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Post by chelsea90 on Oct 18, 2015 11:32:33 GMT
Hi all , Only really ever use this to talk about my cats but I have an issue with one of my royals , his a fire morph about 8 months old but since I got him in August he has refused every meal I have tried everything rats ,mice, malters senting food with chicks , assisted feeding (he regurged) , head cutting the only thing I've not tried is live feeding & it's something I will not attempt as its inhuman to the animal . I've recently just brought some reptoboast to try help stimulate him but NOTHING is working Now I know from many years of experience royals can be a pain when it comes to eating but never have a come across one that is this stubborn he is empty his spin is showing his got a rectangle back & has lost 100g since I got him I'm at my wits end with what to do ! Any suggestions with be muchly appreciated
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Post by scallywag on Oct 18, 2015 15:58:00 GMT
Sorry I have absolutely no knowledge of any pets that are in this area of the forum and the only person that springs to mind who may be able to chat to you is cat001 . Wish you well chelsea90 and hope this thread gets looked at soon
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Post by cat001 on Jun 19, 2016 11:37:50 GMT
I know I'll be quite late replying to this thread (sorry) but i'll reply anyway as it may be useful information...
Unfortunately assisted feeding quite often results in regurgitation from a snake that's persistently unwilling to eat. I found an excellent video on the subject of force feeding some time ago which explains some important key points such as; when to do it, the procedure you need to follow, and highlights how stressful the process is so emphasises the importance of only doing this when absolutely necessary...
Excessive stress is dangerous and can cause more harm than good, because of the stressfulness of the process I'd recommend gavage feeding to such a debilitated animal as an alternative to feeding a whole prey item. Gavaging is less stressful, quicker and safer. I'd suggest discussing this with the vet, they will provide you with the equipment and a demonstration on the process as well as specific requirements for your snake (Emeraid Carnivore is fed 1/2% of body weight on day 1, 1% on day 2 and 2% on day 3 and there after - so amount fed is relative to body weight). The main danger with gavage feeding is accidentally putting the tube down the wind pipe instead of the oesophagus. This however, is difficult to do as the wind pipe is located at the very front of the mouth and usually closes when the mouth is open. Just double check before you begin syringing to make sure.
Young animals in particular require support as they lack the reserves of a mature animal so cannot go as long without eating. Seeing as the spine is beginning show I'd say intervention is certainly justified.
If the animal is dehydrated (loose skin) than it may require hydrating first (provide moist hide, water with reptoboost, possibly even baths). Make sure the animal is in a calm quite area to reduce stress as much as possible; plenty of hiding spots and coverage, is infrequently disturbed and only handled when necessary. Also make sure the temperatures are warm enough and if you have a lamp, put the basking spot up to a max of 35C, this can sometimes encourage a feeding response.
With gavage feeding, the solution won't be so much that the snake won't accept food if it's starting to return to normal, so you can still occasionally offer a mouse and the snake may choose to accept if it's feeling better. You can also see if you can get ahold of feeder gerbils as gerbils are more a natural prey item to Royal's than mice, and sometimes elicit a stronger feeding response.
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