Patchy scales and some brown dots...

Usually a snake on the move is hungry until proven otherwise! Especially when you have double checked your husbandry and come up spot on. Did you try moving the tub to a different location or up or down in the available space you have? Some animals are easier to switch over than others. You have to keep trying and be firm when they refuse to switch. Some will never switch on our timetable.

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Originally Posted by Albert Clark

Usually a snake on the move is hungry until proven otherwise! Especially when you have double checked your husbandry and come up spot on. Did you try moving the tub to a different location or up or down in the available space you have? Some animals are easier to switch over than others. You have to keep trying and be firm when they refuse to switch. Some will never switch on our timetable.

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I don't know if you saw my last post, but he just refused an F/T mouse... which has never happened. So I guess he's not hungry either. :s Which means it's still way too early to even think about switching to rats, if he won't even eat his usual meal.

Not sure what the heck is going on now. Hope he's not sick or anything.

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Originally Posted by redshepherd

I don't know if you saw my last post, but he just refused an F/T mouse... which has never happened. So I guess he's not hungry either. :s Which means it's still way too early to even think about switching to rats, if he won't even eat his usual meal.

Not sure what the heck is going on now. Hope he's not sick or anything.

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Maybe he refused the mouse bc you offered it in a way that wasn't conducive to his liking. The heat signature coming off the prey item needs to be strong. Doesn't mean it's too early bc he may be more receptive and accepting of a different prey item. You really just need to continue offering different prey items and see which ones he goes for. I have had some of my pythons refuse offered food and when I reheated it they snatched it up quick, fast and in a hurry.

For anyone who happens to see this, have you had any poor experiences with space heaters? I've read a few reviews on the heater creating burns on the carpet and walls even when turned off (turned off but not unplugged, which sounds terrifying). I guess I'll unplug it every time, but now I don't think I should be leaving it on while I'm away at work for 9 hours.

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Originally Posted by Albert Clark

Maybe he refused the mouse bc you offered it in a way that wasn't conducive to his liking. The heat signature coming off the prey item needs to be strong. Doesn't mean it's too early bc he may be more receptive and accepting of a different prey item. You really just need to continue offering different prey items and see which ones he goes for. I have had some of my pythons refuse offered food and when I reheated it they snatched it up quick, fast and in a hurry.

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Perhaps... I'll offer him a mouse this Thursday and I hope he takes it. If not, I can offer it to Yukon (the younger male) who hasn't stopped eating.

Ambient? With the weather getting colder here, we saw our ambient dip and some of ours started doing the exact same thing you're describing. Constant activity, searching, pushing on lids, even had 3 refuse rats that I would've told you the world would've had to stop spinning to get them to not take a rat. We bought a space heater for the room - one that has a built in thermostat - and are keeping out ambiant more in the 78-82. Boom - everyone's back to eating and hiding. All is well. The heater isn't setting directly in the floor though. We had concerns about carpeting as well. So it's on top of a piece of melamine.

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Originally Posted by SmoothScales

Ambient? With the weather getting colder here, we saw our ambient dip and some of ours started doing the exact same thing you're describing. Constant activity, searching, pushing on lids, even had 3 refuse rats that I would've told you the world would've had to stop spinning to get them to not take a rat. We bought a space heater for the room - one that has a built in thermostat - and are keeping out ambiant more in the 78-82. Boom - everyone's back to eating and hiding. All is well. The heater isn't setting directly in the floor though. We had concerns about carpeting as well. So it's on top of a piece of melamine.

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Interesting! I'll raise the ambient temps a couple more degrees too then... I also just bought a space heater that has a built in thermostat, but I feel iffy about leaving it on all day while I'm away at work. :s And even when I'm home to raise the temps to 78, Cake is still constantly searching/active, so maybe he just needs it even warmer... or maybe just longer term warmth, because I pretty much only turn on the heater and can observe him when I'm at home (and awake) from 8pm~1am every day.

I'll need to buy some kind of shelf or melamine surface for it too. Right now I have it on a plastic bin LOL.

So Cake was still constantly searching, active, uncomfortable... His ambient is flat at 80 now, so it's not the temps. I decided to just take out his (medium) hide, put it on the carpet, put his UTH on it, water bowl next to it, and let him slither in. He stayed in there quietly and peacefully for two hours straight... out on the carpet in his hide. Supervised, of course.

What's got him so uncomfortable when inside an enclosure? Is it his enclosure that's a problem then? He suddenly has a problem with aspen and paper towel, but likes carpet? I don't get it.

Then I finally put his hide back in the tub, put him back in, and he has stayed put since! Not active anymore! It's only been another hour, but we will see... Hopefully he finally decides to settle down after a month, randomly.

What the HELL, ball python.

Weird indeed. Let us know if you figure it out. If he'd been slithering around I would've guessed that maybe he just wanted some activity, but if he just went in and sat it couldn't be that.