First Attempt at Feeding: FAIL

Ok so pinkies are actually pink with closed eyes...hoppers have hair and they really do hop...high and allot....lol. Typically hatchlings are started on hoppers so a pinkie is way to small. When you got your snake...did you put him in the enclosure and give him a couple of weeks alone with no touching? Also try to cover 3 sides of the tank to make him feel more private. Feed in the tank....the whole cage aggressive thing is a myth and typically moving to a different feeding area only stresses out the snake and causes often refusals. Remember to prekill the mouse due to the lack of hunting with the snake....I would continue to try with mice and once you get him eating regularly..try the switch to rats. Some BP's will never accept rats!!

Hang in there I know you are worried and stressed but this WILL pass and he will eat!! Promise!!

Another thing to try if you leave a f/t food item in overnight, place inside the warm hide, alot of times this will work.

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Originally Posted by llovelace

Try him on med mice or rat pup, see how he does. What is his weight?

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He's 55 grams, and like i about 18-20"

Thanks again everybody :)

He sounds extremely under weight for his length.

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Originally Posted by BPelizabeth

Ok so pinkies are actually pink with closed eyes...hoppers have hair and they really do hop...high and allot....lol. Typically hatchlings are started on hoppers so a pinkie is way to small. When you got your snake...did you put him in the enclosure and give him a couple of weeks alone with no touching? Also try to cover 3 sides of the tank to make him feel more private. Feed in the tank....the whole cage aggressive thing is a myth and typically moving to a different feeding area only stresses out the snake and causes often refusals. Remember to prekill the mouse due to the lack of hunting with the snake....I would continue to try with mice and once you get him eating regularly..try the switch to rats. Some BP's will never accept rats!!

Hang in there I know you are worried and stressed but this WILL pass and he will eat!! Promise!!

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Well i only left him alone for 6 days beacuse the guy at the pet store told me to feed him monday. Also, i just covered three sides last night, and thanks for your reassurance! :)

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Originally Posted by raighe

He sounds extremely under weight for his length.

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Well that isn't good at all. I bought him last Wed and the guy who sold him to me said that they all were eating and to feed him on moday, and thats where i ran into my feeding problem.

have you read the caresheet here? i dont know what store you got you lil guy from but it seems that most not all but most even reptile specialty shops give very very bad info on husbandry feeding and general care for animals.

id read up on care around this site youll find alot of differant ways on how people do things take it all in and find a way that works best for you but more importantly best your your bp.

Ok everybody, my BP has eaten :) I went to petsmart and bought a package of frozen small mice and within the first 5 minutes of dangling the mouse for him, he took it! Thank you to everybody who game me advice, i would have kept trying to feed him pinkies if it wasn't for you guys THANKS!! However i am still a little worried about what raighe said..does my snake sound to be underweight? I'm sure now that i know he eats it'll be fine, but should i feed him more often, or maybe two mice? I'm not too sure.

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Originally Posted by mbasile35

Ok everybody, my BP has eaten :) I went to petsmart and bought a package of frozen small mice and within the first 5 minutes of dangling the mouse for him, he took it! Thank you to everybody who game me advice, i would have kept trying to feed him pinkies if it wasn't for you guys THANKS!! However i am still a little worried about what raighe said..does my snake sound to be underweight? I'm sure now that i know he eats it'll be fine, but should i feed him more often, or maybe two mice? I'm not too sure.

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you can put him on a 5 day feeding and hell come around. there is no need to over feed

If you keep him on appropriately sized meals every 5 days, he will get nice and plump rather fast.

55 grams is a pretty typical hatchling weight, like, right out of the egg. Sounds to me like he might have not had enough meals with the person you bought it from.

woooooooooooohoooooooooooooooooo!! :gj: Congrats!! Like others stated....put him on a 5 day rotation and he will gain weight like a crazy man soon. The hardest thing for me just starting was what size to feed. The easiest for me is to go by the thickest part of their body. You can always do the 10-15% of their body weight but this always seemed pretty small to me...plus you would need a scale. Don't worry...I know easier said than done when you are new at this.!!


Remember...take what most pet stores say with a grain of salt. Sometimes I hear some truly crazy things...:rolleyes:

So...how long before your second one...;)