• Posted 12/19/2024.
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    I am still waiting on my developer to finish up on the Classifieds Control Panel so I can use it to encourage members into becoming paying members. Google Adsense has become a real burden on the viewing of this site, but honestly it is the ONLY source of income now that keeps it afloat. I tried offering disabling the ads being viewed by paying members, but apparently that is not enough incentive. Quite frankly, Google Adsense has dropped down to where it barely brings in enough daily to match even a single paid member per day. But it still gets the bills paid. But at what cost?

    So even without the classifieds control panel being complete, I believe I am going to have to disable those Google ads completely and likely disable some options here that have been free since going to the new platform. Like classified ad bumping, member name changes, and anything else I can use to encourage this site to be supported by the members instead of the Google Adsense ads.

    But there is risk involved. I will not pay out of pocket for very long during this last ditch experimental effort. If I find that the membership does not want to support this site with memberships, then I cannot support your being able to post your classified ads here for free. No, I am not intending to start charging for your posting ads here. I will just shut the site down and that will be it. I will be done with FaunaClassifieds. I certainly don't need this, and can live the rest of my life just fine without it. If I see that no one else really wants it to survive neither, then so be it. It goes away and you all can just go elsewhere to advertise your animals and merchandise.

    Not sure when this will take place, and I don't intend to give any further warning concerning the disabling of the Google Adsense. Just as there probably won't be any warning if I decide to close down this site. You will just come here and there will be some sort of message that the site is gone, and you have a nice day.

    I have been trying to make a go of this site for a very long time. And quite frankly, I am just tired of trying. I had hoped that enough people would be willing to help me help you all have a free outlet to offer your stuff for sale. But every year I see less and less people coming to this site, much less supporting it financially. That is fine. I tried. I retired the SerpenCo business about 14 years ago, so retiring out of this business completely is not that big if a step for me, nor will it be especially painful to do. When I was in Thailand, I did not check in here for three weeks. I didn't miss it even a little bit. So if you all want it to remain, it will be in your hands. I really don't care either way.

    =====================
    Some people have indicated that finding the method to contribute is rather difficult. And I have to admit, that it is not all that obvious. So to help, here is a thread to help as a quide. How to become a contributing member of FaunaClassifieds.

    And for the record, I will be shutting down the Google Adsense ads on January 1, 2025.
  • Responding to email notices you receive.
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    In short, DON'T! Email notices are to ONLY alert you of a reply to your private message or your ad on this site. Replying to the email just wastes your time as it goes NOWHERE, and probably pisses off the person you thought you replied to when they think you just ignored them. So instead of complaining to me about your messages not being replied to from this site via email, please READ that email notice that plainly states what you need to do in order to reply to who you are trying to converse with.

More feeding problems

April Homich

April Homich

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At what point would you begin force-feeding a hatchling snake?  I have a pair of bloods - one eating, one not.  I've tried feeding different size, type of prey, different times, different methods, but I can't seem to get the smaller one to eat.  They've had a couple weeks to settle in and have been left alone for the most part.  I know that force-feeding is stressful and should only be used as a last resort, but I don't think this snake has ever eaten yet and is starting to show folds along its body because it's so thin. Any info or suggestions would be appreciated.
 
bloods as in blood corns or blood pythons? If it's a corn, shove the smallest pinkie you can find down it's throat ASAP. If it's that small and showing wrinkles, it needs to eat now. I have a pair of last year's kids that I refused to give up on...I was shoving meals down their throat for 5 months before they finally got the idea and started eating on their own. Sometimes all it takes is getting a food item halfway into their mouth and holding it there, then they get the idea. Use something like Jump Start to lubricate the pink and provide further nutrients. A pinkie press would also be a worthwhile investment...nasty stuff but it works. Blood corns can be enticed to eat lizards too...so a small gecko might work with the bait n switch method, or for scenting.
 
If that is a blood corn you are talking about, please don't shove a pinky down its throat. You and the snake would be better off with an adult mouse tail or part of one. Do this a few times to bulk the snake up a bit, then use the smallest pinkies that you can. Before force feeding it, try to assist feed it, this is much less stressful for the snake. I also suggest lubricating the food item, but I use water.

If it is a blood python, I would imagine it is a bit bigger than a baby blood corn. Try a food item about 1/4 to 1/3 the diameter of the snakes neck just behind the head. Also try to assist feed first.

Let us know th exact methods you have used to try and feed this guy, and then maybe we can tell you another that will work. Make sure there is also plenty of water available for these snakes, and that the skinny one is not dehydrated. It seems to me that the snake should not have gone from a healthy look girth to sagging skin in only two weeks time, assuming that when you bought it, it looked healthy. Have you considered that it may be infected with parasites?

If you do force feed, be gentle. Yes you do have to push the item down the snakes throat but I stress be gentle and do it carefully. Sorry but that word 'shove' scares me when talking about force feeding. Use a blunt ended instrument such as a wide sexing probe to push the item all the way passed the teeth and throat. After that the swallowing reflex should kick inif it has not already. If the snake is very weak, it may take a long time for it to push it down itself.

One of the best things to do is ask someone who has successful experience to help you.
Good luck.
 
If it is a corn your talking about before you decide to force feed it. First try just putting the pinky head in there mouth and if the snake grabs it then genttly put it back in it's cage. This has worked a few times with some of mine. If that doesn't work. Then yes completely oput the pinky all the way in. You really should see if there is someone that has done this before to show you. Because you can harm the animal if you do it wrong. Frank
 
have you tried "braining"the rodent you are trying to feed???I know it sounds gross,but if you take a needle or probe and pop a hole in the head of the f/t rodent,and expose a part of the brain,the scent will realy entice a strong feeding response in most snakes.again it sounds gross but i swear by this method and 90 % of the time you wont have to stress the snake by force feeding.
                                  Jason Kiper
 
If it is a bloodred corn I agree with Glenn, a piece of adult mouse tail is the thing. I lubricate them with vegetable oil. I used this method last year with a corn that refused to eat for three months. After two pieces of mouse tail it ate a F/T pinkie on its own and continued to eat twice a week after that. If it's a blood python I'd try dipping a mouse in chicken broth. Chicken broth to pythons is like lizard to corns and kings. I've seen pythons that wouldn't eat literally jump at a mouse dipped in chicken broth. IMHO
 
Sorry, I meant a blood python.  They have large water dishes damp moss in parts of the enclosures.  It was thin when I got it, but after almost 3 weeks, it's much more noticeable. I've tried fuzzies, hoppers (alive & dead), a small mouse, and a rat pup.  Yes, I've also brained one of the hoppers.  I've tried feeding in the enclosure and in a separate small box.  The snake just shows absolutely no interest in eating.  If I dangle or drag the prey by it, or if the prey gets too close, it will try to get away.  Even if I just leave a dead prey item in the box, it tries to stay away from it.  I am really getting worried.  
I've had ball pythons for 5 yrs, but these are my first bloods. If it didn't look so thin, I would just wait it out. My ball pythons have went on fasts before so I'm used to that...
Thanks for the responses
 
I'd go with Tim's suggestion of dipping in chicken broth, or try a chick or quail then.

chicken broth...man, that kills me...thanks for the tip Tim  <img src="http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':)'>
 
Well, nothing else worked so I force fed a couple pinkies.  It actually went okay.  Once I got one pinkie partly down, the snake tried to spit it out for a short time, then stopped fighting and just swallowed it instead.  While it was finishing that one, I just snuck the second one in its mouth while it was open and it swallowed both no problem at all. Thanks again for all the suggestions.  Hopefully since it went so easy this time, it'll eat the next time I feed it.
 
You may have to assist with the feeding several times.  My blood had almost no muscle tone in his throat muscles when I started feeding him now he fights it all the way.  I'm trying the chicken broth next, thanks for that hint.

Michele
 
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