one strike and turned her nose again....

So HELP on this would be great!!!
 
Mooing Tricycle said:
have you tried prekilled?

Sometimes you have to get them to accept prekilled before they will take F/T.
Click to expand...

We've tryed that too, She's really picky
 
Picky and Burm, in the same sentence?

Stories like this always amaze me. I kept several Burms for 16 years, and every single one of them would eat anything I offered them. Only on a very rare occasion if one was deep in shed would I have a refusal.

There was a time when I was 15 years old that I was between jobs and did not have enough money for feeders. I purchased frozen chicken legs, went home and boiled them(until cooked), let them cool to room temperature(internal) and fed them to my 12' and 8' Burms. They took the chicken without hesitation and had never been fed anything but live/stunned or F/T mice, rats, and rabbits. I then went and picked up a bag of drumettes that fed my other four Burms that were between 3'-4', again without hesitation.

I had gotten the idea from my Mother's manager at Winn Dixie, who I had purchased a custom built enclosure from. He had an 18 year old RTB that he had fed nothing but drumettes as a hatchling, and chicken legs from then on.

What are the conditions you are keeping the snake in?
 
You most likely already tried this, but sometimes the solution is as simple as movement. Dangling the feeder in front of the snake (with tongs or forceps) making it move as if it were alive might do the trick. Sometimes making the feeder bump into the snake's snout agitates them enough to trigger a feeding response.
 
ApexPredatorBoids said:
You most likely already tried this, but sometimes the solution is as simple as movement. Dangling the feeder in front of the snake (with tongs or forceps) making it move as if it were alive might do the trick. Sometimes making the feeder bump into the snake's snout agitates them enough to trigger a feeding response.
Click to expand...

Ive done this too, tongs come in handy since during feeding i don't like sticking my hands in there ... but thanks! :)
 
RJK890 said:
Stories like this always amaze me. I kept several Burms for 16 years, and every single one of them would eat anything I offered them. Only on a very rare occasion if one was deep in shed would I have a refusal.

There was a time when I was 15 years old that I was between jobs and did not have enough money for feeders. I purchased frozen chicken legs, went home and boiled them(until cooked), let them cool to room temperature(internal) and fed them to my 12' and 8' Burms. They took the chicken without hesitation and had never been fed anything but live/stunned or F/T mice, rats, and rabbits. I then went and picked up a bag of drumettes that fed my other four Burms that were between 3'-4', again without hesitation.

I had gotten the idea from my Mother's manager at Winn Dixie, who I had purchased a custom built enclosure from. He had an 18 year old RTB that he had fed nothing but drumettes as a hatchling, and chicken legs from then on.

What are the conditions you are keeping the snake in?
Click to expand...

She's in a 90 gallon tank with her tank mate, a male they have been together since they were baby's, not related tho

She's on paper towel as i refuse to use anything but that, because i have such problems with buying the zoo med dirt, bark ect ect comming with mites

Her temps are good too

She's gone thru a shed, and still won't eat, i will try those chicken drum sticks tho... do you keep the bone in ???
 
One other thing to try (if you haven't already) is to make sure the temp of the rat being fed is approximate to what a live one would be (about 37C?). Temp of the food item can play a major part in the feeding response.
 
Most people will probably tell you that it's not a good idea to house snakes together for any reason other than breeding. That alone could be possibly be playing some part in why she's picky. Might be worth a try to separate them and see if that makes any difference.
 
i shall give'er a go and seperate them, and see what that does, and i will temp my rats with the temp gun to check them before feeding also

thanks guys
 
Even without feeding problems it's probably for the best that they live in separate enclosures. One last thing I can think of to try is to leave the feeder in the tank with her overnight. Sometimes just the stress of bright lights or seeing you standing there watching her might be enough to make her stop eating. Total darkness and no distractions might help.
 
I was not suggesting the chicken legs. I was just saying that my Burms would eat anything. I am surprised whenever I hear of a picky eating Burm.

I did leave the bone in, unless that one pointed one stuck out at the bottom then I would remove it. I don't think it would hurt any, but if she won't eat a F/T rat, then I don't see her eating a piece of chicken. I guess you never know though.

If it has been 3 weeks I would feed her a live feeder. After a meal or two offer her a stunned rat. If that goes well try P/K the following meal, and if she takes P/K you can offer her F/T the following meal. Try feeding her like every 7-10 days.
 
I dont think chicken bone would hurt a burm. some feed them whole chickens, with no ill effects. And im pretty sure they eat even bigger whole birds in the everglades... * not that we want them to be*
 
Ok, So i winged it lastnight and took her out of her mates tank and put her into another..... i warmed up her rat to a good temp, it was warm to touch, So kept sniffing it and looked very interested, but never took it.... So i left it in her tank over night with the lights off and the door locked , so i wouldn't go in there to keep checking....... Came back this morning and the rat was still there, so i guess i'm going to have to try live again and see if she'll take that ..... :-s

I think its been a good 3 weeks if not longer and she hasen't taken anything, i'm starting to get worryed now

Just thought i would update you guys on the current situation

Thanks for all the help too!!!!! :)
 
MAJOR UPDATE!!!

UPDATE!!!!!

she finally took F/T today.... took about 5 mins, but she took it and then took another one after that
what i did was insted of keeping them beside the lights to de-thaw, i thawed them out in hot water, stuck them under a light till they were warm
enough to touch... then put them on the tongs and went to work

she took them good, and kept on wanting more!!! YAY! :) :) :D
 
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