carpet python/feeding issues?

Question

I recently bought a jungle carpet and i can't get it to eat. It is about 2 feet long and has eaten in the past. it will strike at a mouse, then pull away as if it is scared. I keep the tank warm enough day and night and he has already adjusted to his new home (I have had about 15 boas and pythons). when i try feeding him, i put him in a seperate container and he will stay in there for hours without killing or eating the mouse. Advice from snake experts please!!

Answer 1

Hi Mate,

I am a herpetologist and have dealt with many cases just like this.

Take a pillow case/cover. Take a the snake from his enclosure. Put the snake in the pillow case/cover. tie a loose knot in the cover. and return to the enclosure overnight.

then the following evening at sunset defrost a frozen prey item try a day old chick and a medium rat pup. It will eat the two.

The best way to defrost the prey items is on an old dinner plate under the snake basking spot bulb or heat emitter. This allows the plat to become warm and speeds up the process. Meanwhile the snake in the pillow case/cover is getting excited.

Leave the prey item for around 45 Min's for the chick and 90 Min's for the rat pup. So when the chick is defrosted, open the pillow case/cover and drop in, do not stop and stare, re-knot the pillow case/cover and return to the cooler end of the enclosure.

Once the rate has defrosted do the same. It will eat these two prey items. Repeat every ten days until for around eight to ten feeds. This will recondition the snake and ensure it strikes eats and lives a good life.

They are an easy snake to keep. Make sure your snake has access to water at all times. Also ensure a nice place to hide is provided. I use upturned clay plant pots with the hole in the base made bigger. Also never feed a captive snake live prey... there are reasons for this but I will leave this question there for now!

Let me know how you get on with this little fella!

Answer 2

I had this same problem when I had my carpets. What I had to do was leave the mouse in a brown paper bag with the snake overnight. I don't recommend this with live food, but you could try it in a dark room for an hour or so then check on him. This has worked for me with other stubborn feeders, and we used to do this trick at the pet store I worked at. You could also try a small rat, that may do the trick as well. Be careful when feeding live, and good luck!

Answer 3

It was decided in the very beginning of having my 6 and 1/2 ft. red tailed boa constrictor... Mia that we would feed her dead animals as opposed to live. Live animals make snakes more active and agitated to the point that they will strike anything that moves. Feeding pre killed rodents and rabbits make the pet more docile... better able to be handled. I would put the warm pre killed prey on top of the hide box and leave it there. Mia would smell it, stalk it, and eventually she would eat it (when I wasn't watching.) Maybe your snake would prefer not be aggressive at feeding time. Call a herpatologist for more info. Reptiles do not go to regular vets.You may get some helpful info there.

Answer 4

I had the same problem...try this;
whatever color the mouse was that you've been feeding him buy a different color...I know snakes are suppose to be blind/color blind and rely on their sense of smell but it worked for me. A white mouse bit my snake..he wouldn't eat for 6 months! I bought a black one, wham-mo he struck it faster than I could see.

In the mean time if you want to force feed him...take a hot dog, force it down his throat and break it off. You can feed him like this for a long, long time.

Answer 5

Snakes will eat when they feel like it. Unless you shove it down their throats, you can't make them eat if they don't want to. Carpets are smart. I'm sure once she gets to bigger meals she'll learn.

Answer 6

go to a vet! how long hasnt he been eating??

Answer 7

force feed him:(