Need urgent help

My friend picked up a normal hatchling from a breeder about 4 1/2 weeks ago. He put the little guy straight into a 55 gal. (Believe me i know...) The temps and humidity are good, but he is really lacking on hides and overall security (half logs, no side coverings). The poor thing hasn't eaten once since he got him. He asked me to come over and try to help feed him yesterday so i did. He struck the mouse, coiled and everything. So we left him to finish his meal in peace. Check him later and the mouse is sitting in the tank. I went back today to take him out and see how he was looking, and this poor snake is the skinniest i've ever seen and you can clearly see the spine on the back and feel the ribs on the belly. I don't know what i should do. It doesn't seem like he's really concerned that much because "it was only $25 for the snake", but i care no matter what. I'm afraid if i don't do something extremely soon he's gonna die, so please any suggestions at all.

buy a couple bowls from the dollar store and make them into hides for the snake, try and get him to get a smaller tank or make a divider. Last, tell your friend to take care of his pet

Your friend sounds like he doesn't really care for a living creature. You should tell him you'll take the snake off his hands and give it a good home.
However if he is going to keep the snake, first thing I would do is make the size of his enclosure MUCH smaller. Putting a divider in would be the cheapest solution.
Also, I would cover the back and sides of the tank with black paper to provide more security.
Since he's got half log hides, put the hide directly up against the back of the enclosure so it closes off one of the entrances and give the snake a more secure hide.

To be honest, I don't think your friend should have a pet if he isn't going to care for it correctly.

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Originally Posted by Fallout32

"it was only $25 for the snake",

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That makes me sad and angry. Argh!

If f/t, was the mouse too big for the little one to swallow? If alive, did it put up more of a fight than the snake could handle?

Ours is still small, and we've been putting it into a plain ol' paper grocery bag to eat. Put the bag into the tank, fold it over, then put the screen back on the tank. That way, the snake is secure and has total privacy. (We feed f/t. I wouldn't leave 2 wild animals together in a small space.) It takes our little guy a LONG time to position the mouse just right for swallowing. Perhaps your friend's little one needs a long time too. And security/privacy.

Please keep us posted. Thanks for trying to help.

Sounds like he got the snake for "cool points", and didn't realize or even care that there is actually effort involved on his part. I might add that you suggest he join this forum. Maybe, if he has a source of information, his attitude will change. If not, suggest he re-home the snake instead of just letting it die...


Rob

It really does sound to me like your friend's snake doesn't want to eat because it would spend too much time out in that wide open space... large open spaces for a BP is a no no. You want clutter so the BP can move around and feel safe.

How's it going today?

adopt it. save it. get it away frm him plz =]

EDIT: hes not a bad person. hes just uneducated ^^

UPDATE: I finally got a chance to go to his house today since he was working the whole week and was out of town this weekend. I took the little guy home with me and set him up in a small tub (correctly i might add lol). I was honestly surprised he was still alive. He didn't want to move at all and he felt like he weighed nothing. I let him settle in for an hour or so and decided I needed to try to feed him tonight because he wasn't going to make it much longer. He struck like a champ and I closed the the tub and covered it up so it was dark. I checked back half an hour later and the mouse was gone and he had a nice little bulge in his belly! First meal in over a month. I'm so happy! :banana:
My friend won't be getting it back until I get him to a decent weight and once I know he cares enough and is educated.

So thanks everyone for the advice and support. Everyone on this site is great.

That is great news! I am so happy that he is eating for you. Just a proper home was all he was looking for. :gj: