am i doing something wrong? (bp won't feed)

hello!! i got my first ball python on January 4 and she has not eaten since. i tried moving her to a new enclosure, but i think that stressed her out a little too much, so i've been trying to feed her in her own enclosure. she is a baby, about a foot long and i've been trying to feed her fuzzies. she resides in a 20 gallon glass tank with a hot side of about 88-90 degrees and a cool side that is usually around 70-80 degrees. i try to keep the humidity at 50 percent but it tends to fluctuate since the tank is covered by a screen, but to fix this i cover half of it with a small blanket. i have a 50 watt heat bulb and a heating pad. also, she is quite active during the day recently so could that mean she is hungry or uncomfortable? i tried to feed her two days ago, but should i try again today? i have gone through 8 fuzzies already and she has refused every single one. i'm very worried so please give me some advice :( thanks!

A 20-gallon tank could be too big for a baby snake. It stresses them out based on my experience before.

should i try feeding her in something smaller again?

Your temps and such are all "about a"- how are you controlling and monitoring heat? How many hides and what size? Are you trying live or f/t? Was she on rats before or mice?

i've raised a hatchling in a 20-gallon: as long as there is clutter to make them feel more secure they should be fine.

moving her will definitely stress her out and make her not want to eat; she needs to acclimate first. leave her completely alone for a few days — no handling, no feeding — and then try to offer food. offering food after refusals will also stress them out, so wait a few days and let her get comfortable.

roaming during the day is definitely a sign of stress. how are you measuring your temps/humidity? with my mesh top i taped saran wrap over the top with slits cut into it and keeps humidity very well.

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Originally Posted by chakup

Your temps and such are all "about a"- how are you controlling and monitoring heat? How many hides and what size? Are you trying live or f/t? Was she on rats before or mice?

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these questions are also very important and answering them will help us help you.

i keep the heat lamp on all day but i don't have a thing to control the heat for the heating pad. there's a hide on the cool side and on the hot side. i'm trying f/t mice cause that's what she was eating before i got her. the hide on the hot side is much smaller than the one on the cool side, should i get something bigger?

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Originally Posted by dumpsterfunk

i keep the heat lamp on all day but i don't have a thing to control the heat for the heating pad.

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unplug the UTH IMMEDIATELY! they can reach up to 120°+ when unregulated which will kill your snake. ALL sources of heat MUST be regulated: this is non-negotiable.

bulbs suck out humidity and i would advise you not use them if possible to maintain temps.

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Originally Posted by dumpsterfunk

the hide on the hot side is much smaller than the one on the cool side, should i get something bigger?

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the hides should be identical so your snake does not have to choose security over regulation. whichever one it's spending the most time in, i would get another one to replace your other hide.

yeah she definitely needs more clutter since theres a good deal of "foot traffic". we don't really have enough space for a reptile room, sadly.

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Originally Posted by dumpsterfunk

yeah she definitely needs more clutter since theres a good deal of "foot traffic".

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foot traffic will stress them out as well. if you haven't: cover 3/4 of the enclosure's sides with dark fabric or thick paper, leaving the front open for viewing.