Ball python wont eat

[Nephil]

So yesterday was feeding day, and i gave my BP the usual (2 leftover hopper mice every 5 days). Yesterday he really wanted to get out of his tub as always cause he was so hungry (i think it's hunger because he calms down when i feed him), and since he was too busy trying to escape for a long time he would just not notice his food for a while until he'd calm down, hide and just wait patiently with his head out. That happens every time, but since i couldn't wait longer than a hour of him making his escape attempts i just left a hopper mouse in the tub, and he'd usually eat it. Not this time though, he was lying next to it, on it but he just wouldn't eat it. He still looked hungry, because he was alert for any noise nearby and would start flicking his tongue fast if i'd open his tub. After 6-7 hours i decided to take out the mouse, because it started to be stinkier and it was just squished because my snake just kept slithering on it while still trying to get out of the tub. He'd try to get out then calm down and hide waiting, then try again to get out and so on. After taking out the mouse i decided to take one of my freshly ordered 30 gram rat, and decided to try and give it to him well thawed and warmed up. Keep in mind he has a very good appetite, and he seemed interested but also weirded out by the rat, cause he was just sniffing and sniffing it. I decided to leave it overnight, and he didn't eat it, but still is waiting with his head out of the hide. The temps are usual (26°C and 30°C) and humidity is between 65% and 75%. I don't know what could be causing this and it stresses me out seeing him trying to escape over and over, he keeps moving his decorations and his water bowl till it falls no matter what, and i don't know if i should try to feed him today, tomorrow or just wait till next week. Please help.

[KMG]

If a snake of mine refuses to eat they are not offered another until the next scheduled feeding day.

Trying again and again will only add stress and complicate things further.

If your snake usually eats well missing a meal is no big deal. I've seen Balls go off food for months without issue. Mine did once for I think three months. No biggie.

[Armiyana]

Is it maybe something like he's beginning to outgrow the habitat or hides? When my young snakes start changing behavior and getting antsy and pushing like that, it's usually time for an upgrade.

I would probably do what KMG said and wait it out. If your baby had been eating fine, there's no concern in waiting another 5-7 days. The more you stress about making him eat, the more he will stress and not want to eat.

For later on...Unless you're just running through the last of some frozen you had on hand, I would consider moving them to one prey item of appropriate size. Typically this means rats. Ball pythons can get stuck on one type of food and working out multiple prey items to an adult weekly can be frustrating.

[Homebody]

Is it maybe something like he's beginning to outgrow the habitat or hides? When my young snakes start changing behavior and getting antsy and pushing like that, it's usually time for an upgrade.

If you post a picture of it's tub, it would help us identify anything in the set up that may be stressing it.

[Nephil]

If a snake of mine refuses to eat they are not offered another until the next scheduled feeding day.

Trying again and again will only add stress and complicate things further.

If your snake usually eats well missing a meal is no big deal. I've seen Balls go off food for months without issue. Mine did once for I think three months. No biggie.

Thanks for the answer, i just wanted to make sure if i should try again once more because i was nervous since it's unusual for him to not eat haha.

[Nephil]

Is it maybe something like he's beginning to outgrow the habitat or hides? When my young snakes start changing behavior and getting antsy and pushing like that, it's usually time for an upgrade.

I would probably do what KMG said and wait it out. If your baby had been eating fine, there's no concern in waiting another 5-7 days. The more you stress about making him eat, the more he will stress and not want to eat.

For later on...Unless you're just running through the last of some frozen you had on hand, I would consider moving them to one prey item of appropriate size. Typically this means rats. Ball pythons can get stuck on one type of food and working out multiple prey items to an adult weekly can be frustrating.

He still fits well in the hides but i think the tub being small is possible, i'll load a pic answering the last comment. And about the mice- i just ordered hopper mice as a total newbie, thinking they were the appropriate size for a meal. When i found out he needs to eat bigger prey then i started to give him 2 hopper mice, and decided to give them until they finish. I got 30 gram rats for my BP now though, so 1 prey should be enough for him (he weighs 208 grams).

[Nephil]

If you post a picture of it's tub, it would help us identify anything in the set up that may be stressing it.

I think it actually might be small, so here's a pic. It might look confusing, so i'll explain what's going on here. The cool side is on the right and the hot side on the left. The black water bowl (which was supposed to be a hide, but it became too small for my snake so i used it as a deeper bowl) is on the hot side because of the decorations and hides placement, and i keep it standing with a few pebbles. The hide on the left is a medium black box kind of hide with a big cork wood piece on it that i put, and the other hide on the right is an exo terra stone hide with also another piece of wood on it. He uses both of them and fits well, but he mostly uses the underside of the big cork piece as a hide. I took him out to take this pic because he kept trying to escape, but the length of the tub is the same length of my BP. Also the thermometer probes aren't visible because they are under the substrate, while i keep the thermostat probes between the underside of the tub and the heat mats (i have 2 heat mats to keep the right temps on both sides). Also the substrate side that has no decorations part might seem small and it is, but the tub is pretty tall so my BP has plenty of space to climb the wood pieces.

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[Homebody]

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To your original question as to why your bp won't eat. I wouldn't be concerned. They do that. As for your bp restlessness, it may be time for an enclosure upgrade. I kept my bp in a similar tub for the first year that I had him until he began pushing. He would get a big bump on his head from pushing on the lid. He'd stop until the bump healed and start again until he developed another bump, over and over. So, I built him a 3x2x2 enclosure. He stopped pushing. I don't know what it was about the new enclosure that he liked better. It may have been the extra space or the added security from the non-transparent sides, or something else entirely. You may need to try a few different things until you find what works. If you're not in a position to upgrade your enclosure, you could try to block those transparent sides, or maybe, move the enclosure to a location with less activity.