New owner and site member, BP Dehydrated from store.

Here is a thread I made a long time ago with a useful trick to keeping humidity inside your tank. It works very well!

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...e-using-a-tank

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Originally Posted by Spoons

Reed, If you're looking for cheap plants, don't go to WalMart, go to JoAnn Craft stores. They have a huge floral section with all kinds of fake plants. Seasonal ones too if you want to deck out the tank for holidays. Just be sure that the ones you buy, if they're the "chain link" kind of fake plant, you cut the loops so they don't wedge themselves in there. Also on their website and their app they have crazy good coupons all the time.

Side note, I really like the name Kaa. Is it from something or did you come up with it? My guy is still unnamed so I just call him snake. lol

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I live in rural NH. The closest Joann Fabrics to me is over an hour away.

Aah, that's too bad. You could do online but it's always nicer to be able to see the stuff in person.

:)

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Originally Posted by Spoons

Aah, that's too bad. You could do online but it's always nicer to be able to see the stuff in person.

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Well I'm going to CT for thanksgiving break (I'm a teacher at a private boarding school) and I'll have my snakes and cat with me. There is a lot more at my disposal in CT where I live. Especially wal marts, michaels, joanne fabrics, multiple pet stores, etc.

Well I went in today to get some belly shots of him but I seriously think I shouldn't handle him for awhile. His skin is still really wrinkly so I don't think the dehydration issue has been fixed, but the shedding thing is getting weird. I had thought he was through with a shed and just had some left over when I soaked him but now it looks like he needs to shed everywhere but his head. But the scales are coming off in little blotches and patches. I think he needs to be left alone for a few days to see how he does with this shed. I think i'm stressing him out by always checking on him.

I am going to try to feed him again tomorrow (in cage w/ newspaper; Thanks Spoons :)) because i'm starting to worry he is losing weight. I'm supposed to be getting a scale in tonight while i'm at work. I have three little journals under his shelf for weight/shed/feeding records. I just haven't been able to start putting any info yet and of course I couldn't get any starting point from the store. I asked them again and they don't even remember the snake.

Question: I see him drinking occasionally; will snakes do what they can to keep from being dehydrated to a fatal level? Should seeing him drinking make me feel a little better that he isn't going to die from this in the immediate future until I can finish doing the rest of the things needed for the humidity problem?

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Originally Posted by Rickys_Reptiles

Here is a thread I made a long time ago with a useful trick to keeping humidity inside your tank. It works very well!

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...e-using-a-tank

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Thank you, I read the thread. I don't have a local plastic shop but I can see if someone at one of the local general hardware and home supply stores has any idea how to do that. My resources in this town are very limited.

Every animal will do what they can to keep from becoming dehydrated enough to die. An animal has to be incredibly sick to die from dehydration, the thirst for water is a powerful drive. As long as he's drinking, he won't die (and I'm sure he drinks without you watching, too!) It'll take a bit for him to get back to a healthy condition. Look at a dog from a rescue, if they come with fur or skin problems it takes a long time for them to get into a good condition again. As long as you're doing the right things you should slowly see improvement each time he sheds especially. I do agree that, unless really necessary, you should give him a few days to chill out with minimal handling. Good idea to keep a journal- I've got an excel spreadsheet to document feeding too.

Today was feeding day for mine, too. I took a video of it. I'm not sure why, I just think it's neat to see. He stays right in front of the camera, it was pretty successful, though the first few minutes are boring! I thought it might be helpful to post here - the mouse is totally dry, I thawed in the fridge overnight and heated with my ceramic emitter, so no bedding stuck to it this time at all.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_wC...ature=youtu.be

I'm about to watch your video. I am not handeling him any more and I will be attempting to feed him again tomorrow. I will definieely post the results. His overall condition concerns me as I don't know really what the true cause is (although I still suspect the low humidity to be the cause of all of it.) But basically he is wrinkly, he has flaky skin from his neck down as if a shed is trying to happen but he can't get it going, and i'm worried one of his eyes has a scratch. The problem is I don't want to handle him so I can't really get a ton of pictures. His belly is still a little pink so i'm hoping he just hasn't finished shedding yet but I don't like the patches, and tomorrow i'll be adding the coco husk to try to fix this humidity. because with a wet towel and cookie pan covering the lid, the UTH and bulb on one side, and no fan or airflow I cannot believe its still below 35%. so coco husks and a moss hide are being added tomorrow.

If I can see him eat, finish this shed properly, and fill out to where he is plump again I will feel worlds better. Then i'll take pictures. If I can't see changes soon i'm considering taking him to a vet. But I don't want to stress him out just because i'm overly paranoid. Thank you all for your help though. I'll post some updates tomorrow evening.

I'll try to use my phone to get a video of the feeding attempt if you think it might help everyone suggest ways to help Kaa out.

The positive thing is that you see him drink occasionally. I never saw my snake drink until I put him into a bath 3 weeks after I got him. So if you see him drink on more than one occasion in one day, he's definitely hydrating himself. When he was at petco or whatever pet store you got him from, did he happen to be in a tank with other snakes? If so, he's already infinitely happier because you really shouldn't keep multiple snakes in the same enclosure. When you feed him, put the mouse in a plastic bag and thaw it out with warm water for like 10 ish minutes. Make sure the mouse is thawed all the way and is warm so that it mimics the temps of a live mouse. If dangling it by it's tail doesn't work, use tongs (I use plastic chop sticks that have the spring in between them) to dangle it by the scruff of it's neck. The snake can find the head easier sometimes that way and it makes it easier. Something else to try is to just put the mouse on a piece of newspaper and let it be over night. If the snake doesn't eat it by the morning, scrap it and wait 5 days. I had problems with my guy eating and he didn't eat from October 28th until November 13th.

Yes he had two normals in the same enclosure with him, probably a 12"x 20" glass box....

this will be the third feeding attempt but the first one in his own enclosure. Again I have no idea if or when he ate at the store, or what they fed him or how he took it. So it severly limits my knowledge. As far as I know he could be one two or three months now without food. Spoons also mentioned the paper thing, I will definitely try that if he doesn't take it after a couple minutes of dangling.

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Originally Posted by Karokash

Yes he had two normals in the same enclosure with him, probably a 12"x 20" glass box....

this will be the third feeding attempt but the first one in his own enclosure. Again I have no idea if or when he ate at the store, or what they fed him or how he took it. So it severly limits my knowledge. As far as I know he could be one two or three months now without food. Spoons also mentioned the paper thing, I will definitely try that if he doesn't take it after a couple minutes of dangling.

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Don't be afraid to push the mouse near his nose so he's forced to smell it. Sometimes if your snake is coiled up, you can put the mouse right in the middle of the coil.

I watched the video spoons loaded, I'm basically going to do the same thing; dangle it right in front of his nose by his hide opening for a few minutes and hope he strikes. I was thinking of, after thawing it, putting it on a paper towel on top of the cage to finish the warming/thaw and let the scent sort of drift down to get him hungry first. I've heard it suggested multiple times, and it makes sense to me.

I'm trying to avoid having to split the head. It would make such a mess once he constricted and I don't want him to develop the habit of only eating them like that.

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Originally Posted by Karokash

I watched the video spoons loaded, I'm basically going to do the same thing; dangle it right in front of his nose by his hide opening for a few minutes and hope he strikes. I was thinking of, after thawing it, putting it on a paper towel on top of the cage to finish the warming/thaw and let the scent sort of drift down to get him hungry first. I've heard it suggested multiple times, and it makes sense to me.

I'm trying to avoid having to split the head. It would make such a mess once he constricted and I don't want him to develop the habit of only eating them like that.

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I didn't mean split the head open, just with the tongs grab it by the scruff of it's neck and only hold it by the skin. It's like when you pick up furry animals by the scruff of their neck (I do it to my cat all the time).

Right, I only mention it as i've heard it's a sort of last resort to get them to strike. I'm hoping it won't be necessary. I forgot to mention your setups look nice. I would love to see a pic of that baby albino.

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Originally Posted by Karokash

Right, I only mention it as i've heard it's a sort of last resort to get them to strike. I'm hoping it won't be necessary. I forgot to mention your setups look nice. I would love to see a pic of that baby albino.

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My setup is is "ghetto." I have cheap thermostats, but eventually I wanna get a herpstat and a rack so I can have more snakes.

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Originally Posted by Karokash

Yes he had two normals in the same enclosure with him, probably a 12"x 20" glass box....

this will be the third feeding attempt but the first one in his own enclosure. Again I have no idea if or when he ate at the store, or what they fed him or how he took it. So it severly limits my knowledge. As far as I know he could be one two or three months now without food. Spoons also mentioned the paper thing, I will definitely try that if he doesn't take it after a couple minutes of dangling.

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IMO, you have too much stuff going on at once. Humidity level issues, stress level issues, shed problems, how to feed, when to feed, where to feed, what to put down for him so he doesn't hurt himself feeding, whether he's ever actually eaten FT before, etc.

Simplify what you can. Make it as simple as possible.

Try feeding a live mouse. This alone will tell you a ton about his current condition.

If he eats, he's hungry and fairly well adjusted and you can start figuring out how to switch him to FT and work on the environment changes you need to make knowing your snake is in fairly good shape at the moment.

If he doesn't eat the live mouse, you still have work to do on either husbandry or reducing his stress levels.

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Originally Posted by Karokash

Do you mind me asking about how much that ran for you? I keep searching thermostats and all I seem to find are either really expensive ones or ones for houses that don't have plugins for things like UTH's. I have that link saved for the mid range thermos but as I mentioned, the truck dropped my immediate budget so even the $50 one would have to wait. Unless you think the dimmer will suffice for a few weeks until I get back from the mechanic bill.

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Sorry for the delayed response...I kind of forgot that I posted something here, and wasn't paying attention. The hydrofarm stat that I got from Amazon cost about $26. I would like to get one of the herpstat models, once I have a little extra cash. However, this looks like the replacement for the one that I purchased (although a couple of the photos actually looks like mine)...http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Aaron

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Originally Posted by Karokash

Thank you for the encouragement. I know the two big things now are changing the bedding and getting that thermostat. I just went back in and the readings looked a little better: 88 on the hot side, 81 on the cool and the humidity got to 37%.

So weird that the humidity is the thing i'm battling with most, I didn't think it was possible to have a humidity of less than like 80% anywhere in Louisiana. I swear just walking around feels like you just got out of the shower.

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I also had major struggles with humidity, especially after moving my BP into a 40 gallon breeder tank. Humidity will always be a problem with glass tanks because the top is open the way it is. I covered the majority of my lid with foil and foil tape, and even have a large water bowl in there...however, it was still an issue. So, I purchased one of these:

http://www.amazon.com/Crane-Ultrason...nic+humidifier

I put it on a timer so that it only turns on for a few minutes every hour, and my BP hasn't had a bad shed in quite some time. The humidity still fluctuates a little, but is more constant that it was before. Once I have the case, along with the herpstat, I want to get a proper habitat...probable a T8 from animal plastics.

Aaron

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Originally Posted by yellowbelly76

I also had major struggles with humidity, especially after moving my BP into a 40 gallon breeder tank. Humidity will always be a problem with glass tanks because the top is open the way it is. I covered the majority of my lid with foil and foil tape, and even have a large water bowl in there...however, it was still an issue. So, I purchased one of these:

http://www.amazon.com/Crane-Ultrason...nic+humidifier

I put it on a timer so that it only turns on for a few minutes every hour, and my BP hasn't had a bad shed in quite some time. The humidity still fluctuates a little, but is more constant that it was before. Once I have the case, along with the herpstat, I want to get a proper habitat...probable a T8 from animal plastics.

Aaron

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Did you actually put that right into the tank?

Alright I just finished his new additions, I will post a pic as soon as my camera finishes charging (I found a real camera!)

I added a half log hide filled with moistened moss, as well as completely changed out his bedding to a new 60/40 mix of coco/aspen and misted that down a bit. Then I properly covered 2/3 of his lid with actual aluminum foil as opposed to saran wrap. If that doesn't get him to a reasonably comfortable level I will take further measures but I seriously think it would be a little ridiculous if he can't get a decent humidity with the current setup

Oh and 200, trust me i'd much rather feed live, but there isn't anywhere within an hour's drive that sells them here :/

His humidity is already at 51%!!!! Holy crackers I did not think it would jump that high! Temps are a little low but i'll give it time to warm back up.

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Originally Posted by Reed12321

Did you actually put that right into the tank?

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Sorry, I rushed that post because people were waiting for me to go to lunch. To answer your questions, no. I purchased some flexible tubing from the hardware store, and ran one end into the top of the humidifier, and the other end into the top of the screen lid of my tank (cut a tiny hole into the mesh at one corner...just enough to allow the tubing to fit).

Aaron

Awwwwwww yiisssssss
I know his hot side is a bit high so I'm bumping down the dimmer but I was so happy to see these numbers.

http://i61.tinypic.com/jkbuph.jpg

Awesome! Don't let that hot spot temp get any hotter than that. :) I'm glad it's finally coming together! Did you try feeding today yet?

I just went and knocked the dimmer down a bit, it's back down to about 90.

and no i'm waiting until it gets dark so he can be the most comfy. mouse has been thawing since noon. i'll put it in hot water for about half an hour, then i'll remove his water bowls and set the mouse on the lid while i put the paper down in front of his hide. Then i'll dry off the mouse and dangle it and hope he strikes. I don't see a reason why he shouldn't. That sounds like a comfy eating session to me.

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Originally Posted by Karokash

I just went and knocked the dimmer down a bit, it's back down to about 90.

and no i'm waiting until it gets dark so he can be the most comfy. mouse has been thawing since noon. i'll put it in hot water for about half an hour, then i'll remove his water bowls and set the mouse on the lid while i put the paper down in front of his hide. Then i'll dry off the mouse and dangle it and hope he strikes. I don't see a reason why he shouldn't. That sounds like a comfy eating session to me.

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You may want to leave the mouse wet. It'll give him some extra hydration.

Oh, I was just thinking of getting the residual water off so it wouldn't potentially stick to substrate.

I try to feed mine dry...the rat itself should have plenty of water in its natural makeup...kind of like how we are made primarily of water.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

So this is a new one. Finally got his enclosure set up perfectly and here we go again with the feeding. I checked the temp of the mouse and everything, his temps are fine, it's dark. there's no water bowl and i put paper down. So i'm dangling the mouse and within maybe 10-15 seconds he strikes. But the strike misses and flings the mouse behind him. I think "no problem" pick it up again with the tongs and try again, and now he wants nothing to do with it. What the $^%. I have no idea what else there is to do. This is the 3rd feeding attempt that has failed and everything is set up perfectly in his enclosure. He obviously is hungry by the strike attempt. So what is the problem.

I mean I fed my albino last night and the mouse was soaking wet, but my vanilla I have only fed dry so far. I don't think snakes are that picky. But good luck with feeding! If he's hungry, he'll eat. Remember: dangle it first by the tail or neck. He may seem interested and if he doesn't snap at it or anything, just leave it on the paper overnight. It may be gone by the morning and he's just waiting to not have an audience.

Leave it in there. He's obviously hungry. Some balls will not eat with people in the room, many users here have said they have to put the mouse down and leave and it'll be gone in a few hours, and they never see them eat. Remember snakes can go a long time without eating, so even if he chooses not to eat, no need to panic. I would just heat the mouse, plop it in there and see if he goes for it. Once you have your scale it'll be easier to tell if he's losing or maintaining weight. Too, if you get really desperate, you can assist feed - though that should be a last resort only and I wouldn't do it this week, I would give him another week at the optimal temps an humidity and try offering like normal in 5 or so days before thinking about assist. (Too you should have a weight track on him to see if he NEEDS assist feeding or if he's maintaining, most people won't try an assist until there's been a long time and weight drop without feeding.)

You're on the right track either way! It's too bad the pet store can't tell you when he last ate. (I wonder if they even keep track...).

They apparently don't but they'll BS you right to your face if you ask. I experimented today. Had two different associates tell me they remembered him and they fed him the day before I got him...really? Anyway I put a towel up and left it in there with him in front of his hide. I am just confused by the striking once then seemingly changing his mind. I've heard of either eating or not eating but never in the middle like this. I guess i'll just wait and see. I am getting a scale but I'm still going to worry until I see him eat especially now that I know he's obviously hungry. But yes it would help my nerves immensely if i had a point of reference.

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Originally Posted by Karokash

So this is a new one. Finally got his enclosure set up perfectly and here we go again with the feeding. I checked the temp of the mouse and everything, his temps are fine, it's dark. there's no water bowl and i put paper down. So i'm dangling the mouse and within maybe 10-15 seconds he strikes. But the strike misses and flings the mouse behind him. I think "no problem" pick it up again with the tongs and try again, and now he wants nothing to do with it. What the $^%. I have no idea what else there is to do. This is the 3rd feeding attempt that has failed and everything is set up perfectly in his enclosure. He obviously is hungry by the strike attempt. So what is the problem.

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I don't understand the connection between removing water bowls and feeding him.

If he's not striking at the food, just leave it in the enclosure with him and check back in the morning.

As far as the recommendation to assist next week, assist feedings are stressful. I wouldn't assist feed him until long after you've tried a live feeding. If he doesn't eat this week, leave him alone for a week, and next week drive and get him a live mouse.

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Originally Posted by 200xth

I don't understand the connection between removing water bowls and feeding him.

If he's not striking at the food, just leave it in the enclosure with him and check back in the morning.

As far as the recommendation to assist next week, assist feedings are stressful. I wouldn't assist feed him until long after you've tried a live feeding. If he doesn't eat this week, leave him alone for a week, and next week drive and get him a live mouse.

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There isn't really a direct connection. It's just to keep him from dragging it through the water, which has happened for a couple people, and making a big gooey bedding/rat ball to eat.

Also, like I said he did strike. It just didn't hold. When he struck his head flung the mouse behind him so I picked it up to try again.

I don't want to attempt assist feeding unless it's necessary to his survival. I'm getting a scale to measure weight loss but even with snakes being able to go months without eating, I'm sure they have limits too and it's possible he is at his since I have no idea if or when he has ever eaten. And he is obviously hungry.

I'd recommended removing the water bowl because OP was worried about his snake ingesting substrate. I gave mine a dry mouse and he dragged it through his water and then of course all the bedding stuck to it, so I suggested if he was worried to take the water dish out and offer a dry mouse.

I'd listen to the other advise about assisting, and wait. That's one area I don't know tons about. Like I said I usually see it as a true last resort option, and I don't think you're there yet :)

I don't feel confident enough to do it anyway, and i'm not going to risk hurting him. I just wish I could get in his brain and figure out the train of thought as to why he just randomly changed his mind.

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Originally Posted by Karokash

I don't feel confident enough to do it anyway, and i'm not going to risk hurting him. I just wish I could get in his brain and figure out the train of thought as to why he just randomly changed his mind.

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My snake did that too! I put him in a separate feeding cube and he struck at it, but lost interest instantly. It took another 5 or so days of optimal temps and humidity to get him to eat. Just leave the mouse on a piece of newspaper overnight and see what happens.

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Originally Posted by Karokash

So this is a new one. Finally got his enclosure set up perfectly and here we go again with the feeding. I checked the temp of the mouse and everything, his temps are fine, it's dark. there's no water bowl and i put paper down. So i'm dangling the mouse and within maybe 10-15 seconds he strikes. But the strike misses and flings the mouse behind him. I think "no problem" pick it up again with the tongs and try again, and now he wants nothing to do with it. What the $^%. I have no idea what else there is to do. This is the 3rd feeding attempt that has failed and everything is set up perfectly in his enclosure. He obviously is hungry by the strike attempt. So what is the problem.

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I'm see this was an hour ago, so it may be too late for this. If you haven't tossed the food item, try dangling it in front of him again. I always move it around to appear like live prey, and it has never been turned down. The fact that he struck at it suggests that he's willing to eat, so it's not a total loss. If you have tossed it, give it a few days and try again. Now that you have temps and humidity worked out, just leave him alone for a few days, and then try feeding again.


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I was dangling it when he struck and missed. Then I picked it right back up and was dangling it forever and he just lost interest. Now he's literally just been laying with his head beside it for hours. Dark, with a towel around the tank, temps and humidity are just right. Absolutely doesn't care about it anymore. I'm at the end of my thoughts on this. I don't have anything else left to try. I've done every suggestion that has been said to help. So now it's just every week i'll keep doing this until he eats or starves himself I suppose. I am not going to force feed him. And I can't afford to bring him to a vet just to have him fed every week. I'm just starting to get pretty sad about this...Solutions seem to work out for everyone so they suggest it and it makes sense but then I apply it and it's just nothing.

Just a little disheartened at the moment. I'll just keep trying every week.

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Originally Posted by Reed12321

My snake did that too! I put him in a separate feeding cube and he struck at it, but lost interest instantly. It took another 5 or so days of optimal temps and humidity to get him to eat. Just leave the mouse on a piece of newspaper overnight and see what happens.

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Thank you so much for posting this. It's nice to know i'm not just insane or that I own some self destructive snake. It's good to know the situation is heard of. So he did eat eventually? Were you as confused as I am about why he'd ignore food after clearly showing interest in it?

Atticus once struck and coiled a mouse, so I walked away to thaw him a second one (he had eaten two when we first got him). When I got back with the second, it was to only find that he had spit the first one out. Oddly enough, he struck at the second one too. In the end he refused both, but he took one two days later. I think our loud music made him nervous. Your little guy has been through a lot worse than that, so maybe he just needs a little more time to get settled :)

I'm going to admit I did not read every post in the 9 pages of this thread, so if I repeat something....

You are thinking too hard and you are pressing too hard.

This is not rocket science. You just got this animal recently. You should not be feeding it, you should not be changing things around (unless they are critical) and you should not be touching, molesting and mucking with this snake. For the love of everything that is holy do not force feed this snake. Do not put the water bowl in and remove. Do not open the cage and close it. Do not bathe him. Do not powder him. Let him settle.

You need to provide it an enclosure with the proper husbandry parameters - a proper hot spot, a proper overall ambient temperature, a cool end and either suitable overall humidity or a humid hide.

That glass tank is fine, but three sides should be covered - either by black aquarium paper/foil or something else. During the first week you should also cover the front. The idea is to reduce stress. The idea is to do this by providing a comfortable and secure environment. Not one in which he is open on four sides, has a bright light beating down on him and has his owner putting food in his face and changing things about. You need to reduce traffic in the room in which his cage is in. You need to give him room to acclimate and de-stress.

After you have left him alone for a week and after you have dialed in all the husbandry parameters, then you can try feeding him an appropriate sized meal. If he does not take it off the tongs, leave the dead prey item with him and then leave him the hell alone.

If you over think this, if you fuss and pick and meddle, not only will you stress yourself out, you will make this poor animal's existence miserable. Dial things in and leave that snake alone for at least one week.

Yep, just try again in five days. He isn't' going to starve himself, the fact that he struck out once is evidence that he's hungry. :) It's likely that even though your tank is set right at this point, he's still really stressed out from all the activity trying to get it up to standard. He didn't have much time from the last change (the bedding and whatnot) to feeding time.

Regarding force feeding - generally after the first time or two they do not need it again after that from what I hear. So you would not be having to take it to the vet every time it needs to get fed. I understand you're a bit downtrodden at his refusal, but don't worry about him so much - he won't die if he misses a few feedings. they can miss many, many feedings before having problems. Hatchlings fresh out of the egg can go several weeks without eating. Rather than thinking of it in terms of weeks, think of it in terms of meals. He's skipped how many meals so far? Two, three? Well, if you skipped three meals, you might be hungry, but you certainly wouldn't die.

He'll be okay. A week to let him hide and relax will help immensely I think.

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Originally Posted by Karokash

Thank you so much for posting this. It's nice to know i'm not just insane or that I own some self destructive snake. It's good to know the situation is heard of. So he did eat eventually? Were you as confused as I am about why he'd ignore food after clearly showing interest in it?

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I was confused. But i left the mouse in the tank and he had no interest. I waited 5 days after realizing that his tank conditions were too cold and he decided to eat. The thing about temperature and belly temps is that if a snake doesn't live in warm enough conditions, it won't let the food in their bellies digest. So he may still be digesting his last meal. Keep the heat up and monitor the UTH so that he can digest and prep himself to eat again. If tomorrow morning comes and the mouse is still there, toss it. Wait 5 more days before attempting to feed again.

One time my guy had no interest in the food, but I left it anyway and he poked his head out of his hide all night long kinda freaking out about the mouse being right there. I grabbed it with the tongs the next morning and he snapped at it, but lost interest again. BP's are notoriously picky eaters. He just moved in with you and you're doing a lot to the tank to make sure the conditions are good. If he doesnt eat, leave him alone for 5 days. Don't touch or move anything. The only reason you should reach into the tank is to change/clean water dishes.

I apologize for sounding so frustrated everyone, I appreciate all the help and advice. I will Leave him be and only open his cage to attempt to feed him ever 5-7 days until he eats. I do not plan on handling him at all right now. I think his shedding thing is going to be able to resolve itself. I want to weigh him but I think handling at all is just bad at the current time. Again, sorry for getting stressed, I'll try to just chill out for a bit and see what happens.

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Originally Posted by Karokash

I apologize for sounding so frustrated everyone, I appreciate all the help and advice. I will Leave him be and only open his cage to attempt to feed him ever 5-7 days until he eats. I do not plan on handling him at all right now. I think his shedding thing is going to be able to resolve itself. I want to weigh him but I think handling at all is just bad at the current time. Again, sorry for getting stressed, I'll try to just chill out for a bit and see what happens.

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While you are chilling out...and if you have $165 burning a hole in you pocket, may I suggest you buy/rent/steal:

Health and Welfare of Captive Reptiles
Clifford Warwick, F.L. Frye, J.B. Murphy

Covers a lot of ground with regards to many subjects, but really touches on how to reduce stress in captive reptiles.

Of course you're going to stress. I'd be more concerned if you weren't stressing. It's never fun to have a sick pet. No need to apologize for it. :)

The first time I attempted to feed my champagne ball python she struck the mouse and drug it into her hide. All well and good right? Well the next morning I peeked in and saw that she had not eaten the mouse but had actually just used it as a cuddle buddy for the night. Waited a week then attempted to feed again and was successful. Temperament wise she seems to be a lot more nervous than my others. Try not to worry too much, you and your snake will get the hang of all this stuff eventually.

Something you may want to consider is that perhaps he feels vulnerable. Snakes hide all the time so if you have an all glass tank, it may make him feel very exposed. Something I did to make my snake feel more hidden is put window tints on the outside of the tank. Here's a picture:
https://38.media.tumblr.com/9645f57e...0dbo1_1280.jpg

That picture shows the sides and back of the tank. I didn't tint the front of the tank so that way I could see the dials and such. I've done this to 2 tanks so far and I think it looks bad ass. It also doesn't let a lot of excess light out so it can keep the temps higher.

I just read this whole thread and I agree that you need to take a deep breath. It's good that you are this concerned with your snakes well being, but you're going to have a heart attack lol. That being said, I don't necessarily agree with the "don't attempt to feed for at least a week" thing as I offer food the day receive a new animal (usually through overnight shipping) and 90% of the time they eat no problem. Now I'm not saying go parading your new little guy around the store or anything but offering food isn't going to hurt him/her especially since s/he looks underweight in the pics you posted early in the thread (I'm sure PetSmart wasn't feeding him properly sized food or anywhere near often enough). The next time you attempt to feed your snake, don't take all the stuff out and put down towels and stuff. All you're doing is stressing him way out before you try to feed him. It's kind of like the whole "feed in a separate tank" thing, you're just stressing the snake out minutes before you try to feed it. That strike and no coil he did last time you tried to feed him was a defensive strike because he was pissed that you just changed his whole world lol. Just thaw your rat (switch to rats asap) and offer it. You might try heating the rats head up with a hair dryer if you are not having any luck just from the warm water. I have several bp's that absolutely will not eat unless I do this to their rat and I have others that I just open the tub with a rat on the tongs and they will come shooting out. This hobby is a blast but like someone else said, it's not rocket science. It's ok if your humidity varies (even as low as the 35% you were freaking out about lol). It's ok if temps fluctuate. I hate to tell you this, but they don't have thermostats and hydrometers where they come from lol. Just breathe and have fun man. Cheers!