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HELP! My Amazon tree boa will not eat .......

D

denman

Patrick Bowen
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I have a sub-adult Amazon tree boa - she is a very difficult eater, and of late she is refusing to eat her F/T pinkies. He condition is poor, and I know that if she does not resume eating she is going to die. ...
I just don't know what else I can do to get this animal to eat. I hold the pinkie on the tongs for a good 10-minutes or longer and this ATB will not strike or take the pinkie. I'm at a total loss. Can anyone offer me any recommendations as to what I can do to help this animal eat. Thank you.
 
Has she been tested for intestinal parasites, crypto, etc? That's where I would start, assuming that all basic husbandry is up to par.

Chronic poor eaters of FT might simply prefer prekilled or live, or chicks -- trying other feeders might be fruitful along with getting her in to the vet to rule out basic pathogens.
 
a sub adult should be eating much larger than a pinkie. Is it rat pinky or mouse pinky?
I assume you are heating it up a lot and offering at night?
Does she show any interest in it at all, what is her reaction when you offer?
Are there any other issues going on, bad shed or in blue? Some ATBs won't eat when they are having bad shed issues (although some will anyways).

If she's too small to eat anything larger, then I suggest a live one since it won't be able to do any damage to her anyways.

Is she a wild caught, ever been checked for parasites?

I've been keeping ATBs since 2001 and have over 10 right now, they are generally all very active and happy to eat. Even when having issues. So that is why I think there must be something else going on, possibly parasites. I hope she starts eating for you.
 
My ATB won't eat.

This ATB is wild caught. She was sold to me as a sub-adult. She is long and thin. Looking at her, I can't imagine her eating anything larger than a Pinkie mouse. He skin condition is poor. I have not seen her shed in the entire time I hae owned her. I think it's time for her to be seen by my Exotic Veterinarian.
 
Can anyone help me with this snake? I have already taken her to the Vet - he wanted a stool sample to check for Parasites. this snake has never pooped. She has only eaten a few meals. Pinkies. Nothing larger. I have recently offered her Hoppers. She has refused them as well. I have added a CHE to increase the temperature in her all-glass enclosure and will be adding black paper to 3-sides of her enclosure to make her feel more secure. I don't know why this animal will not eat. I really need some help. Can someone help me please?
 
I don't keep ATBs. That said, when I have similar issues with various herp species, I'll sometimes try some bold interventions.

One is tube feeding -- mix a slurry of chicken baby food, raw egg, and a little herp multivitamin and use a dosing needle or feeding tube. This does indeed keep snakes alive for long periods of time (about 2 years is the longest in my experience, and which point I gave up) but is a pretty advanced thing. Perhaps this (or some other technique) could be used by your vet to get a sample (to produce some poop, or some other technique like a cloacal wash).

You could ask your vet if they think shotgunning antiparasitic meds would be prudent. Metronidazole is sometimes used successfully on non-feeding herps (with the thought that they have an amoebic infection); one of the safer anthelmintics (fenbendazole comes to mind) might be a good idea depending on what parasites ATBs tend to come in with. This should be something the vet could advise on.

That's all just general advice, though, and this may be something more ATB-specific going on, so I hope you find the info you need.
 
Socratic Monologue said:
One is tube feeding -- mix a slurry of chicken baby food, raw egg, and a little herp multivitamin and use a dosing needle or feeding tube. This does indeed keep snakes alive for long periods of time (about 2 years is the longest in my experience, and which point I gave up) but is a pretty advanced thing. Perhaps this (or some other technique) could be used by your vet to get a sample (to produce some poop, or some other technique like a cloacal wash).
Click to expand...
You may find this useful.
https://www.faunaclassifieds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=663950

Metronidazole is sometimes used successfully on non-feeding herps (with the thought that they have an amoebic infection); one of the safer anthelmintics (fenbendazole comes to mind) might be a good idea depending on what parasites ATBs tend to come in with. This should be something the vet could advise on.
Click to expand...
IIRC metronidazole (aka flagyl) is also commonly given to WC imports as it stimulates appetite. Most WC critters don't eat as they arrive stressed and with a substantial parasite load.
 
tube feeding an atb would be very delicate and not something I personally would do (I've tube fed boas before).

Have you tried a small (pinky/fuzzy) live food option yet?
ATBS are voracious feeders, I do understand the vet needs stool and without her eating, well... but something is deff wrong.

What are your temps (ATBs prefer it a little cooler), glad you blacked out the sides, are there hides? ATBs WILL use hides and a lot will prefer to sleep there in the day.
 
Most vets are probably not "qualified" for tube feeding a snake neither. They will just wing it, just like you would have to do. But the vet will charge you money for the effort, regardless of their experience level (or lack thereof).

When you keep animals, especially wild types, you often need to become your own expert in fields you never, ever, expected to have to walk through.

It is really up to you to save your animal. You may have to just man up and accept that you will need to force feed this animal just to keep it alive and HOPE it's own innate feed response will kick in sooner or later. If I had a dollar for every snake I have had to do that with over all the years I had snakes, I would be having one of my servants serving me tea in my mansion right now. It just comes with the territory.
 
Temps and Humidity are good. 3-sides are now covered. I will continue to offer Pinkies every 2-3 days. Perhaps it will take this animal a few days to "warm up" since adding the CHE on Friday.

I'm not going to force feed or even attempt to feed this WC ATB who could and has bitten the crap outta me. No. Not happening.

ATB's preferring it a "little cooler" doesn't help me. I would need to know exactly what Temps should be in this animals enclosure, because right now the Temps are kept at about 83-degrees with 67% Humidity (All Care Sheets indicate ATBs should be kept at ambient temps of 82-85) and Humidity should always be above 50% and even higher.
 
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