Need some guidance on a stubborn snake

[drkness90]

Okay so I am a new owner to the BP world however I have been around them for a while and have been reading through the site often. Okay on to my issue I recently acquired a baby bp not even a month old from a show. I asked the breeder about his last feed and he stated that it had been just a few days prior. So i brought the snake home gave it a week of getting used to its new home and tried to feed it a week and 3 days after being home. He refused it and i assumed due to stress so i left the mouse pinky in overnight and still nothing. So 5 days later as per schedule I tried feeding again and still nothing. Is it still stress? and should I start with assist feeding the snake? Thanks for any help and sorry for the long post.

[ballpythonluvr]

Try offering a live hopper mouse. A pinky is way to small for a hatchling.

[Toddnkaya]

I had the same issue, although I fed the next day with a small adult mouse about 10 -15 grams, and he took it. He was so uninterested in the fuzzy crawler that he actually rested his head on it.
With the small mouse, He did not even leave his hide. The mouse ventured in, but did not come out. The last one I fed him was even fatter. I would say closer to 20 grams. My snake is about 6 or seven weeks old. Its shocking that a smallish snake can eat a mouse this size. Lol...
I would say don't wait too long to refeed as I bet he is getting hungry. No need to assist feed as snakes can go a very long time without eating. Put in a small active hopper, turn the lights down low, and I'm sure he will eat it.
Good luck.
Todd

[RetiredJedi]

Have you tried a rat pinkie? The BP might not like mice.

[blushingball419]

Did the breeder say he was feeding live or frozen? Rats or mice? If you don't know then you're just going to have to use the process of elimination to figure out what he's used to. In any case, as was already stated, a pinky is way too small for him. It should be a mouse hopper or a rat fuzzy at the least, and if you can get him started with rats it will make your life much easier. Also, if you offer frozen/thawed, always make sure it's warm enough. Hair dryers work wonders!

Good luck!

[drkness90]

thanks for the help guys. So im done with pinkys today and picked up some frozen rat fuzzys instead to offer to him. Sadly no I do not know if he was on f/t or live so i will have to just eliminate my options as I go. Thankfully I have found a local rodent breeder that offers live as my previous supplier only offered frozen as anything live is over sized. Next feed is this Saturday so we shall try then. Question with the hair dryer how long do i warm it up for as i dont want to overheat it?

[RestlessRobie]

I heat my frozen to about 100f with the hairdryer check it with a temp gun and well our little gal had no problem our larger normal ony wanted mice for a while but I think he has finally come around

[AK907]

You want it to be around 100-105 degrees with special attention paid to its head. It should feel warm to the touch, but not hot. Hatchlings cannot go as long as adults without food, so if he refuses the f/t I would try a live fuzzy rat. Leave it overnight if he doesn't take it immediately, it won't hurt him. Then from there I would get some size to him before forcing the switch to f/t on him.

Assist feeding is a last resort, when it means life or death and all other avenues have been exhausted. If it were to come to that, I strongly advise you to have someone experienced do it or help you. Its very stressful to them and you could easily injure the snake if you don't know what you're doing.

What are your temps and humidity? What size tank/tub? Hides? Is he in a heavily traveled area of the house?

[drkness90]

You want it to be around 100-105 degrees with special attention paid to its head. It should feel warm to the touch, but not hot. Hatchlings cannot go as long as adults without food, so if he refuses the f/t I would try a live fuzzy rat. Leave it overnight if he doesn't take it immediately, it won't hurt him. Then from there I would get some size to him before forcing the switch to f/t on him.

Assist feeding is a last resort, when it means life or death and all other avenues have been exhausted. If it were to come to that, I strongly advise you to have someone experienced do it or help you. Its very stressful to them and you could easily injure the snake if you don't know what you're doing.

What are your temps and humidity? What size tank/tub? Hides? Is he in a heavily traveled area of the house?

His humidity is at 64, cold side temp 80 and 86 on hot side by my thermometer. No hides and he is in a 6qt tub. He is not in a heavy traveled area as he is in a rack in a climate controlled closet with our other bp's.

[Ladybugzcrunch]

Add a small hide to the hot side. Make sure he has a 90-92 F hot spot. 86 is a bit cool for a hot spot.