Problems with feeding

[beetlegus]

I don't know what is going on with my BP. He has not eaten on a regular schedule since December. He was eating every week no problems and then I went on vacation and came back, gone for 10 days with someone watching and misting him. When I got back he would not eat. This went on for 2 months or so that he wouldn't eat. He looked good and all though, then he finally ate. He wouldn't eat the next time though. To make it short, he has only eaten approx 5 times since December and is now starting to look like he's getting skinny and his back bone is showing and his round shape is looking flat. His skin is starting to look really dimpled. I am not sure what to do next other than look for a vet to take him to. His husbandry has not changed since when I first got him and he was eating good. Please help. My blood python in the same room and conditions eats like a champ.

[spaceturtle]

You feeding live, pre-killed or frozen? And Mice or Rats?

[beetlegus]

I am feeding live rats. I have tried dead ones and it doesn't matter. I have also tried feeding mice and he doesn't take those either. He acts like he doesn't want to hurt them.

[blackcrystal22]

I am feeding live rats. I have tried dead ones and it doesn't matter. I have also tried feeding mice and he doesn't take those either. He acts like he doesn't want to hurt them.

I'm going to copy and paste a previous post.
Again, credit to SatanicIntention.

This is what your tank should look like.

Here's what your tub should look like. It's a 6qt tub, one hide, newspaper(or paper towels), water bowl. Get an UTH or a piece of flexwatt(1 ft of either 4" or 11", wired), and get a quality digital thermostat(Johnson or Ranco is fine). You NEED a digital thermometer too that also measures humidity. He cannot stay in that big tank, or he'll never eat. Constant roaming = lots of stress.







Your snake really can't afford to lose much more weight. Your priority right now is getting him in a secure environment where he feels safe, getting his temperatures regulated, and getting him eating.

Now this is what my tank looks like,



When it used to be this..


Once you get him on a good feeding schedule then you can move him back into a display tank with smaller hides and bowls.
Right now its important to get him eating, try getting a very small live mouse from petco (they have the smallest mice) and feeding that to him.

[Mochelem]

Also if your snake is loosing that much weight you can also assist it with feeding, hold his neck right behind the head and use two fingers on the back of its jaws to open the mouth, and place the head of a dead mouse in its mouth... A lot of times they go right into constriction and eat the prey....

I have some captive hatched snakes that I have to do this to....

[beetlegus]

He's in a 40Gal on cypress mulch same as always. He was a 3yr old snake when I got him, about 3 ft long. I was thinking about trying to assist him with eating but if that doesn't work then its too the vet before force feeding. I could switch him into the 20Gal I use for my Blood as he is getting rather cramped in it now and see if he feels more secure.

[blackcrystal22]

He's in a 40Gal on cypress mulch same as always. He was a 3yr old snake when I got him, about 3 ft long. I was thinking about trying to assist him with eating but if that doesn't work then its too the vet before force feeding. I could switch him into the 20Gal I use for my Blood as he is getting rather cramped in it now and see if he feels more secure.

Why don't you switch the blood and the ball? The blood would probably be happier and a 40gal and adult balls live fine in a 20gal.

:] Make sure the temperatures are ok, he could just be fasting for a bit, you don't have to worry about anything yet.

[littleindiangirl]

If he is visibly losing weight, it's time to take him to a vet. Snakes can go off feed during the breeding season, but all of my males have come out of their fast at some point this year already.

Here's a vet listing
http://www.herpvetconnection.com/

http://www.anapsid.org/vets/#vetlist

http://www.arav.org/usmembers.htm