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Sterling issues

K

kickflare

Crazy snake Lady
Hey everyone, I'm being a worried snake mom again,

I'm a bit worried about my snake Sterling. He's a total sweet heart and has just gone into shed as he arrived at me when he had just gone blue. I thought after I found his skin this morning (pretty sure he's male as his skin has those two red things right near where his vent is) and found hey he must be pretty hungry after wiggling to get that skin off.

So I prepped up his pinkie as well as Ayesha's two pinkies and went to try and feed him. Ayesha scoffed her pinkies down so fast I thought she might get hiccups or something. Sterling though, not interested at all. I even tried getting some of the brain matter to come out to get his interest and I was wiggling it about his tank and right near him as well. He ran away from the pinkie.

So I've put on a flat lid in his tank and I'm hoping he decides to go munching but I've not got much hope. He seems adamant about not eating at the moment. Especially as I've fed tough snakes and I'm a matter of pissing them off to the point where they bite the mouse then realise it's food. Sterling aren't doing that. He's running away from it and hiding in his foliage.

What do I do? Ayesha fought eating in her first feed then I pissed her off with the pinkie and she struck and then realised it was food. Since then, any time she hearts the tapping and me saying it's dinner time she is right up in her foliage. Her head right by the opening where I lower in the food and she's striking and trying to munch anything that comes in. Ayesha likes to eat in her foliage.

Sterling is just worrying me as he's not even interested in eating. Am I doing something wrong with him? I prep it the same way as I do for Ayesha...

Please help
 
I would leave Sterling alone for about 5 days. Then I would put Sterling into a feeding tube with a thawed mouse of appropriate size, cover it and walk away for about an hour. I don't usually feed my snakes if I know they shed that day. I give them a couple days.
 
Well he shed on Friday and I offered food on Saturday. I tried to feed him tonight and he had refused it again. I contacted his breeder for help and he said he was feeding well. Only difference in our prep is that he most of the time warmed the pinkies over the heat pad although he sometimes did warm water.

I'm going to let sterling settle down and ill try again on Thursday. Hopefully he'll eat this time. Otherwise his breeder said he'll come over and try help. He did mention that if sterling refuses to eat then he'll assist feed him.

Feeling like the worst snake mom in the world.

Ayesha was so much easier to get eating. I followed her around the pinkie in the tongs. She got pissy(as she usually does) struck at the pinkie ams then realised it was food.
 
Have you tried the tips in this thread? Also, if you search under the feeding issues sub forum you'll see a million tricks and ideas.

I've been fortunate and always had luck with putting the baby snake into a little tiny feeding tub with a hot thawed pinky, putting the lid on, sticking the whole thing back into the cage and turning the light out so the room is dark, or throwing a towel over the cage to make it dark. Go check again an hour later and the food has always been taken for me. The reason for the tiny tub and not just leaving the pinky in the cage is because then your snake can't get away from the smell/presence of the food and just go hide away from it. Once it calms down, it's literally surrounded by food smell and then might be tempted... assuming your baby was feeding before you got him.
 
kickflare said:
Well he shed on Friday and I offered food on Saturday. I tried to feed him tonight and he had refused it again. I contacted his breeder for help and he said he was feeding well. Only difference in our prep is that he most of the time warmed the pinkies over the heat pad although he sometimes did warm water.

I'm going to let sterling settle down and ill try again on Thursday. Hopefully he'll eat this time. Otherwise his breeder said he'll come over and try help. He did mention that if sterling refuses to eat then he'll assist feed him.

Feeling like the worst snake mom in the world.

Ayesha was so much easier to get eating. I followed her around the pinkie in the tongs. She got pissy(as she usually does) struck at the pinkie ams then realised it was food.
Click to expand...

I think the fact that he ate before makes it likely that when he's hungry he will eat again!! It's probably just a matter of time. As others have brought up in terms of hatchlings eating and keeping down food, it's probably real important not to overheat the pinky. Room temp to warm sounds about right and waiting a few days to ensure he's hungry to provoke a feeding response is your best bet. Read up on those links others sent to get creative ideas.

Most of all with hatchlings: PATIENCE! I have to take my own advice as I am ALWAYS so far ahead of myself that even my speed stick slows down after I put it on!! I have NO patience but that's MY problem! Probably because I'm nervous (just like a nun in a cucumber patch!!).
 
He still refused to eat. It was coming onto two weeks and he was getting folds in his skin. So i moved onto assist feeding. He's putting his weight back on. But Now Ayesha has started to turn her nose up food as well [according to my friend who's looking after my snakes whilst i'm in hospital]. I think Ayesha is missing me as she's NEVER turned her nose up at food before. although I have a every set pattern with her and although i told my friend, i think because she owns snakes, she thinks she knows best. Not happy. She refused to play the music before feeding, and didn't tap on the tank to let her know its feeding time. She refuses to even talk to my scale babies.

Both my snakes actually come out of hiding when there's metal music to have a jig around. Its the only time Sterling comes out of hiding unless he's being handled. Ayesha loves being spoken to, she's pokes her head out when you call her name and She's now taken to hiding in her hide rather than her foliage. She usually sits in her foliage...

Does it sound like they're missing me? I know its weird.. but to me it sounds like they're missing me...
 
You know many would say they are incapable of missing you, but I think we don't know all we can know yet about the brains and sensibilities of snakes. Whether they are confused by the different routine or missing you, the fact that Ayesha refused her meal seems to signal something amiss.

I'm so sorry your friend won't follow your routine. It's not her call imho.
 
Yes, I do think they miss you. YOU are their routine and it's not happening for them. If the person helping you really wants to be of help, she should do things YOUR way. After all, they're your snakes. Imo
 
I'm back and both are eating again since i got back.

I actually got Ayesha to strike as well. I was wiggling a pinkie and she lifted and snatched it out my fingers and coiled around it! ^.^ I think they're happy i'm back. Both are currently zooming around their tanks. Sterling is back to himself as well.

I think next time, i'm going to tell my friend, its my way or the highway. I'm not going through this stress again.
 
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