My Little Hypo Wont Eat

Deb wrote these questions of another member who had a snake who would not eat. I also have just one snake who is refusing food and it is a drag. She's my little 8Ball hypo and all my other 8Balls and NERD's and TSK's are chomping every 7 days! Slamming big style!! Anyway, I thought I would post Deb's questions and answer them and maybe someone can give me their thoughts...

How long have you had your snake for? We got the shipment on Feb 26.

How old is he? She was born July 17, 2007

How big is he(weight)? When we got her she weighed 176g. On March 1 she weighed 180g. Tonight she weighs 182g.

What type of enclosure do you use? She is in a RBI rack system

How big is your enclosure? 32 qt

Is your enclosure in a low traffic area? Yes

What are your temps (cool & warm side)? 92 hot end with a gradient to 84 cool end.

What is your humidity? 54%

What type of thermometer/hygrometer do you use (dial,stick,or digital)? Acurite and temp gun

What kind of hides do you provide (log, homemade, cubbyholes etc) and how many do you have? She has a hide from RBI (my snakes prefer them to Zilla!)

Are your hides tight (all side touching your BP's body) and identical? Yes

Have you handle your BP since you have had him? NO- just maintenance.

I also pre-scent the room and offer food only once a week. She has refused 2 times now, once on Feb 28 and again on March 6. She is also my only snake to date who has not gone into blue and shed (I have 13 balls and one boa).
So, what do we think? Anything to worry over, or just give her time??
Thanks everyone!

i wouldnt worry just yet, as you have heard im sure balls are finickey eaters. My big girl stopped for 3 months randomly and then started again. She lost over 150g too. Id give it a month or 30g weightloss before worrying. Also email adam he is very very helpful about these kind of things. Try skipping a week also.

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Originally Posted by jdmls88

i wouldnt worry just yet, as you have heard im sure balls are finickey eaters. My big girl stopped for 3 months randomly and then started again. She lost over 150g too. Id give it a month or 30g weightloss before worrying. Also email adam he is very very helpful about these kind of things. Try skipping a week also.

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I Adore Adam and Kelly and have emailed him, but they might still be in Florida or playing catch-up!! I'm not really worried, just... concerned since this is the only one out of all of my boids refusing to eat... I don't know how she's putting on grams...maybe just water weight! ;)

Put her in a 6qt, leave her in a dark place alone for a week, and then try to feed her. A 32qt is really big for a baby that size and I doubt she was in something that big at Adam's. Try moving down in size, either 6qt or 15qt, put a hide and a waterbowl, and she's set. I have some snakes that are perfectly content in 6qts and they weigh around 400-450g(Spider male and Black Pastel male).

I agree with Becky - downsize the hypo's enclosure. For that weight, 32 quarts is pretty big. Let her acclimate for a week to the new enclosure and try to feed again.

I'll chiming in with the same. Either move her to a 15 qt or if you have the dividers for those tubs, divide one. Give her a good, solid week to adjust to the smaller area, pre-scent and give it a try again.

I have three females that are big enough for 32 qts easily. If we move them out of the 15 qts though, all three immediately refuse to eat for weeks on end. Put them back in their beloved 15's and it's....WHAPPP.....WHAPPPP....WHAPPP...dinnertime!

I saw she was in a 32qt which is big, but that is what I have started all my babies on. Either try adding news paper or extra hides to size down the enclosure or try either a 6 or 15qt.

Great job not being scared to ask for help also:gj:

Our 8ball het-hypo girl weighed around that much when we got her. Just a little girl brand new to the world, and we put her into a 12 quart with a snug hide and she has never refused a feeding.

Try a 6 - 12 quart, I think that will help you a lot.

way too big of a tub and also you tried to feed her 2 days after you got her give it time to settle in some

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Originally Posted by nixer

way too big of a tub and also you tried to feed her 2 days after you got her give it time to settle in some

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Nixer- they were hungry and all other 12 snakes ate- just not her. With some snakes it's good to wait a week and others are fine to eat shortly after they arrive.... :gj: