ribbon snake not eating

[Starling96]

im new to this site
and i have a ribbon that hasnt eaten for a week any tips

[Stefan-A]

Wait another week.

It's not uncommon for them to refuse food for a week, or several weeks for that matter. It's seasonal, too.

[RedSidedSPR]

Is he new and never eaten? Or has he just stopped eating? If he's stopped you got nothing to worry about, it happens a lot. They always have a reason.

Remember they can go months without eating;)

[Mommy2many]

Welcome! Would love to see pictures of your snake. As stated before me, did you just get him or did he just stop eating for you?

[Starling96]

hey guys thanks for all the replies
ill post pics when i find my camera
and he's new
i let him settle for a week but ive tried trout minnows worms and tapdoles and nthing.
but im not new to snakes.
my rat snakes an errctic feeder.

[guidofatherof5]

Nice to have you on the forum.
Give your snake some time and he/she will probably start before you know it.
I'll be getting my first Ribbon snake in the next couple of weeks.
It's an adoption/rescue snake.

[Starling96]

Thanks
and thats cool
what else should i try feeding him?

[RedSidedSPR]

guppies are the best food for ribbons. They're mostly fish eaters. But I think they eat other stuff too... dunno I only have garters.

[guidofatherof5]

guppies are the best food for ribbons. They're mostly fish eaters. But I think they eat other stuff too... dunno I only have garters.

Ribbons are garters.
But I know what you mean.;)
Western Ribbon Snake - Caresheets (http://www.thamnophis.com/caresheets/index.php?title=Western_Ribbon_Snake)
Eastern Ribbon Snake - Caresheets (http://www.thamnophis.com/caresheets/index.php?title=Eastern_Ribbon_Snake)

[RedSidedSPR]

I know but they eat a little differently. More fish-exclusive.

[Starling96]

thanks ill get some tommorrow

[Starling96]

is there anything else i could try?
minnows are hard to get where i am at?

[guidofatherof5]

What have you tried so far?

[RedSidedSPR]

If you really want to get minnows, PetsMart/PetCo (curse them:D) Have them for a decent price. And those stores are everywhere. 13cents. But I'd go with guppies if ya can.

[Starling96]

ive tried scented fuzzies, some rosy reds, guppies, and worms ill try again today.
she's pretty big like 2 /1/2 feet and im wondering if the minnows are to small for her.
have any of you had that problem?

[RedSidedSPR]

If they're small just feed more. I get a bunch of random fish for my snake. Some are small and he has 'em down in seconds, but some are big and take a minute. Anything works, really.

[Starling96]

thanks for the help.
i got him to eat some trout.
not much but something lol

[RedSidedSPR]

It works. Fillet is good. Not the best thing to feed nothing but... but it works. Use that to get him eating something else. Scenting etc. Along with fillet 'cause its good to,

[Starling96]

yea ill try scenting some fuzzies with it.
should i feed twice a week?
or more often or less.

[RedSidedSPR]

If you're feeding fish, it depends on how much. My snake gets 10 live fish twice a week. But pinkies can be less often...

offer him a lot and see how much he eats. That'll give you a good idea how much he needs. Then if you're feeding fish you'll notice he gets hungry again pretty soon, so 4-5 days you do it again.

But if you're feeding pinkies (like 2-3 per feed) Once a week should be fine... i think. I don't feed pinkies so I'm not sure. It less often than fish and worms.

[Starling96]

i just put them in his water boul thats the only way hes ate so far but ill try pinkies next in a few days
thanks for all the help!

[RedSidedSPR]

I do that too. I also hand feed some. As long as the bedding is safe-ish and not a ingestion concern, that's fine. It's always fun to watch 'em go fishing. I love it!

[Starling96]

yea i dont think my guy likes aspen im gunna buy some eco earth and organic potting soil

[RedSidedSPR]

That works. It's really hard to clean though (you should clean every month). but it allows live plants. I used aspen, but now I use bark/coconut mix and stuff like that. But if you're feeding in cage (i am but my snake never swallows any and logs and stuff are his "floor", so he never reaches the bottom with it.) it's good to have eco earth, potting soil, coconut (goes right throuh 'em) or reptile carpet (i do that with my baby).

[Starling96]

yea once shes on mice and stuff ill feed out of the cage but i feed my rat snake out of the cage cause hes such an aggresive feeder
and also what type is ur new snake?

[RedSidedSPR]

Ya know I don;t think you have to get him on mice. If you want I think fish is fine for ribbons. Like i said they're pretty exclusive fish eaters....

He's a anerythristic red-sided. Here's my thread.
http://www.thamnophis.com/forum/general-talk/8486-new-anerythristic-red-sided-baby.html

[Starling96]

yea i want him to wean over though because its easy to keep mice (in the freezer) lol and there alot healthier but if he doesnt its know big i have over 100 pounds of trout from fishing trips with my grandpa lol
dang hes tiny and cute lol

[RedSidedSPR]

It;s hard to do with ribbons. Don't stress it, it may never happen.

He's only a couple weeks old.

[Starling96]

yea i wont
idc what she eats as long as its thiaminase free lol

[RedSidedSPR]

Goldfish and Rosies are a no-no.

[Starling96]

i know
she got out :(
and my rat snake just died :(

[guidofatherof5]

Double bad.
Sorry to hear that.

[RedSidedSPR]

What?! Really? SO SORRY!!

You mean she escaped? And your rat snake.. Dang, that SUCKS.

[Starling96]

i feel horrible about my rat snake but i had him in a tub with a ten gallon screen (thats his feeding tub) but the screen can be nocked off easily if you mess with it. and my door was left open and my dog was taught to eat mice and what not so he thouight he was being a good dog and he ate him :(
it was a real bummer because i was gunna buy a cornsnake yesterday and let him go beffore i buy my cornsnake.
and the ribbon snake was also in a feeding tub and my grandma made my grandpa let her go(even though shes captive bred)

[guidofatherof5]

Very sorry to hear about your troubles.
Hang in there.

[RedSidedSPR]

That really sucks. Very sorry.

[Starling96]

yea i had a corn snake on hold at a pet store were going to go get him now o feel like sorta how i would feel if i was cheating on my girl friend lol
but thanlks guys

[RedSidedSPR]

That sucks.

U getting the corn still? Hope ya do.

[Starling96]

yea i did
hes awsome.
hes pretty active (not as active as a garter:P)
and its a snow hes a little over 2 feet long.
and this is off topic but oi got to play with prairie dogs at a pet shop lol
there alot like minature dogs

[RedSidedSPR]

Awesome, feel free to post some pics here;)

Prairie dogs? Really? Awesome. Never done that:D

[Starling96]

lol there 149 a pieace and 249 a pair
and i will once i find my usb be cord lol

[RedSidedSPR]

That's not that bad:rolleyes::D

Can't ya insert your memory card in the computer itself?
I don't even have a USB I just use the card

[Starling96]

lol
i have to take new pics because i dont have a camera where im at

[RedSidedSPR]

Gotcha.

[Starling96]

http://i1179.photobucket.com/albums/x383/Starling1298/photo.jpg
thats him
hes throw up twice idk why though.

[ConcinusMan]

Sure as heck doesn't seem like two feet at all. Throwing up isn't good. You're not handling him after he's eaten are you? Feeding meals that are too large or feeding too often?

[Starling96]

I know. He's super thin. and this was right before feeding and i had them feed him before i got got him and i fed him a week later. he threw it up but idk a first he explored alot now all he does is hide. and i have a blanket over his tub i only take it off to change water and check temps

[Starling96]

he's actually a little over 2 feet i forgot to add

[RedSidedSPR]

Doesn't sound good... but I cant help you. No clue what it is.

[ConcinusMan]

If you can get some of this then it can make a big difference and help snakes that tend to vomit. I highly recommend this for all newborns and you should give it to adults once a year or so. It's good for them. Amazon.com: Bird Bene-Bac® Bird & Reptile Probiotic Gel, 15g Syringe: Kitchen & Dining (http://www.amazon.com/Bird-Bene-Bac%C2%AE-Reptile-Probiotic-Syringe/dp/B0002TR4S0/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1307114735&sr=8-1-fkmr0)

[Starling96]

Do they have that at any pet store chains like petco or petsmart?

[RedSidedSPR]

They might.. I doubt it. Not at petco, you may need to order.

[Starling96]

I will then lol

[ConcinusMan]

It cost me about $11 shipped. You know darn well that if any pet store carries it, (I doubt it, it has a short shelf life since it's live) it would be at least twice the price. Maybe a feed store might have it.

[Starling96]

Yea
is it a probiotic or an anitibiotic?

[ConcinusMan]

It's probiotic. Contains 20 million colony-forming units per gram. 7 different beneficial lactic-acid producing bacteria, specially formulated for reptiles and birds.

[Starling96]

Dang
He's doing great but I'm still going to get some.
Hhow should I feed that?

[ConcinusMan]

It doesn't stick to food well at all. I brain a pinky, squeeze out the brains, and fill it with the probiotic. Another way is to drill a hole in a piece of tilapia and fill it with the probiotic. I do this every feeding for 3-5 feedings. That should be enough to get the bacteria established in their gut.

[RedSidedSPR]

Braining pinkies is downright freaking nasty:p Be glad you're using fillet;)

[Didymus20X6]

http://legacy.owensboro.kctcs.edu/gcaplan/Songbook/goodman02_PinkyBrain-01.jpg

[Starling96]

Lol braining doesn't bother me much
I hunt and have to clean the animals so I'm not very sqeamish

[ConcinusMan]

If you cut the head off of a frozen pinky, making the cut very close to the base of the skull, then thaw it, the brains will squeeze right out the bottom, where the spinal cord enters the skull. That leaves a nice hole. Then you can stick the probiotic syringe in the hole and fill the skull with the probiotic gel. Works well. Otherwise you need a pretty large piece of tilapia in order to drill a hole big enough for the gel to fit inside.

As I was saying, the stuff just won't stick to the outside of the food. It's almost like trying to get petroleum jelly to stick to a wet balloon. Just won't stay on.

[Starling96]

Lol
I'll have to use tilapia because mine are picky :(

[ConcinusMan]

Whatever works. As long as it gets inside them without it sliding off.

[RedSidedSPR]

you can just shove it down a big enough guppies throat...

[ConcinusMan]

Isn't this just lovely conversation for the dinner table? LoL.

[Starling96]

Lol