Trip to a vet did not help my snake, please help

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Originally Posted by lifesong

How often are you handling the animal?
About once a week, sometimes once every week and a half.

Did the animal eat for 3 months for you (likely 10-12 times then stop?)
He (not sure if it's a male or female but they said male at petsmart) didn't eat for the first couple weeks for me. Petsmart employee told me he had just eaten a few days before I bought him (this wasn't true, went in to see logs later and he hadn't eaten from the day petsmart got him to the day I bought him (4 weeks). So he hadn't eaten for about 6 or 7 weeks until he was first ready to eat for me. After he ate for me the first time it was every week like a charm I thought I wouldn't have to worry about it again. 8 weeks ago he stopped and hasn't eaten since. He'll come out of his cave and look at the mouse and adjust his jaws and act like he might be interested but then he just lays his head down on the plate's edge (I put the mouse on a paper plate so substrate doesn't get caught on the mouse, though the last time he ate he pulled it off the plate and swallowed a very small amount of coco substrate (about a grain of rice worth)...wonder if that's related. A few days after he ate last time he had a mucus like hiccup that occurred whenever he moved a few inches. I accidentally cured this by putting him in his travel container with some wet paper towels, when he was in there he pooped (for the first time significantly since I began feeding him, before that it was very rare and small excrement) and held in in my hands to warm him up a little. When I put him back in his tank that night he was very active and the mucus hiccup was gone.


what set up is it in?
Here's a pic of current setup: http://i.thinimg.com/img/9kqr.jpg
I know it's not impressive but I've been learning what to do for his next setup which I've been getting stuff for: http://i.thinimg.com/img/9kqt.jpg
I was planning to move him over and change to cypress mulch as soon as he eats his next meal.

have you tried live prey? What have you been offering it?
No, I really want to stay away from live prey and not get him used to it. He was eating frozen/thawed on a weekly basis before he stopped eating altogether.

how much weight has it lost?
I'm not sure, I never weighed him when I got him. When the vet weighed him tonight I believe the scale said 2.6 (ounces I'm guessing)

Snake looks awfully thin to me. I suggest to stop handling and let’s figure the rest out.
Dang, that's what I thought too based on pics I've seen here. Vet said current weight was not concerning him at the moment.

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Do this to a T https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...-hatchling-101 , an animal that small should never have been allowed to go that long without food at that age it becomes a viscous circle if the animal does not eat and sadly vets do not know how to get them to eat.

I just read through MOST of this thread, so if this has already been addressed please know I'm repeating because it's important...


NO TAPE EVER INSIDE THE ENCLOSURE!!! It can and eventually will end up stuck to the snake causing severe scale damage, injuries or even be fatal.

Based on where you explained where you "taped your thermometer"...
I'm assuming you meant thermostat probe???? If it's INSIDE the enclosure it needs to go OUTSIDE.

Also, if you're making cardboard hides make sure there's no tape on the cardboard.

Have you tried leaving the prey item at the entrance of the hide he is currently in and shutting off the lights and giving him and hour or so. I bet he eats it. One of mine lost his interest to strike months ago. Stopped eating for two weeks. Then I got so frustrated I just left it at the door to his hide got ready for bed and checked on him before going to sleep and it was gone . He has now down this for months . I offer. He shows interest,. Then nothing. Goes away. So I leave it and he eats in peace in the dark 🤣. Give that a try maybe ? God luck

Just my two cents -- Petsmart f/t mice and rats are undersized so if you don't have any other option (like a local herp shop), it would probably be a good idea to size up the ones you buy (as in getting a size bigger than you think you need), otherwise you are going to be wasting money if your baby won't eat.

My advice is the same as everyone has already said as far as handling and such. But petstores esp petco and petsmart get snakes from not great sources, they can be full of protozoa like cryptosporidium, giardia, or coccidea that can cause weight loss and poor appetite. The only way to test for this is to get a sample of stool (not urine) and look at it under a microscope or you can send it to a lab and do more in depth testing - so why they said they needed "special" equipment is BS in my opinion - you can see most parasites and protozoa on a slide.

Unfortunately the vet was not snake-savy and charged you money for it. I would never suggest someone untrained tube feed a snake, its too dangerous to the snake - if decreasing handling, temp and humidity changes, and any other husbandry changes does not improve his appetite then save a stool sample the next time he has one and find a real vet willing to send the sample out.

good luck with everything and I hope your little one starts to eat