need help please

i am new to keeping reptiles have had a ball python for about 12 weeks all
seemed to be ok eating fine not missed a meal till last week when she? got offered her last mouse large she seems to be scared of it
have offered her 3 more not interested seems to be scared of them?
temps are hot end 88f cool 75f humidity 52 to 58
sorry of any bad spelling i have dyslexia

thank you for any help

increase warm side temps to 90, cool side temps to 84, 50 % humidity. Make sure you have a cool side hide and a warm side hide. Don't put her in a high traffic area where there is more noise and stress.

ditto with singing....also please take a look at the BP care sheet ....there is sooooo much amazing information. I think once you get your husbandry right your baby should start eating again! ;)

thanks the humidity fluctuaits the avrage is 52% will bump up tem some
cheers

thank you for the reply i have looked ap a lot of care sheets with a lot of conflicting info
about temps and humidity must have about 7 difrent pdf's with all difrent veiws
there is no difrence with the setup as to when she was eating fine

Look up the care sheet on this site....it really is the best I have found. Make sure you have a low and tight hide on both the cool side and the warm side. If you have a tank....try to cover the screen top with plexiglass or aluminum, this will help with your humidity. I try to keep my temps at 82-83 cool side and 92-93 warm side....humidity at 60%. When I see them going into a shed ....I add a humid hide with moss and I spray it down twice a day to bump up the humidity. Not sure how you are keeping track of the temps but you can get an acurite thermometer at wally world or lowes...it is $12- it has a probe which is really important. If you are using a under the tank heater be sure it has a thermostat. Some places will tell you that you do not need it....YOU DO!!! I totally get the different info you get as when I was new.....I noticed allot of that as well. I have to say though that this is the best site I have found for info on BP's. Very nice ppl on here that really try to help you without condeming you. I have found the information on here to be very accurate and I have to say....out of all of the site...this is my favorite. Hope I helped you out!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ballyb1

i am new to keeping reptiles have had a ball python for about 12 weeks all
seemed to be ok eating fine not missed a meal till last week when she? got offered her last mouse large she seems to be scared of it
have offered her 3 more not interested seems to be scared of them?
temps are hot end 88f cool 75f humidity 52 to 58
sorry of any bad spelling i have dyslexia

thank you for any help

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One missed meal is fine. Offering multiple times in the same week will only work against you with more refusals. Just offer one time a week. If she misses one week, just wait a full week before offering again. They will sometimes skip a meal to allow their body to "catch up" with previous meals. :)

I think your snake just wasn't hungry. I doubt a 2 degree difference in your tank and what care sheets tell you it should be, will cause your snake to go off food. It is winter and some snake do stop eating, other will slow down. Don't stress over a missed meal or two. I've got a finisky Albino that will not eat for a month, then he'll pound them for some time, then not eat for a week or two. The way I look at it, snakes don't eat out of boredom, they eat when they're hungry. You snake will eat, when it's ready.

Good Luck!
Jim Smith

thanks for the imput

Quote:

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Originally Posted by j_h_smith

I think your snake just wasn't hungry. I doubt a 2 degree difference in your tank and what care sheets tell you it should be, will cause your snake to go off food. It is winter and some snake do stop eating, other will slow down. Don't stress over a missed meal or two. I've got a finisky Albino that will not eat for a month, then he'll pound them for some time, then not eat for a week or two. The way I look at it, snakes don't eat out of boredom, they eat when they're hungry. You snake will eat, when it's ready.

Good Luck!
Jim Smith

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agree completely. I spoke with a snake breeder/rescuer today and she has a ball python that didnt eat for 2 months in the winter. They basically go into a hibernation stage. My new ball python hasnt eaten in 3 weeks now. Like jim Smith said. When they're hungry they're gunna eat.
Good Luck! dont worry!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by cweimer4

agree completely. I spoke with a snake breeder/rescuer today and she has a ball python that didnt eat for 2 months in the winter. They basically go into a hibernation stage. My new ball python hasnt eaten in 3 weeks now. Like jim Smith said. When they're hungry they're gunna eat.
Good Luck! dont worry!

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No offense I understand you are new to all this however it seems like you are making an habit or repeating incorrect information given to you by some breeder ;)

BP to not hibernate and in this case it would be called brumation not hibernation.

Now I understand you have good intention however maybe you might want to learn a little more yourself or double check your source before giving out advices.

Also if your animal is not eating you might want to ask yourself why and see if there is anything that could change that.

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To the OP remember that missing one meal is nothing to worry about it happens from time to time, your BP could get ready to go in shed or simply refuse a meal for whatever other reason it happens.

If this behavior persist your job as an owner is to figure out what could trigger this behavior and see if something can be done to help your animal resume feeding.

BP stop eating for various reason it can be husbandry related, stress related, seasonal etc. In most cases with new owner it is often husbandry related and in this case very easy to fix with a few little changes.

Finally I agree with Robin if you offer too often you will only stress your animal leading to more refusal.

this sight has bee nthe best for information and don't worry about the spellnig issues they got use to my horrible spelling skills and speed typing and your post are a lot better (easier ) to read than mine are lol..

if the snake in a high traffic are and can't be moved tape a couple towels over the glass so the snake does not see the movement and it may feel a bit more calm. PLus it will add a layer of thermal protection to help keep the temps more stable.