Why wont my snake eat?

i was told to "NEVER" to feed ur snake in his encloser....b/c of them thinking that everytime you put ur hand in there it may be food... etc.... but.... we've done tried that also... but yes we

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Originally Posted by Spaniard

Maybe you could try not moving your snake into a different enclosure to eat. If you have an insecure snake it might stress him out to be moved into another tub to be fed. Try feeding in his home enclosure one time around.

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thats what i've been thinking.... just as of right now we have to get more bedding for Jakes 29 gallon tank..... or would newspaper be ok?

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Originally Posted by AzureN1ght

That could be your problem--are you housing both of your Ball Pythons in the same enclosure? If so, Ace could be to stressed out to eat because the other snake is being dominate and making him feel uncomfortable.

You should make sure they each have their own enclsoures, set them up properly (correct temps/humidity), give Ace a week to settle in to his new environment and try to feed him again. I'm willing to bet that once he's living in his own enclosure, he'll be more willing to eat.

Just my :2cent: --anyone else can feel free to jump in, too if I missed something?

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Originally Posted by krazi0469

thats what i've been thinking.... just as of right now we have to get more bedding for Jakes 29 gallon tank..... or would newspaper be ok?

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Newspaper is absolutely okay--many BP keepers use it. :) Getting your snakes into seperate enclosures is definitely what you need to do first.

thanks... thats the 1st thing i'm going to do when i get home...

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Originally Posted by AzureN1ght

Newspaper is absolutely okay--many BP keepers use it. :) Getting your snakes into seperate enclosures is definitely what you need to do first.

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Originally Posted by krazi0469

thanks... thats the 1st thing i'm going to do when i get home...

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Good job! Many beginning keepers make the same error (cohabitation) and usually put up a bit of an argument before finally convinced... ;)

More seriously, though, I'm pretty sure you'll be reaping the benefits of individually housing your snakes before too long.

thanks
yea... i just think they look so cute all curled up together.... and didn;t seem like they had a problem with being in the same together...... besides Ace not eating.... which he wasn't eating even though he was by his self... but i guess that was just from him trying to get use to his new home
thanks for all of yall's help

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Originally Posted by JasonGranger

Good job! Many beginning keepers make the same error (cohabitation) and usually put up a bit of an argument before finally convinced... ;)

More seriously, though, I'm pretty sure you'll be reaping the benefits of individually housing your snakes before too long.

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Hi,


Just remember not to get too stressed if he still doesn't eat for a little while as he will need to setle into his new tank all over again.

It's an enouraging sign he seemed more alert when the scent of the prey was in the air and it's likely, if you can keep that happening when he then doesn't have to be disturbed out of hunting mode to move to another tank, that you are well on the way to finding his particular likes/dislikes.:)

Once he's settled in just start all the standard tricks again from the beginning - different types/colours of prey,scenting with other things [mice,rats,gerbils,chicks etc], live/F.K/F.T, changing temps of prey [fk/ft ONLY please :P ], wet and dry [never understood that one but others have had success with it], making a false nest with rodent litter in a tight box....you know the list by now.:cool:

There used ot be a thread with lots of things to try on it around here somewhere but i can't seem to find it.:(



dr del

Jess the curling up together isn't "cute" and it isn't cuddling or affection between your snakes. It's dominance. They are, in their own subtle snake way, pushing each other around and fighting for space, access to water, heat, etc. They are not like other pets (cats or dogs) that have any need for others of their own kind. They aren't herd or pack creatures so they really have little to do with each other except to breed as adults (then they immediately go their own way again).

Here's our caresheet if you haven't had a chance to go through it yet....

http://www.ball-pythons.net/modules....warticle&id=59

I'd suggest getting them both set up seperately with temps and humidity ranges as described in the caresheet. Have a vet check out the belly on the one with problems there. Pet stores are NOT the best place for advice or for treatment of health care issues.

Feeding in the enclosure will not lead to your snake thinking your hand is food...that's an old myth. If your hand is in there regularily for cleaning, handling the snake, etc. your snake will become quite used to it. Just don't smell like a rodent and you'll be fine. That's not to say a snake won't strike at you or even bite your hand, whether it's in the enclosure, in a feeding tub or out for handling. These are snakes after all, not domesticated or tame just because they may or may not have been hatched in captivity.

There are a lot of threads here about setting up an enclosure, regulating temps and humidity, helping a stressed snake and getting a snake to eat. We have a great search function. :)

I just wanted to update....

we finally got our snakes back into thier own cages as of today... mine seemed lonely....lol but yet he was happy... b/c we gave him something he can hide under finally.... and we are keeping his tank around 82/84.... is that good? and i was also wanting to know yalls(yes i'm southern...) views on heat rocks?

ok another thing....i made another thread.... talking about our new snake "Ozzy"...(which is about 4 1/2 feet) and talked about him being wild caught at an airport in Fl.... someone told me he must have been someones pet... etc... well i dont know about that....i talked to his previous owner lastnight ... and she told me they had him for about two years now... and they took him to a vet in Fl.. and they told them to forse feed him some wet dog food.... it was some high grade stuff... and gave them some cans,,, and said once he get done with the cans... he should start eating... i'm going to let him get use to his new surrounding's... b4 we try and feed him a small rat.... which i'm sure he can easily eat a large rat...but i'm just gonna try and start him off on a small rat... ok let me end this long story right now....

i just wanted to update yall on Ace... and our new snake "Ozzy"

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Originally Posted by krazi0469

I just wanted to update....

we finally got our snakes back into thier own cages as of today... mine seemed lonely....lol but yet he was happy... b/c we gave him something he can hide under finally.... and we are keeping his tank around 82/84.... is that good? and i was also wanting to know yalls(yes i'm southern...) views on heat rocks?

ok another thing....i made another thread.... talking about our new snake "Ozzy"...(which is about 4 1/2 feet) and talked about him being wild caught at an airport in Fl.... someone told me he must have been someones pet... etc... well i dont know about that....i talked to his previous owner lastnight ... and she told me they had him for about two years now... and they took him to a vet in Fl.. and they told them to forse feed him some wet dog food.... it was some high grade stuff... and gave them some cans,,, and said once he get done with the cans... he should start eating... i'm going to let him get use to his new surrounding's... b4 we try and feed him a small rat.... which i'm sure he can easily eat a large rat...but i'm just gonna try and start him off on a small rat... ok let me end this long story right now....

i just wanted to update yall on Ace... and our new snake "Ozzy"

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Your snake's enclosure should be 80-84 on his "cool" side and 90-94 on his "warm" side. This can be achieved with a UTH (under tank heater)--a reptile heat mat, or Flexwatt heat tape. All of those things should (ideally) be controlled by a thermostat (Ranco, Johnsons, Helix, Herpstat are your best bets), to prevent overheating your baby and to keep temperatures constantly correct.

Humidity should be 50-60%.

Heat rocks are a BIG no-no for any reptile--as they can have VERY high heat spikes and can burn your snake.

Um...I think that's it? If I missed something, someone else feel free to chime in :)