my snake (fangs) wont eat live mice anymore and they need to be killed before he will touch them but I do not want to kill them! He has eaten them before i dont know why please help !!!
2006-12-06 06:18:35 · 20 answers · asked by xxx_gothic_queen_xxx 1 in Pets ➔ Reptiles
you could try him with frozen mice, they are the best type to feed them but make sure that you don't give your snake the mice when they are still frozen-you have to defrost them first. i have heard that if you give a snake a live rodent,sometimes the rodent will seriously injure the snake or may even kill it. so i would try him with dead ones.
2006-12-06 06:25:06 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's cheaper and safer for the snake to buy frozen rodents in bulk. There's always a chance of injury from live prey. Do you watch the snake eat or do you just dump the food in and walk away? Quite often snakes learn to shy away from live prey if they are bitten by it. I've gotten to the point where I can kill and freeze my own mice, but I can understand how some people would be squeamish about it. Frozen mice at pet stores are ridiculously overpriced, but if you can get to a reptile show/swap, you can buy 20-50 at a time for a great price.
Don't suffocate them! It may be easier on your conscience to kill them passively, but a quick whack is the most humane way to do it.
2006-12-06 06:35:25 · answer #2 · answered by snake_girl85 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Ok, Im going to assume you had the common sense to defrost the mice first before trying to get the snake to eat it. First thing is dont panic, smaller snakes need to eat more often, but the larger the snake, the longer it can go without food. Most snakes about a meter long only need fed about once a week, and can go for longer. You need to make sure your tank is the right temperature. Around about 80 degrees F is about right. If your tank is colder than this, then that is possibly the reason your snake isnt eating. I worked for an animal centre, and we had the largest snake in Scotland for a while, a Burmese python. I think she was about 13 ft long if I rememeber rightly (it was a few years back now) but we had her for 6 months, and try as we might, we just couldnt get her tank up to the right temperature so we couldnt get her to eat. The owners decided to sell her on to someone with a better tank with better insulation.
2016-05-23 01:20:10 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Start buying dead mice. I've heard that it's not good to feed live rodents to snakes. Sometimes they don't kill them before swallowing and there have been cases where the rodent actually chewed through the snake and killed it. I wouldn't want to take that chance.
2006-12-06 06:22:11 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
he is either hibernating or there is something round with his stomach. or it could also b the case that he was eating a live one and it scratched or bit him and hurt him. he is probably wary of live mice now so you would b better off breeding ur own and feeding it the babies or the cheaper and easier option of just buying frozen ones from the pet shop and defrosting them. the best way is ifront of the fire not too close though you dnt wanna cook it just get it to room temperature. if you are stil worried i wud bring it to the vet. Hope this helped you.
2006-12-06 20:33:41 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
When you buy the mice have the store tie them up in a double plastic bag. Lay it under a seat out of sight and by the time you arrive home it will have suffocated and yet will still be warm.
Also, you can do this in advance and freeze the mouse. When it's time to eat put the mouse bag and all in boiling water on your stove to warm it back up to room temperature... takes just a few minutes.
Also keep in mind that snakes go through a hibernation period where they will not eat for months.
2006-12-06 06:29:24 · answer #6 · answered by real_classy_gal 2 · 1⤊ 2⤋
live strike feeding is illegal in the uk an all our snakes are fed with dead mice, you can buy them frozen and then defrost them cos your snake is a strike feeder he might be put of by a cold mouse i find my royal python eats more if i warm it up with a hair dryer after defrosting and wiggling it round infront of his nose with tongs hope this helps
2006-12-06 10:07:46 · answer #7 · answered by mariestevematti 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
you can buy dead frozen mice at petco or pretty much any pet store with reptiles in it for that matter. you will need to thaw them. out thme in a warm/ hot jar of water, but NEVER put thme in the microwave. they will explode. i have a ball python (coils) that had the opposite problem. he wont eat dead mice, only live. give them what they want.
2006-12-09 10:05:22 · answer #8 · answered by Stinky 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
you can buy dead frozen mice from petshops its much easier. just get how ever many you need out a couple of hours befor you want to feed him. if he doesn't look interested try putting them in warm water for a minute so they are body temp.
2006-12-08 09:50:52 · answer #9 · answered by clare 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
you can by frozen mice at most pet stores it safer for your snake to eat dead food any way just make sure that the mouse is thawed all way
2006-12-06 08:19:21 · answer #10 · answered by pamela_jake 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋