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Bitis feeding question?
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by 420Reptiles on November 29, 2004
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I have a 4 foot female gaboon that just went off food, seemingly for no reason. I have checked temp., humid. and all other factors I might be able to control. She is not in shed and has not lost any weight. I have offered her both live and frozen thawed but to no avail. When offered food she seems uninterested and does not strike. Time frame is about 3 weeks. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Jonathan
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RE: Bitis feeding question?
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by pygmybait on November 29, 2004
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The first thing I would do is soak her. I have to do this with my Gaboon about once a month for several hours. Gaboons are notorious for not properly hydrating themselves and I guess they can get really backed up. That may be her problem - Try it out, maybe a couple of days in a row for a couple of hours a day and see what happens.
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RE: Bitis feeding question?
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by cottonmouth on November 30, 2004
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3 weeks is nothing to worry about. I have an Eastern Diamonback that only eats once every 4 months. Like most snakes, your Gabby is just in a cycle.
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RE: Bitis feeding question?
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by MattHarris on November 30, 2004
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I assume the snake is several years old, but I've seen an d heard of numerous accounts of inexperienced keepers killing neonate gaboons by overfeeding. They would try to feed the neonates like a rattlesnake giving them a meal every 7-10 days. This is too much for a juvie gaboon. one decent sized meal every 3-4 weeks is fine.
Overfeeding is one of the biggest mistakes a lot of keepers make.
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RE: Bitis feeding question?
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by Phobos on November 30, 2004
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Hi:
I agree with pigmybait & Matt. She may be backed up and not interested in adding to the problem. Without sufficient hydration she is unlikely to eliminate waste. It is not uncommon for them to go for months between bowel movements. Give her a good soak every few days till she does. It help to keep good records with this and other species to keep track of these events.
Good Luck,
Al
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RE: Bitis feeding question?
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by bush_viper17 on November 30, 2004
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YEah, she probably has constipation. ALL of the food gets clumped up in her stomach. You should soak her in warm water for a while and see what happens.
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RE: Bitis feeding question?
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by 420Reptiles on December 1, 2004
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Thank you everyone for your replies. I forgot to mention she is CBB. 1998, and has produced two litters for me over the last couple of years. I have soaked her for several hours over the last few days as all of you have recomended,and how I have always done in the past. My biggest concern is that maybe something else is wrong. Any additional information or recomendations would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you
Jonathan
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RE: Bitis feeding question?
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by Phobos on December 2, 2004
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Jonathan
One other thing to consider now that you added information is that she may have some embryos,slugs stuck in her reproductive tract.
If you have a Vet that you use get her x-rayed. Or "tube" her and plapate her abdomen, where every that is on a snake...lol and see if you find hard masses other then fecal material. If it is fecal material it might dislodge it and she would have a BM.
This is not without personal risk as you know. The other option is to do nothing for a while longer.
Good Luck,
Al
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