Help - Burm won't eat!
Mary Panza
> I'm getting desperate. I'm worried sick about my Brumese who hasn't eaten
> in the last 10 weeks. I've talked with the store I got her from and they just
> keep selling me fuzzys to leave in the cage hoping she'll eventually eat
again.
>
You have a Burm that hasn't eaten in 10 weeks and the pet store is
suggesting fuzzies??? I'm sure everyone else in the world wants to know,
just how big/old is the burm?
Snakes aren't like people, they won't nibble or pick here and there. When
they want to eat, it should be the right size/color/etc. So without
knowing anything else, a first guess might be that the fuzzies are too
small for your snake and she's ignoring them. Two rules of thumb when
choosing a prey size: 1) the girth of the prey animal shouldn't be bigger
than the girth of the snake (but should be of the same magnitude - my 3.5'
Balls would ignore fuzzies - adult mice are nice - a 10 ft. burm would
probably ignore the mice - sm. rabbits would be the menu) and 2) the size
of the prey animal's head shouldn't be bigger than the snake's head, but
again in the same magnitude.
Consider what you are offering to your snake. Is it the right size for the
size of your snake? Is it an appropriate color, temperature, etc? What
time of day? Offering prey in the early evening is usually the best time
of day. Is the cage temp. sufficient that your cold-blooded snake feels
like eating?
Adult snakes, with good body weight can go a long time without eating -
the record is somewhere around 22 MONTHS! (This is for a retic, I think.)
We're just coming out of winter and most adults, especially females, go
off-feed during the winter naturally. Again, not knowing how old your burm
is... All of the books I've read note that this behavior is not normally
seen in juvenile specimens... but both of my female Balls (1 2-yrold and 1
1-yrold) are eating only 1x/month for the last few months while my 1 yr
old male is happily gobbling their leftovers.
If you are really worried and/or your snake looks emaciated, a trip to
your vet couldn't hurt. If it comes to force-feeding, a good herp vet can
make that decision and do it with less of a chance of harming your pet.
In reference to your burm being bitten by a mouse, are there any scars?
What's her reaction to prey in her tank? Does she noticeably avoid it? Is
she just not interested?
Just because a snake has been bitten, it doesn't mean he/she will be a
difficult feeder forever. It may take a little coaxing to get the first
meal after the issue, but, there should be no lingering problem. (The
mouse-happy male mentioned above has a 2in scar on his tail where a mouse
tried to make a dinner out of him when he was 4 or 5 months old. It ended
up with a number of stitches and Mommy and Daddy giving him a daily
antibiotic injection for 2 weeks!)
Does it have to be said again? Probably, DON'T leave your pet unattended
when a live prey item is in the tank!
I don't know that I've ever heard of a burm NOT trying to eat everything
in sight... Good luck!
-Mary
--
Mary Panza mpa...@adobe.com
Adobe Systems, Inc.,Prepress Group,411 First Ave. S,Seattle,WA 98104
Disclaimer: If I'm talking about our products, I'm probably speaking officially. If it's anything else, my opinions do not necessarily reflect those of Adobe Systems, Inc.
Daniel W. Pearson
: I'm getting desperate. I'm worried sick about my Brumese who hasn't eaten
: in the last 10 weeks. I've talked with the store I got her from and they just
: keep selling me fuzzys to leave in the cage hoping she'll eventually eat again.
: Their theory is that the snake got bit and is now shy? I don't know that she did
: ever get bit, though I would think that to be a very natural and expected event,
: certainly not devastating enough to cause the snake to fear food!
: She's lost alot of weight but is still active and doesn't appear to have any obvious
: health problems. What should I do??? Am I worried for nothing?
I assume you're dealing with a yearling burm since you're feeding
fuzzies. You might try to "assist feed" it with a dead fuzzie. Restrain
the snake's head and gently tap the mouth with the head of the fuzzie and
try to get the snake to bite the fuzzie. If it does, either hold
perfectly still and see if the snake begins to swallow, or gently place
the snake back in the cage and hold still until the snake swallows it or
spits it out. They will bite from anger, but after 30 seconds or more
they suddenly switch to feeding mode.
If that doesn't work you may need to force feed the snake a few times to
get it going. Science Diet A/D Cat/Dog food is a good semi-paste food
for debilitated animals and can be tube fed. If it gets to that point
consult a knowledgeable veterinarian because you may also have a parasite
problem causing the anorexia. Good luck and don't wait too long if this
is a small animal. The young ones can crash quickly.
Edward Emmerson
SC>in the last 10 weeks. I've talked with the store I got her from and they jus
SC>keep selling me fuzzys to leave in the cage hoping she'll eventually eat aga
SC>Their theory is that the snake got bit and is now shy? I don't know that she
SC>d
SC>ever get bit, though I would think that to be a very natural and expected ev
SC>,
SC>certainly not devastating enough to cause the snake to fear food!
SC>She's lost alot of weight but is still active and doesn't appear to have any
SC>vious
SC>health problems. What should I do??? Am I worried for nothing?
---
ş OLX 2.1 TD ş All hope abandon, ye who enter messages here.
scot...@onramp.net
keep selling me fuzzys to leave in the cage hoping she'll eventually eat again.
Their theory is that the snake got bit and is now shy? I don't know that she did
ever get bit, though I would think that to be a very natural and expected event,
certainly not devastating enough to cause the snake to fear food!
She's lost alot of weight but is still active and doesn't appear to have any obvious
Edward Emmerson
SC>in the last 10 weeks. I've talked with the store I got her from and they jus
SC>keep selling me fuzzys to leave in the cage hoping she'll eventually eat aga
I'm interested in helping get him to eat naturaly if it is possible. I
agree with the individual who said to feed him with a tube if necessary,
but in the mean time can you tell us what other kinds of characteristics
he has been exhibiting? For instance, has been active around his home
or pretty much just been sitting there? Also what is the tempurature of
his habitat wether glass or whatever? Do you feed him live food or
dead. Most snakes I have had experience with won't eat pre killed prey,
although I have only had snakes from the wild that weren't bred in
captivity.
Hope you can get the little fella to eat.
---
ş OLX 2.1 TD ş --T-A+G-L-I+N-E--+M-E-A+S-U-R+I-N-G+--G-A+U-G-E--
scot...@onramp.net
so they're a little bigger that mice. We were progressing up in size just fine until
her third shed and after that she hasn't eaten a thing! She is still moderately
active but *I* think alot of her activity is to avoid the baby rats I keep leaving
in the cage.
The cage is a 30 gallon glass aquarium with a heavy wire mesh lid. She
has a heating pad and room to get away from it. I keep a 70watt light on the wire
top which keeps the air temp in the mid 80's to low 90s depending on house temp.
She gets daily fresh water in a large heavy bowl and has pine shavings to play on.
Looks like she bit something or cut her mouth somehow today. There appears
to be something like dried blood at the edge of her mouth. This is new. She has
looked great except for the gradually decreasing weight until today, and this
doesn't look that bad but it's still another worry.
Anyone know a good Herp vet in Dallas/FtWorth area?
Scot
Karen Davis PSP team 03 505
are several good herpetologists who maybe able to help or point you
to the right person. It sounds like she has an infection. I believe there
are some over the counter topical antibiotics you can use on her
sore.