Avoiding Warmth For Days

[Patricia]

I don't know what's going on with our little BP (150g) and am getting very discouraged.

Along with suddenly not eating (last meal 1½ weeks ago) and daytime roaming, it has been avoiding its warm hide for nearly a week. At the moment, it's again in the cool hide. The cool side of the tank is only around 70 degrees.

I've tried switching hides around and unplugging the UTH so it's equally cool there, to no effect. It seems like Patriot prefers the location (that end of the tank) rather than the temperature (since both ends are cool now).

That cool end is where the AcuRite is mounted on the glass, which he likes to perch on. That's the end he climbs up vertically to try to escape from. He's never active on the warm end, just that cool end.

Hence, he's been cold all these days. 2 days ago when he started roaming at mid-afternoon, I held him and he calmed right down, seeming to enjoy the heat from my hands. I completely wrapped him up in a towel and had him on my lap like that for about 5 hours, during which he seemed contentedly curled up, asleep.

Is avoidance of heat normal? How long can they do that for? If belly heat is necessary for digestion, perhaps this is tied in with his food refusal.

The next thing I'm ready to try is going back to the original set-up he came with of no cool hide at all. When it was just the tree hide over the UTH, none of these current problems existed. He was a warm, digesting, hiding BP.

[HeartAche]

What is the temp in the hide on the warm side? I know that 2 of my BPs spent awhile away from the warm side and I couldnt figure out why until I realized that with the temp change I needed to lower the temp on my thermometer. I'm just throwing that out there since I see that your in So Cal too

[Patricia]

What is the temp in the hide on the warm side?

Duh, I should've stated that, so glad you asked! It's been at a steady 92-94 degrees, since we use the ReptiTemp to control it.

Re. the AcuRite giving us the temp and humidity readings, there are several buttons/dials on it which we've never touched. We just put it into the tank. Does the unit need adjusting before use and could those readings be inaccurate?

[bigballs]

he could have stopped feeding because of improper temperatures, too much handling and/or lack of sense of security within his enclosure. you need to stop worry about where the snake spends his time and start worrying about providing the proper husbandry requirements for him. get his temps correct, give him identical hides on both the warm and cool end of the enclosure and calm down with the handling until he starts eating again for you.

[dr del]

Hi,

Could he also be coming up to a shed?


dr del

[Patricia]

Could he also be coming up to a shed?

The belly is pink. What's the connection??? (He didn't do this with the last shed.)

[dr del]

Hi,

Well mine basically just want to chillax and hide when they are coming up to a shed - mine don't eat in shed either.

But it is worth noting your responses didn't help.

Removing the heat messing up the heat gradient, changing the tank (yes even for an improvement ), and offering multiple feedings in a short period of time can all increase the stress for the lil guy.

I'd get the temp gradient back on track and leave him totally alone for a week.

How is the humidity?


dr del