Eating, pooping problems

[spike41615]

Ive had my ball python for about 4 and a half months. i got him from calzoo, he was about 2 feet long, a young one. WHen i first got him he ate by himself about 3 weeks after i got him. THen after 7 weeks i asked someone who worked at a reptile shop near my house. HE asked all hte usual, and yes temp, humidity, and everything else was spot on. Hes extremely active and nice. ANyway the reptile guy said i should probably force feed since he was so young. So i did. Then about 4-5 weeks later he said to do it again. Besides not eating. After he ate by himself the first time, he didnt go to the bathroom at all for almost 4 weeks. THen the first force feed was aobut 4 weeks, and now its been about 3 and a half weeks since the last force feed and still nothing. I mist the cage to keep humidity up becasue it drops to 30 or less within an hour. I spray him with vita spray as well as putting the vitamin d3 suppliment in his water. What is wrong with him. please help. I am going to to try gerbils and hamsters next time i feed.

[elevatethis]

The problem is that he's been force-fed.

The guy at the reptile store misguided you and gave horrible advice. Force-feeding is a last resort option that takes place when the animal would die if it didn't receive some kind of nourishment. Force feeding is EXTREMELY stressful on ball pythons and often makes non-feeding issues WORSE than they are in the first place.

Spraying the ball python with vita-spray is worthless - they don't absorb anything through their skin and your just spraying your money away. Did the guy at the reptile store tell you to do that too?

Feeding problems, especially in young balls, are almost always related to husbandry/care issues.

What exactly is your cage setup? Describe in detail. Hides, type of enclosure, bedding, water bowl, everything.

What are you using to measure temperature and humidity?

What are the temperatures on the side of the cage with the heat source and the side of the cage without? (usually referred to as the "warm" and "cool sides", respectively)

What is the humidity level?

Answering these questions will help us get started helping you.

PS. Don't listen to another word the guy at the reptile store says.

[spike41615]

Day: 85-98 warm, 75-80 cool
night: 78-84 warm, 70-78 cool

i have a 40 gallon breeder tank, really wide. I have a HUGE water bowl for him in the center, a big piece of wood that forms a cave when dug into the substrate so he can hide. Two more different side wood pieces and fake greenery on the other side put together in a way to create another "cave" for him to hide in. Humidity is usually at 30% by morning. I mist and dump water into the bottom so the substrate absorbs it, at which point it goes up to about 60-70%. I cover at least 50% of the screen top to keep humidity in but by morning back down to 30% I have a digital themro with probes

[elevatethis]

Day: 85-98 warm, 75-80 cool
night: 78-84 warm, 70-78 cool

Boo-ya. Exposing ball pythons to tempertures in the low 70s is a sure fire way to kill their appetite. I can almost guarantee this is what has caused you ball python to go off food. For a non-feeding ball such as this, boost your cool side temp to a minimum of 82 degrees with a 94 degree warm spot. And remember, NO NIGHT TEMP DROPS for baby ball pythons!

i have a 40 gallon breeder tank, really wide.

This cage is WAY too big for a young ball python. They like tight spaces that they can feel secure in. I would opt for a tub-style setup until he's big enough and established enough to go in the larger display tank.

Humidity is usually at 30% by morning. I mist and dump water into the bottom so the substrate absorbs it, at which point it goes up to about 60-70%. I cover at least 50% of the screen top to keep humidity in but by morning back down to 30% I have a digital themro with probes

Dumping water in the substrate is only going to make the cage cooler at the floor and make your heating problems worse. Remember, WET and HUMID are two totally different things.

What are you using to heat the tank?

[spike41615]

during the day a 150 light and 100w ceramic heat emitter. And two heat pads that together take up 2/3 of the tank

[spike41615]

can i put more stuff in the tank to make it appear smaller to him. Its already tight in there.

[elevatethis]

Here's my best advice to you, given what you've told me.

Go out and buy a "sweaterbox" style sterilite tub, available at any target or walmart. Something like this: http://www.sterilite.com/Category.ht...ctCategory=38#

The 15 or 32qt will fine depending on the size of you snake. If he's over 24" long, go for the 32qt.

Fill the tub with newsprint or aspen shavings, use a water bowl, and place 2 hides on both sides of the tub. Hides can be the elaborate caves at pet stores or upside down plastic bowls with entrance holes cut into them. You want the hides to be tight...he should have to cram himself in them - trust me, they love small hides.

Next, take your heat pad off of the tank and place it under 1/3 on one side of the tub. Heat pads are notorious for overheating, so you may want to consider getting a thermostat or a dimmer to control it.

You want the floor temp of one side of the tub to be 92-94, the other to be 82-84.

Let him settle in to this setup for a week or two, don't handle him AT ALL, and then offer a hopper sized or small adult mouse, if thats what he was eating before.

[elevatethis]

can i put more stuff in the tank to make it appear smaller to him. Its already tight in there.

A 40 gal breeder tank is much too large for a young ball python. They do NOT need a lot of space. They aren't that type of animal...its common for new keepers to think that giving them a huge tank makes them happer - it doesn't - it makes them nervous, feel less secure, and less inclined to feel safe enough to eat.

That combined with the force-feeding and low temperatures, you've got a perfect recepie for a non-feeding ball python.

[elevatethis]

To make a young ball feel safe, you're looking for something like this:


Or, a "perfect fit", I say the hide isn't small enough until its not on the ground anymore....


These are both 15 qt tubs and both snakes are over 500 grams. They pound food every week and are growing fast.