Not eating

[Oz781]

Hey everyone, I’ve had a blue eyed Lucy for about 2 months, he’s doing great. Loves being handled, never strikes at anything. The problem is the temps and humidity are all good, there’s plenty of clutter, and I try feeding at various times. I’ve tried live, fresh killed and F/T he just has no interest in eating. He’s weighed 122 grams since I got him. Which I think is actually under weight for 6 months. Any one have any ideas on how I can get this guy eating?

[Bogertophis]

Hey everyone, I’ve had a blue eyed Lucy for about 2 months, he’s doing great. Loves being handled, never strikes at anything. The problem is the temps and humidity are all good, there’s plenty of clutter, and I try feeding at various times. I’ve tried live, fresh killed and F/T he just has no interest in eating. He’s weighed 122 grams since I got him. Which I think is actually under weight for 6 months. Any one have any ideas on how I can get this guy eating?

Rule #1- stop handling! He probably doesn't love it- he's just passive, & that's not the same thing. Handling distracts from a snake's appetite- they need to be a snake first (ie. they need to feel like the predator they ARE), & handling instinctively causes some stress & fear in snakes. They rely on instincts in the wild to survive, & the only thing that picks them up in nature is a predator about to EAT them.

We highly recommend NO handling until a snake is feeding regularly, & at regular intervals...at least 3 times with no refusals unless in shed (then refusing food is normal). After that, gradually add in some handling, but don't over-do it- NOT every day. You may love it, but if you want your snake to survive & focus on eating, you need to quit picking him up for a while. You're a HUGE scary giant to this snake. Fear is no help for his appetite.

What are the ACTUAL temperatures in his home- highest & lowest. What is the humidity? Pics of his home might help- what kind of hides does he have?

[Oz781]

I’ve actually given the last 2 weeks with no handling to try to correct it. He’s got 3 dark plastic hides that he can feel all the sides of, small openings. Plenty of foliage, some place he can climb if he wants. High temp fluctuates from 92-90 and low anywhere from 80-85. Humidity stays around 50-58 towards the top of the tank, the hygrometers on the floor are usually 55-70.

[Homebody]

Hey everyone, I’ve had a blue eyed Lucy for about 2 months, he’s doing great. Loves being handled, never strikes at anything. The problem is the temps and humidity are all good, there’s plenty of clutter, and I try feeding at various times. I’ve tried live, fresh killed and F/T he just has no interest in eating. He’s weighed 122 grams since I got him. Which I think is actually under weight for 6 months. Any one have any ideas on how I can get this guy eating?

Do I understand correctly that your bp hasn't eaten or grown in the two months that you've had him? If so, that's not doing great. I'll echo Boger's advice. Stop handling until he's eating regularly. Post pics of your set up. Maybe, there is something about his set up that contributing. This thread will show you how: https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...-Post-Pictures.

[Bogertophis]

Cool side should be lower- not above 80. The warmer he is, the faster his metabolism is & the faster he loses weight- and he's also not eating. The best thing (in hindsight) would be to never have handled him from the start. There's no way to know how long it will take now for him to de-stress after you've handled him for 6 wks. & now 2 weeks off- it's better not to mess up in the first place.

When you get a snake, it's IMPORTANT to find out from the source exactly what your snake was raised on- rats or mice? live, fresh killed (f/k) or frozen thawed (f/t)? Then offer the same thing, in the same way. You also want to know HOW he was fed- from tongs? drop-fed? other? How have you been offering food? BPs prefer to eat after dark, in the evening hours. Dim the lights in the room too, & don't be very obvious (stand quiet if you watch). Many snakes will drop their prey & then refuse to eat at all if they notice you moving nearby when they first pick up their prey. That's instinctive- because in the wild, they themselves are at risk of being eaten by predators while they themselves are trying to eat their own dinner.

Snakes that are rehomed are already stressed & confused- the more consistency you can provide in their life (with their food), the better your chance of success. Snakes are not the ravenous hunters that some imagine them to be- they're sensitive & shy creatures- especially when they're young (& some species like BPs more than others). If you aren't considerate, there's no guarantee they'll survive. When they come from a pet store or breeder, they've often been exposed to other reptiles that are sick & parasitized; when you don't allow them time to settle in, their immune system doesn't function so well either, so not only don't they eat, but they're more likely to become sick from things they were exposed to, & the lack of food only makes them weaker. I'm saying this for your future reference & anyone else that's reading this forum- it matters greatly how you treat a new reptile. Have patience & just watch them for a while, for best results. "TLC" first. Wait until they're eating, & also pay attention to their stool once they digest- sometimes that gives important clues about their health too.

[Oz781]

My buddy at work is a breeder, he had been handling this guy daily, with regular eating. So when I got him I waited about a week to handle. But in this case I’m dropping the overall room temp to 76 so the low end can be cooler. He hasn’t lost any weight yet. I’ve been trying F/T because he was just switched over to them, by tongs because that was the original method. I’ve been feeding him at night when he starts to get active.

Cool side should be lower- not above 80. The warmer he is, the faster his metabolism is & the faster he loses weight- and he's also not eating. The best thing (in hindsight) would be to never have handled him from the start. There's no way to know how long it will take now for him to de-stress after you've handled him for 6 mos. & now 2 weeks off- it's better not to mess up in the first place.

When you get a snake, it's IMPORTANT to find out from the source exactly what your snake was raised on- rats or mice? live, fresh killed (f/k) or frozen thawed (f/t)? Then offer the same thing, in the same way. You also want to know HOW he was fed- from tongs? drop-fed? other? How have you been offering food? BPs prefer to eat after dark, in the evening hours. Dim the lights in the room too, & don't be very obvious (stand quiet if you watch). Many snakes will drop their prey & then refuse to eat at all if they notice you moving nearby when they first pick up their prey. That's instinctive- because in the wild, they themselves are at risk of being eaten by predators while they themselves are trying to eat their own dinner.

Snakes that are rehomed are already stressed & confused- the more consistency you can provide in their life (with their food), the better your chance of success. Snakes are not the ravenous hunters that some imagine them to be- they're sensitive & shy creatures- especially when they're young (& some species like BPs more than others). If you aren't considerate, there's no guarantee they'll survive. When they come from a pet store or breeder, they've often been exposed to other reptiles that are sick & parasitized; when you don't allow them time to settle in, their immune system doesn't function so well either, so not only don't they eat, but they're more likely to become sick from things they were exposed to, & the lack of food only makes them weaker. I'm saying this for your future reference & anyone else that's reading this forum- it matters greatly how you treat a new reptile. Have patience & just watch them for a while, for best results. Wait until they're eating, & also pay attention to their stool once they digest- sometimes that gives important clues about their health too.

[Bogertophis]

Be patient, & also, don't offer food more often than once every 5-7 days, because that too will stress them out. BPs can be very picky- they're not the easiest beginner snakes- they're mostly recommended for beginners just because they're docile. I have to say, give me a snake that bites ANY day- because that's a snake that most likely eats too. I never worry about calming a snake down so they don't bite- there's nothing more frustrating than one that refuses to eat. That's why you want to get every little thing right from the beginning.

[Oz781]

Haha I thought I was ready, but I appreciate the help. I’m making the adjustments immediately and going to offer him again in about 10 days. I’ve been sure not to offer every day. Hopefully I can get him back on food without vet intervention

[Bogertophis]

Haha I thought I was ready, but I appreciate the help. I’m making the adjustments immediately and going to offer him again in about 10 days. I’ve been sure not to offer every day. Hopefully I can get him back on food without vet intervention

Vets aren't always much help for basic husbandry issues- many don't even have much experience beyond treating medical issues. Besides, talking about all the "husbandry" issues takes a lot of their time- more than most vets can take for your apptmt. & vets don't make money that way- their main purpose is diagnosis, meds & surgery, etc. You want a vet for medical issues, sure, but so far this appears to be all about husbandry. Even if your snake needed to be tube-fed, that's best done at home, as they have to be kept quiet afterwards, not riding in a car or being handled- they'll likely barf it up by the time they get home. And if your snake isn't eating because it's too stressed, a vet visit will just make that worse.

[Bogertophis]

My buddy at work is a breeder, he had been handling this guy daily, with regular eating. So when I got him I waited about a week to handle. But in this case I’m dropping the overall room temp to 76 so the low end can be cooler. He hasn’t lost any weight yet. I’ve been trying F/T because he was just switched over to them, by tongs because that was the original method. I’ve been feeding him at night when he starts to get active.

Hmm? Your snake shouldn't be super stressed about handling, assuming your definition is the same as your buddy's? But being in a new home is totally freaky for snakes, so this one may just be more sensitive about it than some others are. Snakes have their own personalities & their own tolerance (or lack thereof).

You say he hasn't lost any weight yet: So for you to know that, you must be weighing him??? That too is "handling" & adds to his stress, so knock it off for now. It's nice to know (if a snake is losing weight) but not if it makes it so he never eats. See? Most BPs are very docile snakes- it doesn't take much to knock them off their predatory game. He needs all the help he can get now to get his appetite- his focus on food.

Glad he was started of f/t- using tongs are good, as is feeding at night. As an ambush predator, most BPs prefer to take food when they're IN their hide, & just peeking out. And NOT when they're cruising their home (in case you didn't know?), since being out in the "open" + the distraction of eating a meal would put them at risk from other predators in the wild.

That's all I can think of for now...I hope you can get him to eat, & soon. For a young snake, 2 mos. without eating is quite a while.