Young BP Won't Eat

[PythonChris88]

I'm sure this topic has been brought up countless times and I've done plenty of research already, but I still can't figure out the issue. Here's the story:

Now 4.5 month old BP purchased in early November. Breeder reported good feeding, though sometimes would not take from tongs but would eat the rat if left in her enclosure. She had been on f/t pups prior to purchase and about 150g. Took her home, set up in a VE-6 rack with a hide box, water dish, 88F basking side, 78F cool side. One week after getting her, she ate a f/t pup that I gently introduced to the entrance of her hide. One week later, she wouldn't take the rat from the tongs so I left it and about 20 mins later when I checked, she had eaten it.

Then she suddenly stopped eating. I attempted to feed her about 5 different times ~4 days apart with no luck. No conditions changed and my other 6 snakes have been eating vigorously in the same set-up. After 3 weeks of refusal, I became concerned and got her a live pup. I heard the pup still moving after 15 mins, but another 15 mins later, it was gone. Now after 2 more weeks, she is still refusing f/t. She often roams her enclosure at night, but has no interest at all in the rats. I make sure the temperature of the rat is sufficiently high but it makes no difference.

I really don't want to go live again, but given her age, it makes me uncomfortable to let her go more than 3 weeks without a meal. Any thoughts why she could have developed such a sudden distaste for f/t? My technique is no different from the two successful feeds right after getting her, so I'm stumped. Thanks in advance and Happy New Year!

[Bogertophis]

OK, you complicated things by giving her live food, & not waiting for an answer about your early attempts to feed. One mistake seems to have been to keep offering every few days- that just makes a shy feeder even more nervous & more likely to refuse. If a snake refuses a meal, wait at least a week, & if they refuse again (especially if they're beyond 'hatchling' size), you might wait 10 - 14 days before offering again. Meanwhile, see if they might be coming into shed also- I'm quite sure snakes can "feel" a shed coming well before we can see any evidence of it, & most do not want to eat while in blue.

Another possible reason she's not eating is that she's not happy with her home set-up- & even if your other snakes find it suitable, you have to realize that they're not all the same. For best results with a new snake, duplicate the exact home they came from for a while, until they're eating reliably for you. It's frightening & disorienting for a snake to be re-homed- they have no idea where the familiar place went to or how they got here- it's scary. Might help to give more details about her enclosure- how many hides? How big are the hides? Are you handling this snake?

[PythonChris88]

OK, you complicated things by giving her live food, & not waiting for an answer about your early attempts to feed. One mistake seems to have been to keep offering every few days- that just makes a shy feeder even more nervous & more likely to refuse. If a snake refuses a meal, wait at least a week, & if they refuse again (especially if they're beyond 'hatchling' size), you might wait 10 - 14 days before offering again. Meanwhile, see if they might be coming into shed also- I'm quite sure snakes can "feel" a shed coming well before we can see any evidence of it, & most do not want to eat while in blue.

Another possible reason she's not eating is that she's not happy with her home set-up- & even if your other snakes find it suitable, you have to realize that they're not all the same. For best results with a new snake, duplicate the exact home they came from for a while, until they're eating reliably for you. It's frightening & disorienting for a snake to be re-homed- they have no idea where the familiar place went to or how they got here- it's scary. Might help to give more details about her enclosure- how many hides? How big are the hides? Are you handling this snake?

Thanks for the answer. I've been trying my best to minimize stress/disturbances between feed attempts. I try to feed her such that I'm minimally visible to her. I haven't handled her except to clean her cage, which I've only done 3 times since I got her, after she poops. She's in a 23 quart tub with 2 hides. One is a medium VE hide on the warm side and she has a 2nd smaller hide on the cool side. She does not/has not appeared to be in shed. According to the breeder, she shed 2 days before I purchased her. What's strange is that she seemed to acclimate well to the enclosure at first, taking 2 f/t meals before going on strike.

[Bogertophis]

You mentioned that one hide is medium & the other is smaller. And I know you did what you thought was best, but that alone could be the problem- IF she prefers the smaller one (because it provides "back pressure" & feeling more secure) then she may not be getting or staying warm enough to signal her body to be eating. Make sense? For the moment, you might try switching them to see if that helps?

That's why* we recommend using identical (same size) hides, & if she fits in the smaller one, that's the one you want to duplicate for now. Since she's being kept in a tub, & you're trying not to disturb her, it may not be obvious to you which of the hides she prefers, but judging from her lack of appetite, I'm guessing it's the smaller one. A typical issue for BPs- especially young ones- is too much space rather than not enough. Their wild habits favor lots of hiding in tight quarters, so it's important to get it right* with the hides you provide. (*Low "ceiling", only one doorway that's not over-sized, & an overall size that's not much bigger than the snake when it's curled up)

*Snakes typically choose a "sense of security" over the proper temperature for digestion, so it's important that BOTH hides offer the same "feeling" (of security), otherwise you can have a snake that either won't eat, or one that barfs up it's undigested meal after it does eat, because the cooler hide that feels "safer" isn't warm enough.

[PythonChris88]

You mentioned that one hide is medium & the other is smaller. And I know you did what you thought was best, but that alone could be the problem- IF she prefers the smaller one (because it provides "back pressure" & feeling more secure) then she may not be getting or staying warm enough to signal her body to be eating. Make sense? For the moment, you might try switching them to see if that helps?

That's why* we recommend using identical (same size) hides, & if she fits in the smaller one, that's the one you want to duplicate for now. Since she's being kept in a tub, & you're trying not to disturb her, it may not be obvious to you which of the hides she prefers, but judging from her lack of appetite, I'm guessing it's the smaller one. A typical issue for BPs- especially young ones- is too much space rather than not enough. Their wild habits favor lots of hiding in tight quarters, so it's important to get it right* with the hides you provide. (*Low "ceiling", only one doorway that's not over-sized, & an overall size that's not much bigger than the snake when it's curled up)

*Snakes typically choose a "sense of security" over the proper temperature for digestion, so it's important that BOTH hides offer the same "feeling" (of security), otherwise you can have a snake that either won't eat, or one that barfs up it's undigested meal after it does eat, because the cooler hide that feels "safer" isn't warm enough.

Makes perfect sense! I'll replace the medium hide with a second smaller one that gives her a tighter fit. Hopefully that does the trick. Thanks for the advice!