Good morning!

Also balls don't need uv at all. They are nocturnal.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Sunnieskys

She is a normal. Welcome to the normal club. #normalsarebeautiful

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A beautiful 'normal' at that :)

I actually prefer the standard normals to many of the new fangled faded morphs which cost a fortune but look as though they are permanently in shed mode :)


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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Zincubus

A beautiful 'normal' at that :)

I actually prefer the standard normals to many of the new fangled faded morphs which cost a fortune but look as though they are permanently in shed mode :)


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You also get to avoid all the issues that certain morphs have, I think they're rather underrated.

Hello, congrats on your first snake and welcome to the forum and the wonderful world of snake keeping.

I'm no good at morph identification so I'll let somebody else help you out with that.

As for the feeding, I would wait a week and try again. It's not uncommon for snakes, especially BPs, to refuse food after they are moved to a new home.

A few suggestions to make enjoying your new pet easier on you and your son:
- I always advise new keepers to hold off on handling new snakes until the snake has eaten three consecutive meals without refusal. This helps them acclimate and get on a regular eating schedule.
- Proper husbandry is the most important part of keeping snakes. It's very important to provide proper temperature and humidy to replicate their natural environment.
- Snakes, especially BPs love and require security. They like to feel as safe as possible. Providing a proper enclosure with proper hides is very important. Think of it like this: they basically go through life knowing 2 things: eat and don't get eaten.
- Learn your snake. What I mean by this is watch your snake and learn their mannerisms, read and study as much as you can in the species. The more you know, the better you can provide for your snake. Which means more time to enjoy your pet.

- ALL heat sources should be regulated by a thermostat to prevent dangerous heat spikes which can cause serious burns or worse to your snake.

Once you get your setup dialed in, which can be frustrating, it's really easy from there. Just daily equipment checks, weekly feeding, spot cleaning and occasional full enclosure cleanings.

I hope this helps.
Lastly, if you would like to share some info on your setup we may be able to help you with some common beginner mistakes.

Good luck, enjoy your new pet!!
Feel free to ask any questions.

You will never get the humity up with an open screen top. Best way is to cut a piece of marker board or masonite to fit over the screen. You can cut a six or seven inch hole in it for your heat lamp. Don't worry about putting any air holes in it, it isn't going to fit close enough to suffocate your snake. This is a much nicer solution than messing around with tin foil or towels. Your water bowl will provide enough humidity, though you will want to add some damp moss or something during shed.

In the evening this little snake comes out of the hidey and has been all over her enclosure.
Yesterday was a bit odd though, she was awake a lot and roaming during the day. She curled up on the cool side under the branch for a while, then back in her hole then out again a bit later.

And we were also wondering, we have not seen this snakes tongue, not once!
My son was looking at 2 snakes when he picked her, the other snake was shedding and it's tongue was going going a LOT, this one hasn't flicked her tongue one time since he got her, not even when there's a mouse in front of her face.

And he still cannot get her to eat though. My son has owned her now for a week (this past monday was a week that he brought her home).

Thank you !

How is your tank looking now? Do you think you could put a picture? It probably isn't eating due to not feeling secure, like others have said cover the sides of the tank in paper (You can tape it but DO NOT put tape inside- the snake can and will get stuck and get hurt). Also, I might have missed it but do you have hides on the hot and cold side? They should be identical. Finally about the moving to cold during the day, my babies do this sometimes to thermoregulate, even during the day. There are tips and tricks for getting snakes to eat, but I think it might be more of a husbandry problem. I can't say anything about the tounge thing, though.

I am a little confused.

Have you checked the temps with a temp gun?

Have you added many more hides and/or other items to make the snake feel more secure?

Have you been handling her? Or leaving her alone?

How are you defrosting the F/T mouse and how are you offering?

People have given solid responses and advice, but I do not see where in the thread you have addressed the issues (sorry if I missed it).

Without more information and confirmation of proper husbandry, I do not know what to tell you about the animal not eating, flicking its tongue, etc.

Please advise when you have more information and/or have made changes to your setup if necessary.

We would like to help.

We have covered 3 sides of the enclosure.

The heat on the warm and cool side seem to be staying at a good range, where they should be.

My son has a hide on the warm side, I honestly don't remember him having one on the cool side, i will have to look and if he doesn't i will make sure he knows to get one immediately. She does have a huge branch that she likes to hide under on the cool side and it goes down so she can hide under it. I do not believe he has a temp gun so i will tell him he needs to pick up one of those also. (my son is not a young child, he is over 18 and a college student).

Her water bowl is under the heat lamp.

When he defrosts the mouse (he has tried pinkies and xsmall mice) he will put it in hot water for 10 min or so until it feels warm, then put it in front of her face with tongs. When he does that she will turn her head and slither away completely uninterested. Last night he put it on the ground in front of her hide on the warm side (on a piece of slate rock that's there so she won't ingest bedding) and he left it there in hopes that she would smell it. When she came back out, she just slithered right across it like it wasn't even there.

Oh and i am posting and not him is because he is at work all day and is in the field, no were near a computer.
He goes to school in the evening a couple of days a week and it's just easier for me sitting at work behind a desk, to ask these questions for him.

He really does want to do right by her and he is getting a bit worried about her not eating.

And if forgot to address the handling part, he has picked her up a few times to do things in the cage, but for the most part he has left her alone to explore and settle in.


Thanks.