New Baby Ball Not Eating and Roaming Alot

[RdWoollard]

Ok, So I have owned snakes in the past I got rid of the four I had for ten years just a year ago. I recently picked up a baby albino ball python for a good price from Kingsnake.com. I was told the baby had eaten live hopper mice by the breeder. I currently have the snake in a 28 quart tub which I believe is too big and am going to change over to a smaller one. (There was a type in an email so I ended up getting the wrong size tub and I think this may be a large part of the problem but am still looking for help) So where I live I dont really have quick access to get live rodents. The closest in my state is a 2.5 hour drive. There is a place closer only forty minutes but its in Canada and I don't have my passport plus I have always fed snakes FT rather then live and I prefer it that way. So I order frozen rat fuzzies. I have notices for the nine days I had the snake before trying to feed there were several times a day he would come and and roam around for three hours at a time. I'm sure he is probably stressed and possibly in too large an enclosure that is different in most ways then what he was in and would be why he showed no interest in the rat. But he is small and I guess I worry on how much time i have to get him to eat.. I am picking up a smaller tub tonight and going to get bedding for it rather then using paper towel. I know that the breeder had him on repti bark. there is no store here that sells that so I was going to get care fresh at Walmart. I am also going to get black paper or something to cover three sides of the tub. After doing this tonight how long should I wait to try to feed again? It was last night when I tried for the first time. Oh and I use a Zoo Med UTH keeping the warm side basking spot at 92 I use a heat gun to measure. The cool side is only about 75 which when dropping in tub size will warm up obviously. Another quesion with this is do I keep trying frozen thawed or at what point do I do what I gotta do and get a live?

[Vasiliki]

Trying to feed him several times a day is going to stress any reptile out. Heck, my corn wouldn't even eat if I bugged her constantly with a meal. So don't do that anymore.

In fact, ignore your snake for a bit. Stop fussing. Stop looking in. Stop bugging your little guy. Let him settle. If you feel his tub is too big, crumble up some paper and put it in there to fill the 'space' he's feeling. I did this for my little BP hatchling and he started to calmly explore (whereas before he would hide constantly).

How are you heating up the rat fuzzies?

Honestly, I would leave your snake alone until he stops crusing like he's stressed. Leave him alone for now. Ignore him. Wait until he isn't cruising anymore (a sign of stress). Once he calms down, offer him a rat by thawing it very very nice and warm (I use warm water. Works every time). Then put it in there on the warm side. If he doesn't strike, leave the rat in there overnight. If he doesn't eat it, remove it in the morning and try again in 5-7 days. The more you try to force him to eat, the more he's going to be stressed at the idea of eating.

Also: You shouldn't need reptibark for a young ball python. You can keep him on whatever substrate you want, as long as you are providing enough hides, a secure location, and get rid of all that 'open' space in his enclosure.

[heathers*bps]

The tub being too big, the cool side too cool and you constantly trying to feed him is stressing him out. If you want to keep that size tub, add more hides and crumpled up newspaper to it. Definitely bring up the cool side by about 5 degrees. And don't try to feed him again for another week.

Is your uth regulated by a thermostat?

[Kaorte]

I think decreasing the tub size will help. Get him in a 6qt or 15qt tub with two identical tight fitting hides and wait 1 week from the day you made the changes to feed him.

Your temps sound fine. I keep my ambient (cool side) at 75* and all my snakes are doing fine.

[RdWoollard]

Thank you everyone for the responses, I need to read what I wrote again I must have worded something wrong, I have only tried to feed him once and that was last night I tried wiggling it on tongs and he showed no interest I then just left it in there for a little bit but decided I would take it out as he was not showing any signs of feeding interest at all. My previous snakes I had when I purchased them were a little older then this one so I didn't have any problems with feeding or getting them settled in actually. I never worried if the ball python I had before went off feed for awhile because he was an adult and established but I worry with this one because it is so young. I am definatley going to get him in a smaller tub and block off three sides to make it seem more secure and just let him be for a few days and then try again. I don't have a thermostat no, I am using a dimmer or rheostat. I have always thawed my rats with using ziplock bags and warm water which is exactly what I did for this one. I know snakes can go a long time without eating but its also said alot babies can't go very long. All the information I have to go on on the previous feeding is what I was told which is that he had eaten I belive three or four times and he was fed three days before I recieved him which was 10 days ago now so I change the tub size and all and then wait another seven days to try and feed again? It won't be too long with him being that small and young? I was told he is 85 Grams, but I have not purchased a scale yet so I don't know exactly.

[Kaorte]

Another week without eating is not a big deal. Now if a snake that size were to be off feed for over a month, then I would start to worry.

[Annarose15]

In addition to the tips already given, you are trying to change his food too dramatically all at once. He was on live mouse hoppers, and you're trying F/T rats. If it is easier than finding live, can you find a few frozen mouse hoppers? Get your BP eating those first, then switch to the rats. That way, it's only one change at a time (live mice to F/T mice to F/T rats).