• Posted 12/19/2024.
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    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.

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sand boa wont eat :/

M

Miscelatore

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so I got Wyrm, the male Saharan sand boa, from a reptile expo on August 25th, 2019

At the time of posting this, it's almost been two months and he hasn't eaten at all.

He pooped when I first got him, about 8/27, so he had eaten before.

I've tried:
leaving him in a deli cup with a f/t (both brained and not)
leaving him in a deli cup with substrate with both live and f/t (brained and not)
leaving live in his enclosure for a few hours
leaving f/t in his enclosure for a few hours (brained and not)
pestering him with f/t on tongs in a separate enclosure (brained and not, substrate and not)
leaving him with live for almost an hour in a smaller enclosure
tong feeding live

Next to try:
Live in a smaller enclosure w/o substrate
Leaving him cold for a week then increase heat

I wouldn't be too concerned as I've heard male sand boas don't eat much, and he was doing fine weight wise until this week. He went from 48g when I got him to 50g on 9/13 and then back to 48g 9/26 and stayed steady until recently when he's losing weight and is now at 46g.
Once the vet is open I'll see about scheduling an appointment, maybe an assist/tube feed.
I've contacted the breeder to see how they fed him. He was described as eating both f/t and live, but preferring live. Dunno when they'll respond.
I don't have access to mouse pinkies, but he's been offered rat and hamster pinkies.

tank is ~2ft x 16inch x 16inch plastic tub with about 3 inches of aspen shaving substrate. has hides, fake plants, light wood, etc. warm side is around 98F and cool side goes to around 85F. uses a basking light for 15 hours a day and a uth (set to about 90 via thermostat) 24/7

He's about 1ft 5 inches, estimate. Around a year old.

I've heard their breeding season is around this time, but there's a lot of different information of if they keep eating or if they don't.

any advice/other methods would be helpful, thank you!
 
Have you had this animal tested for parasites? You describe the person who sold this animal to you as a "breeder," but this species is almost never produced in captivity. Did the seller tell you how long the animal has been in captivity and if the animal has been treated for internal parasites?

Force feeding after two months of not eating, with very little weight loss, is premature and will make the situation worse.
 
Also, what temperatures are you keeping your Saharan at? Can you describe your setup? How are you measuring temps?
 
elena said:
Have you had this animal tested for parasites? You describe the person who sold this animal to you as a "breeder," but this species is almost never produced in captivity. Did the seller tell you how long the animal has been in captivity and if the animal has been treated for internal parasites?

Force feeding after two months of not eating, with very little weight loss, is premature and will make the situation worse.
Click to expand...

He was tested for parasites as soon as I saw that first poop and had none. He'll be getting tested again at vet appointment, too.
This species is commonly bred in captivity tho, not as common as bps but very common and producible. Mother was born in captivity as well.

And gotchu. Just a lil worried, but I won't resort to that til much later
 
elena said:
Also, what temperatures are you keeping your Saharan at? Can you describe your setup? How are you measuring temps?
Click to expand...

Temps are measured w/ three thermometers with probes. Cool side 85F, warm side 98F / 95F (above substrate, below substrate) w/ a uth 24/7 (controlled w thermostat) and a 50w heat bulb for 12 hours a day
2ft x 16inch x 16inch tub w/ ~3 inches of aspen, 2 hides, and light wood + fake plants for cover
 
Your setup sounds completely correct. My male sand boas (all colubrinus) do not eat very often, but when they do, live rat pinkies are the most likely to be eaten. I strongly recommend testing him for parasites, and if the test is negative, try brumating him. I would not attempt to force feed him unless he loses significant weight. Just for reference, one of the males I bred this year only ate about six times in the last 12 months.
 
elena said:
Your setup sounds completely correct. My male sand boas (all colubrinus) do not eat very often, but when they do, live rat pinkies are the most likely to be eaten. I strongly recommend testing him for parasites, and if the test is negative, try brumating him. I would not attempt to force feed him unless he loses significant weight. Just for reference, one of the males I bred this year only ate about six times in the last 12 months.
Click to expand...

gotcha
thank you! ill try live a few more times while vet stuff happens, and then I'll try brumation. ive definitely heard they only eat 6-12 times, its just the weight loss that scares me aha. is it true that winter is the breeding season / when males usually dont eat? ive heard that a couple times and im wondering if that's actually true as some sources say yes others say theyll eat no matter what
 
Sound like he only lost 2-4 grams. I wouldn't be concerned unless he loses more like 10g. Also, don't try feeding him more than once every seven days. Too many attempts will stress him out.
 
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