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rosy boa not eating

L

laurae02

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Hi, I'm new to the forum looking to get a little advice about my rosy boa. I have had him for about 6 months now and he has yet to eat a single pinky! He is still very active, and I have an under tank heater, aspen substrate, a water bowl, hiding places, and I turn on a heat lamp for a few hours during the day. I have tried frozen and live pinkys, neither of which he is interested in. He hasn't shed his skin or passed feces in months but looks healthy. I knew that they can go a few months when they are "hibernating" or looking for a mate, but I wasn't sure how long they could go. I would like to avoid force feeding and was wondering if there was something else I could try. If anyone has any suggestions, I would really appreciate it, thank you! My name is Laura, btw.
 
that was my next step if I couldn't find anything from the forums. I go to vet school, so finding a good vet would be no problem (looks kinda bad that a vet students reptile isn't eating!). I just wasn't sure how abnormal going 6 months without eating was.
 
laurae02 said:
that was my next step if I couldn't find anything from the forums. I go to vet school, so finding a good vet would be no problem (looks kinda bad that a vet students reptile isn't eating!). I just wasn't sure how abnormal going 6 months without eating was.
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Well the thing with that is, how old is the animal, how many meals its had before this fast ( which is why i said pictures would help, so people reading could judge about, the body condition of the animal * put a dollar in there for size reference too* ) , and such. Body condition during such a length of time makes a massive difference in how each animal handles it.

Babies, may not do well, and could die, but so could malnourished unhealthy adults.

Have you tried various prey items to elicit a feeding response? Maybe the animal has become picky? Maybe pinks, and F/T Pinks are just not appetizing.
 
He was a lost and found pet store snake, the owner gave him to me, and he has never eaten anything since I have had him. He was probably lost in the pet store for a good couple of months. He's probably about 20 inches now and his body shape/girth hasn't changed since I've had him, so I don't think he's a baby. What other kind of prey items can I try?
 
Also.... What are your temps like? Do you have a hot and cool side, and do you have the apropriate hiding places? Is the animal housed alone? you said it has not passed feces since youve had it? has it passed urates? ( white chalky substance) Has this animal EVER seen a vet to rule out internal parasites, or a blockage in which it is prevented from passing waste?

Husbandry is a big issue that needs to be addressed, and your temps have to be in the correct ranges for the species. as well as humidity and hiding places.
 
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Hopefully these pictures work, but if not, I'm sorry. It has passed urates a couple of times, but that's about all. I haven't had him checked for parasites. He is in a 20 gallon tank by himself with the undertank heater on one side and his hiding rocks on the cooler side. My thermometer isn't the best but, on the hot side it's usually around 90 F and the cool side is room temp. I turn the heat lamp on sometimes, too, over the warm side. A couple of my classmates told me make sure he's warmed up pretty good to bring him out of "hibernating" if that is the problem, but that hasn't seemed to work either. Thank you for helping me out, I really appreciate it.
 
Try giving that guy some hopper mice. I dont think adults would be small enough.

you want to see a slight bulge in the stomach, where the food eventually comes to rest. You dont want it to impair their ability to crawl correctly, but you want to be able to see it, too. Live prey, when first killed, also tends to bloat more than F/T, so that is another factor to consider, when feeding larger prey ( Hoppers will be fine for that snake)

Get a digital thermometer/hydrometer for your tank, the kind with a long probe on it, so you can truly measure the hottest part, and get an accurate reading, as well as measure the humidity as well. and make sure your heating pad has a thermostat ( they can and do burn snakes left uncontrolled! I had it happen to one of my animals, and never again will i trust those things alone)

Have you read any good caresheets on these guys by people who keep and breed them? You may want to read a few of them, just so you really have a good idea of the general care. ( I may have a bunch of snakes, but that dosnt stop me from learning about them every. single. day. :) ) You learn by doing, and reading.
 
I've been trying pinky's over and over, but no luck. Wouldn't the hoppers be too big? I had a corn snake about this size and he ate the pinky's fine, I never went up a mouse size before he escaped... :-/
 
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