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RE: canebrakes
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by craig3758 on June 4, 2005
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O-kay I've had him/her, don't know cause I haven't sexed them, for about 1 year.Was feeding great and it is in with another canebrake,both were eating great till I tried to upgrade to rats.That seemed to mess with both of them so I went back to mice and 1 is eating o-kay,but the other isn't interested at all.It's been about 1 month and they're in a room with 30 other snakes who are all eating and doing great.I just split them up this feeding and I'm waiting to see what happens.
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RE: canebrakes
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by Cro on June 4, 2005
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Craig: Splitting up the Canebrakes is a good idea, it is much more likely the problem one will eat that way. Don't try force feeding except as an last resort, only if the snake becomes noticably thin after several months. Many snakes will not switch to rats. Since the snake in the past fed on mice, go back to them. Try live brown mice, fresh killed brown mice, etc. You could also try something like a gerbil or take a BB gun and 'harvest' a chipmunk, and offer it immediatly to the Cainbrake. If the snake is large enough, a fresh killed squirrell will often be eaten. Lots of native snakes seem to like eating chipmunks. Other food animals like rats, and hampsters seem to have a scent that scares the snakes. You might also try baby chicks, quail, baby rabbits, etc. If the snake has a good hide box, and feels secure in its cage, it should eventually eat something. Spend some time workign with other food items and ways for the snake to feel secure before you risk your fingers trying to force feed it. Very few snakes will actually starve to death if you give them enough chances to eat.
Good Luck. JohnZ
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RE: canebrakes
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by elapidking81 on June 4, 2005
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Good ideas just one thing bb's and pellets are made of copper(bb) and lead(pellets), and can be toxic to the snake if you have a shot gun you can use duck shot loads which are made of steel and arnt toxic to the snake other loads will have lead. But the duck loads are kind of high avraging sbout $17.00.
Shane Kissinger
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RE: canebrakes
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by Cro on June 4, 2005
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Shane: Very good point about the potential danger of using Copper BB's and Lead Pellets. This is something I worried about also when feeding snakes chippers and squirrells killed that way. Because of the strong stomach acids these snakes have, there is defenetly some potential of toxic absorpton. I mostly used this metheod for problem wild caught feeders to get them feeding, and went back to frozen mice once the snakes started feeding regular. I do not think it should be used long term, but it might get a problem feeder started back feeding. We did, however, feed a 6' 11" EDB for over 10 years pellet killed squirrell, as that was all he would eat. We often found lead pelllets in his droppings, and I am sure he did absorbe some lead toxins, but the durn snake would not eat anything else! I wish he would have, but he seemed addicted to squirrels, so the toxins kind of became a second worry. If you have access to steel shot, it would be best to use, or a bullett that goes clean through, and leaves no toxic metals in the food animal. Best Regards JohnZ
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RE: canebrakes
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by Crotalus_Catcher on June 4, 2005
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I've never had BB's go too deep into squirrels (or cats, for that matter. haha), if your gun is as weak as mine, just pick the BB out with some tweezers or pliers before feeding. Just a thought.
But definatly try a hampster before you give up. EVERY large snake I have ever had trouble getting to eat, whether I just caught the snake, or a well established feeder just stopped eating, a live hampster worked every time! Crotalus, Elaphe, Nerodia - they all took em!
Be warned though, if he will take a knocked out hampster, do that, they have SHARP teeth and can do a number on your snake if you don't watch them closely.
Good luck!
-Scott
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RE: canebrakes
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by timberrattlesnake89 on June 5, 2005
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Also I know gerbils can be a great if a snake is not eating. I got one once for one of my snakes that wouldn't eat and after i through it in it ate it in a heartbeat.
Phillip
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RE: canebrakes
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by bush_viper17 on June 5, 2005
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I had an EDB that would not think of eating. I tried everything, then one day I bought a hamster and the snake immediately took it. Its worth a shot(Dont tell the people at the pet store what you are buying it for.) Hamsters get expensive after a while. I sometimes fed the EDB two of them a week and they were over $10 a pop.
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RE: canebrakes
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by PIGMAN on June 6, 2005
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Sometimes They just go for awhile then pick up eating again, If the snake is looking skinny it may be a good idea to try some wild prey items such as a small rabbit or chipmunck or squirrel depending on the size of the snake. Also horridus love small song birds like sparrows and wrens it really puts weight on them too.
Zach Orr
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