It's been nearly a week %26a half since i last fed my pet indian sand boa! Im finding it very difficult 2 find a mouse/rat.its preferred food item. Im getting extremely worried about its health %26 also that it might die due 2 starvation! What am to do in such a grave situation. Do i force feed it with a fish as a temporary adjustment till the next time its hungry? or do i trust its ability 2 feed of its fat reserves.as snakes have been known to go without some lenghts of time! Whats the maximum time that i can take to find it some food? or do i immediately go in for a force feed? i copuld try a lzard(gecko) someone please let me know as soon as possible.I'll be extremely grateful to ou for ur help! Thanks in advance!
Answers:
I highly recommend that you go to your nearest pet store and purchase a mouse or a rat. It is not usually a good idea to catch wild prey for your pet due to disease issues that the prey could be carrying. A week and a half will certainly not kill your snake and I do not recommend that you force feed your snake anything, especially if you are not trained to do so.you can cause more damage than good.
This snake needs to eat! I have owned many snakes in the past, as my father was a forest ranger. Why can't you simply go to a pet store and buy a rat or mouse?? Pet stores all sell them cheaply! The snakes should always eat once weekly (2 weeks shouldn't kill them, but try not to do it often).
If you can't find those two because you have no pet stores then read this ::::
"In its desert habitat, there is not a more efficient mouser to be found. As adults, rodents comprise roughly 70% of this species diet, with lizards and ground-dwelling birds making up the remaining portion. Juveniles of the species, however, feed on everything from nesting mammals and small rodents to beetles, scorpions, and small lizards. It is reputed that Kenyans will eat other small snakes as well. A diet of pre-killed laboratory mice is sufficient to keep a captive Kenyan healthy and properly nourished. As the animals grow larger, The occassional chick or baby rabbit (which will be greatly enjoyed by your snake) could be offered as a treat, but once every month or so.As this is a sedentary species, a Kenyan Sand Boa will only need to be fed once weekly. Monitor your snake for obesity and adjust feeding accordingly."
read this website as well:
http://www.paradisepets.co.za/rep_care/k.
go to your pet shop, if they dont have any sure they will know someone who does sell them. it should be ok for now. i lost one of my snakes in the floor boards for 5 weeks! when i got him back he was a bit thin but still lively (been eating the spiders) while youre looking catch some spiders, its not much but will keep it going and good for hunting. U must have somewhere close who sells frozen mice/rats
Chill out snakes can go weeks without food I had a Ball python that refused to eat for 5months during one winter. I tried everything and she just wouldn't eat then suddenly she began feeding again. And she was just fine. Also the pet store as all the others have said is the best place to get rats and mice for feeding to you boa. If you can't get to one you can try a chicken wing or leg you but may have to dip it in chicken broth though that works too.
Ring around some pet stores and find the nearest on that does frozen snake food. I have checked some of your previous answersa nd you' re in India I see. May be you will have to start breeding your own food for your pet.
I would agree with all the people suggesting that you buy a rat or mouse from your pet store. Many will sell frozen, pre-killed rats or mice to feed to snakes.
If you do not have a pet store nearby then you should be able to order frozen mice online. There are several online supplies that may be able to help you:-
http://www.rodentpro.com/
http://www.sassupply.com/aboutus.cfm.
http://www.bigcheeserodents.com/.
There are loads more on google if you search under 'frozen mice online'
Feeding your snake creature that you have caught could result in your snake picking up parastes or (if what you are feeding it has been exposed to any toxins like slug pellets or pesticides) your snake being slowly poisoned as the chemicals build up in its body.
If it's large enough that it can handle rats, it's old enough that letting it go without food for a while won't hurt at all. Babies are the ones to worry about, but adults not so much. They can go for months. They may not be HAPPY about it, but they'll survive, just keep an eye on him and make sure he doesn't lose any weight or energy. If I remember correctly from other questions, you aren't from the US, so I'm not sure how things work there. Here almost all pet stores sell mice/rats, either frozen or alive or both, for snake food. I HIGHLY suggest calling around and finding a place that always has a reliable supply. If you are indeed catching rodents for it, it's much less of a hassle buying them, they aren't that expensive, and then you run no risk of th snake contracting a disease from its prey. Again I can't remember exactly were you live, did you catch it? If so, if you absolutely can't find food for much longer, it would be best to let him go.
On a side note regarding a previous answer, no, snakes don't HAVE to eat every week. This is just a general rule. In several species it's often healthier for the snake to get bumped back to every 2 weeks or so as they get older. Some large species of snakes only get fed regularly once a month!
