BP Eating Strangely :: Pls Help

[Raidynn]

Good Day Guys~
I'm incredibly new to this site and moderately new to ball pythons so please forgive me ahead of time. So, I got a little normal hatchling back in January. Her name is Mjölner and she's about 4 months old now. She's been eating small rats every Sunday up until about 4 weeks ago (she was on pinkys and graduated up to this point). She's had 3 solid healthy sheds and the 3rd one took place yesterday. Every feeding is live and very closely monitored. I used to do feeding in a separate enclosure until it got to be a bit to much to be going back and forth so now it's all in cage. Right now her cage is 90 on the hot side, ambient of 80, 65% humidity. (Someone please help me with that too because I'm seeing humidity numbers all over the place on the Internet and I want a solid number I've seen 60 - 70 and 80 solid. I've had it at 80 up until recently). So, now that I've said all of that... The thing is about 4 weeks ago I thought she wasn't fulfilled by one small. She seemed to want more before the next feed so I tried to get two. She didn't eat either of them that Sunday. I tried to offer every day after that during the night, she didn't want it. About a week later she ate the smaller rat. The weird thing was that she didn't strike. She let it sit there, slowly grabbed it behind the neck, and then slowly coiled it. She ate it. Last week the local store I went to didn't have live so I tried desperately to feed thawed. After about an hour, and a very tired arm I just let it go. She was ignoring me long after slithering away. Here I am the next week. I've got a live one she seemed a little interested since she had just shed. However, she's not striking she comes at it like she just wants to pet it >.> so to say. So the rat is sleeping in the corner and my ball python looks incredibly bored and just chilling. She doesn't look dehydrated or under weight. I believe she's about a foot and a half long but I feel like she's too young to just be going off food like that. Can someone answer as to why she's eating like that or tell me what I'm doing wrong.

[chrid16371]

Humidity 50-60 bump up to 70 during shed. Everyone on this forum will tell you that. Never try to feed every night, You need to wait at least 4-7 days. After 20 minutes of refusing take the rat out. No reason to be alarmed now. Once your snake starts losing a significant amount of weight then you can start worrying. Your snake could be stressed now bc of all the times you have tried feeding. I would Keep trying once every 5-7 days. Post pics of your setup and then people can give you advice on what to change, this is what I did and now my male has ate 4 consecutive meals.

[Mike41793]

what does the snake weigh? the rat could be too large and intimidating to her. If she is of a healthy weight and body shape, I wouldnt worry about her refusing and would cut back to offering her a smaller sized meal every two weeks.

[Raidynn]

[Raidynn]

what does the snake weigh? the rat could be too large and intimidating to her. If she is of a healthy weight and body shape, I wouldnt worry about her refusing and would cut back to offering her a smaller sized meal every two weeks.

I don't have a scale ;(

[Mike41793]

I don't have a scale ;(

if you want one, you can acquire one at target or walmart for like $20 in the food section. a simple kitchen scale will do.

[Raidynn]

if you want one, you can acquire one at target or walmart for like $20 in the food section. a simple kitchen scale will do.

Awesome! Thanks I'm going to invest when I head to the store tomorrow

[chrid16371]

Do you have a digital thermometer with probe or temp gun? I seen the analog thermometer and they are really inaccurate. Where is your thermostat probe? Is it inside or between the uth and tank? If its between the uth and tank you will need to set your thermostat higher to get the correct temp inside, that's where the probe thermometer or temp gun comes in. Make sure your temp under your substrate is no higher then 95 do to burrowing. If you can't get temp on top of substrate high enough while keeping 95 under substrate you will need to remove a little of the substrate.

[Raidynn]

Do you have a digital thermometer with probe or temp gun? I seen the analog thermometer and they are really inaccurate. Where is your thermostat probe? Is it inside or between the uth and tank? If its between the uth and tank you will need to set your thermostat higher to get the correct temp inside, that's where the probe thermometer or temp gun comes in. Make sure your temp under your substrate is no higher then 95 do to burrowing. If you can't get temp on top of substrate high enough while keeping 95 under substrate you will need to remove a little of the substrate.

The thermostat probe is just beneath the surface of the substrate if it's not on top.

[chrid16371]

The thermostat probe is just beneath the surface of the substrate if it's not on top.

Not all the way at the bottom of the substrate? Just little bit under? You should get a temp gun or a probe thermometer and check the temp right on top of the substrate to see where your at. If its just beneath set at 90 your temp on top of substrate could be a little low, it might not be but you won't know until you check with one of the temp devices I mentioned. That way you can be reassured the temps are perfect. They sell acurite thermometers with probes at Walmart for $12 and you can put the probe on top of substrate on hot side and run the wire under the substrate and set the whole unit on the cold side and it will give you the cool side temp and humidity also.