yet another feeding question
Ok - its been a month since our 20 inch BP last ate- I feel like our tank is in good shape w/ a nice hide , humidity at least 50%, warm side 85 degrees, cool side 78-85, reptile turf substrate. He ate well (live mouse ) twice , a week apart,when we first got him, none since. We havent handled him in past 10 days . he comes out at night , very active. he does look a bit thinner with some wrinkles around his neck and mid section when he balls up-I have been reluctant to try and feed him again as it appears he is going to shed soon- his underbelly has developed a pink tinge and the rest of his coloring has dulled a bit over the past few days. Should I wait till he sheds or try to feed him again prior? thanks in advance.
Re: yet another feeding question
really its what ever you are comfortable with. i have a couple of mine that eat even when they are in shed and some that do not. you just have to pay more attention when you are feeding live when they are in shed if you decide to do so.
Re: yet another feeding question
As far as feeding during shed, it doesn't hurt to offer food. Some snakes will take it and some won't. But there are some other issues here.
You mention "a hide", but it is recommended to have 2, one for the warm side and one for the cool.
Also your temps sound low. Most people recommend temps of at or a bit above 80 for the cool side, and at or a bit above 90 for the warm side.
How often are you offering food to him? Once a week is enough, in fact offering food too often can cause more stress. But if he is starting to get visibly thin, it might be time to get more worried. A more experienced member can answer the "when to get worried" question better than I can. The wrinkles might just be due to him being ready to shed.