Feeding Techniques

Hey everyone! I’ve had my baby KSB for a little over a week now. We tried feeding him a F/T pinky mouse on Monday with no luck. He wasn’t even interested at all. We did put him into a separate container for this, with a paper towel down. I’m going to wait through the weekend to let him relax again before trying again. Any advice on how to get my boy to eat would be amazing and greatly appreciated! I’m debating on whether to feed in his enclosure or not, and if so, how do it get his attention to come get his food? He’s so tiny and is buried ALL the time, which I know is normal.

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I know nothing about feeding or caring for KSB, so keep that in mind, but I do know that most people wait a bit longer to let them acclimate before trying to feed, so maybe he was still stressed?
The other things people tend to bring up are making sure the husbandry (especially heat) is correct, and that the environment is cluttered enough/dark enough to allow for relaxed feeding.
Hope someone more experienced with KSB can pop in to help, good luck!

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I would leave him in his enclosure to feed. Put it in at night and leave it overnight. also for future reference make sure not to disturb any new reptiles for at least a week so that they can settle in. That is also probably part of the reason why he didn’t eat. Also no need to be trying to find ways to get him to eat as it has only been a week. It may take 2-3 weeks to eat maybe more. If he hasn’t ate in a month that is when you should try some other alternatives like live.

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Also if you can tell us temps, what you are using for heat, and humidity along with his size of enclosure and pics could help find any potential problems

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Was he guaranteed to be eating frozen-thawed? Give him a few days of being left alone before offering him a very hot, thawed pinkie. What size is his enclosure? Does it have lots of small, tight hides?

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I have a sneaking suspicion that this baby was eating live when you got him…. @aliohara15……:thinking:

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He was eating live before I got him. Was hoping to try f/t.

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I have to be honest imho it is a little difficult to switch them but what I did with mine is I put the pink in a small deli cup with the snake and put it in a dark quiet place and this worked for me.

That being said you might have to supplement with live until he accepts the ft. Especially if he is a very small little sand boa.

Good luck! :+1::four_leaf_clover:

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Basking spot is 95-96. Cool side is 80, but I think that’s supposed to be a little bit higher?

Thank you for the advice! I’m new to being a snake owner and want to do it right.

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Those temperatures are actually perfect. Would you be able to get a picture of the tank and the dimensions? if he was eating live before than he is probably going to stay on it for a while. But keep trying with FT. I would wait at least until Sunday to let him settle in but leave the mouse in overnight this time. If he didn’t take it when you check in the morning, than get a live one to see if he will take

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I would wait to do what @caron said for at least a couple more feedings to help prevent stress. Also this is going to be difficult but try not to hold him until he is eating consistently.

Edit: Wait to try the deli cup method

Some sand boas take frozen-thawed no problem, some take a lot of effort to get switched over if they switch over at all. I’ve also found that males can be a bit more finicky when compared to my females too.

What size/type of enclosure are you housing him in? Knowing your enclosure would help eliminate that as an issue.

When trying suggested techniques to try to get him to take frozen-thawed, I wouldn’t try more often than once a week. If it goes on for awhile and you notice a decline in his body score, you may have to supplement live at some points.

For stubborn ones, I too like the deli cup method of putting the snake and the frozen-thawed feeder in a deli cup, smaller than you would think, to ensure the snake encounters the feeder repeatedly. Leave the snake/deli cup/feeder in the enclosure without disturbing it overnight. Another thing you can do, although graphic, is pierce the head of the frozen-thawed feeder mouse when offering. This can elicit a feeding response in many individuals.

Another option is creating a “nest” for the snake to “raid”. I’ve done this by putting a small feeder or feeders in something akin to a small plastic fruit cup in the enclosure over night and hoping they’ve disappeared by the morning. There are A LOT of tricks out there. Many sound silly, but whatever gets the little one to eat!

Some will eat straight from the tongs with gusto, some have their own eccentric feeding habits. Once you figure them out, it becomes a lot more consistent and less worrisome though.

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301212 20 gal

It’s been hard but I haven’t really messed with him besides when I first got him to check him out initially.

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Okay, I have to ask, what’s the size/weight of the ksb in this enclosure? Also, what kind of sand is that? Just straight sand in any enclosure is not the best idea.

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Haven’t had the chance to weigh him yet. He’s about 5-7 in long. And I would never put just any sand in with him. It’s reptisand. And the other side is aspen.

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So a 20gal for a snake of that size is going to be pretty big as a starter enclosure which might make your little one more reluctant to feed in general. For a snake of 5-7" you might want to consider downsizing to a 10gal. I always suggest more surface clutter such as plants and bark to give them a feeling of security, as large open spaces in the wild would expose them to predators. As for the reptisand, I personally wouldn’t use it just due to the fact that it can cause more problems than it is of use. It’s marketed toward reptiles, but in reality most animals don’t live in straight sand, but more of a sandy soil mix.

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That’s a great setup but I agree with @noodlehaus about the sand. A little of people think that sand boas live in straight sand but that’s not the case. And if sand is ingested it will likely cause impaction in the snake.

Aspen on the other hand is great because it will hold tunnels well. Also sizing down the enclosure is almost a must until your little guy is eating consistently and grows a bit. And as @scissortailscales said, some sand boas are difficult to switch over but some just prefer live only no matter what you try. So be prepared for which your little sandy decides he wants.

I have a rosy boa and he can’t decide if he wants live or ft because one week it’s ft and the next week it’s live. Just when I think I have him switched he decides to turn his nose up at his ft fuzzy and back to the pet shop I go! :joy::rofl:

I am not sure what @logar meant about not doing the deli cup method too soon but maybe it’s better to feed him live a few times to get some calories in him before you try to switch him. But don’t feed him on the sand.

I wish you the best of luck @aliohara15 and keep us updated on his progress! :pray::heart::sunglasses:

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What I was talking about with the deli cup was he needs to be eating consistently before FT is pushed. Taking him out of the enclosure to feed could cause unnecessary stress for the tiny guy