BP Won't eat?

I've had him for about 4 weeks now and so far he won't eat :(

It's my first ball python, so i make be doing something wrong im just not sure what???

I tried to feed him 1 week after i got him (he received no contact etc), but no such luck- i feed him f/t mice which i heated in the microwave until they were warm and then kind kind of "walked" them around him with a pair of tongs- today i tried to feed him again, but he wouldn't eat.

His tank is a stable temp of about 82 day time and 78 at night, with a heatpad on one side and hides on both. 20g long. Water bowl in between.

Am i doing something wrong? again, my first BP, i keep mostly fish so this is new to me :rolleyes:

Should i try to feed him something different???

thanks
tim

I wouldn't heat the mouse up in the microwave. That could've been the problem. They're very picky about their prey. Some won't eat cuz it's too cold, some won't eat cuz it's too hot. Heating the mouse up in the microwave runs the chance of the mouse blowing up, and you having mouse insides to clean up.

If the person you got the ball from was feeding it live, I would feed him a few live meals and then try to make the switch to f/t.

Your warm side needs to be in the 90-92 range. Then cold side about 85. Ambient temps need to be about 80. Also the biggest factor is a nice tight fitting hide.

Edit: Oops, missed the size of the tank. If he's still small, then a 20g is too big. Put him in a 16 oz tub or a ten gallon tank and that'll make him feel more secure.

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Originally Posted by Elise.m

I wouldn't heat the mouse up in the microwave. That could've been the problem. They're very picky about their prey. Some won't eat cuz it's too cold, some won't eat cuz it's too hot. Heating the mouse up in the microwave runs the chance of the mouse blowing up, and you having mouse insides to clean up.

If the person you got the ball from was feeding it live, I would feed him a few live meals and then try to make the switch to f/t.

Your warm side needs to be in the 90-92 range. Then cold side about 85. Ambient temps need to be about 80. Also the biggest factor is a nice tight fitting hide.

Edit: Oops, missed the size of the tank. If he's still small, then a 20g is too big. Put him in a 16 oz tub or a ten gallon tank and that'll make him feel more secure.

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I have housed a baby in a 20 long, you just have to fill it up with plants and stuff! You can also use crumpled newspaper to fill up the empty space. You need two identical hides, one on the cool side and one on the warm side. The hides should be tight fitting and have one small opening. Only feed once every 5 days. If he refuses then wait 5 days before trying again. I would feed live until it has eaten several meals before attempting frozen. Babies like to hunt for the food! Cover the sides and top of the tank for added security. If they don't feel safe then they won't eat! You need digital thermostats to read belly temps or the warm(90-94) and on the cool(80-84) side! The ambient(air) temp has to be at least 75 degrees! It your temps aren't right then they can't digest their meals so they won't eat! No handling until it eats 3 or 4 times then only once a week to start! No handling until after 48 hours of a feeding! To thaw out a mouse, put it in a ziplock bag and put that in a sink full of warm(not too hot) water for an hour or so then take it out and give the head a blast from a hair dryer for a minute or two. The head should be a little warmer than the rest of the body so it can eat the head first! Good luck! Pics of your setup would help us better!

I have one that didn't eat awhile back, I was holding it with the tongs trying to entice him, but no dice, so I just put it down on his rock and left it, and before long he took it off the rock and ate it...Not saying that would work with yours but might be worth a try. Also it is just the time of year when they may be fasting!!!!

Stop heating the mouse in the microwave. You are probably partially cooking it, and snakes aren't designed to eat cooked food. This also probably changes the smell, and that may be why your snake doesn't recognize it as food.

It sounds like you do not have an adequate hot spot, and over all your temps are too cold. This can lead to several problems, including feeding refusals, regurges if it does it, and respiratory infections. If the coldest it gets is 78, you are probably ok as far as regurges and RIs, but the lack of a proper hot spot could be related to the feeding refusals.

If your snake is still little, a 20g tank may be big an intimidating for him. You can try cluttering it up with extra hides, crumpled newspapers, or fake plants to help your snake feel more secure. Also, make sure that 3 sides of the tank are covered.

Finally, when feeding, it is a good idea to prescent first. This means let the snake get the smell of the food for about 1/2 hr before you offer it to the snake. This way the snake knows food is coming and will be ready and waiting. This is especially important when trying to convert a live eater to f/t.

If you do all of this, then wait a week for your snake to get used to the changes, you may find that your snake eats just fine. If not, I'd suggest feeding live until you get him eating consistently, then trying to make the switch to f/t.

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Originally Posted by kc261

Finally, when feeding, it is a good idea to prescent first. This means let the snake get the smell of the food for about 1/2 hr before you offer it to the snake. This way the snake knows food is coming and will be ready and waiting. This is especially important when trying to convert a live eater to f/t.

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Yes, this is a good idea! I do it every feeding for an hour or two to make it really hungry and craving that rat!!!

NEVER de-thaw a mouse or rat in the microwave, that leads to a very disgusting disaster you have to clean up! :colbert:

thanks for the replies. i usually only put it in the microwave for 5-10 secs after its thawed so it warmed up... hes like 23'' i think (not sure on that) i imagine hed pretty cramped in a 10??? i will definitely bump up the temps- how should i heat the mouse or is just thawing enough?

thanks for all the info
tim

You can thaw the rodent in warm water until it is warm all the way through.

Do you know how old he is or how much he weighs? Sometimes moving them to a bigger enclosure can actually make them less likely to eat.

My BP eats well but he's a lot less excited over wet prey. A neat trick I have is to stick the mouse in a ziploc baggie, squeeze as much of the air out as I can, and run hot water over the baggie for a few seconds...heats the mouse up enough to get him all excited and thinking it's alive, and the mouse stays dry.

No microwave needed. ;)

Does anyone read the caresheet or use the search function?? How many threads are about this on the 1st page.

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Originally Posted by bman123

Does anyone read the caresheet or use the search function?? How many threads are about this on the 1st page.

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Idk could u use the search function and tell me?

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Originally Posted by seeya205

I have housed a baby in a 20 long, you just have to fill it up with plants and stuff! You can also use crumpled newspaper to fill up the empty space. You need two identical hides, one on the cool side and one on the warm side. The hides should be tight fitting and have one small opening. Only feed once every 5 days. If he refuses then wait 5 days before trying again. I would feed live until it has eaten several meals before attempting frozen. Babies like to hunt for the food! Cover the sides and top of the tank for added security. If they don't feel safe then they won't eat! You need digital thermostats to read belly temps or the warm(90-94) and on the cool(80-84) side! The ambient(air) temp has to be at least 75 degrees! It your temps aren't right then they can't digest their meals so they won't eat! No handling until it eats 3 or 4 times then only once a week to start! No handling until after 48 hours of a feeding! To thaw out a mouse, put it in a ziplock bag and put that in a sink full of warm(not too hot) water for an hour or so then take it out and give the head a blast from a hair dryer for a minute or two. The head should be a little warmer than the rest of the body so it can eat the head first! Good luck! Pics of your setup would help us better!

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Just because that worked for you does not mean it will work for all ball pythons. I've had many balls that won't eat in larger enclosures despite how much I filled the cage up. The ambient air temperature should be 80 or above, 75 is too cold.

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Originally Posted by Aerial

thanks for the replies. i usually only put it in the microwave for 5-10 secs after its thawed so it warmed up... hes like 23'' i think (not sure on that) i imagine hed pretty cramped in a 10??? i will definitely bump up the temps- how should i heat the mouse or is just thawing enough?

thanks for all the info
tim

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Get him a 15 gallon at that size. Don't use the microwave at all, just use a blow dryer if you want to warm him up after thawing him out. Putting it in hot water to thaw is a lot faster than just leaving it out.

Make sure you have a good ambient air temperature of about 80F and a warm side at 90-95F and the cool side at 80-85F. What are you using to heat up the tank? If it's a heat lamp, get rid of it and get an UTH and Thermostat combo.

How are you measuring your heat? What kind of thermometers? What are you using to measure humidity? (thermometers and hygrometers that are dial are extremely inaccurate and a waste of money, get some digital ones from the planting section in Walmart for 10 bucks. Get your hands on some digital thermometers with probes too to put UNDER the substrate on the glass to make sure it's not getting too hot).

What kind of substrate are you using?

For the feeding, turn off all lights, get an appropriately sized LIVE rodent, put it in the cage and leave him in quiet. Watching him with all the lights on in the room or any sort of traffic could be stressing him out. Also, do not move him to another enclosure if you are attempting to do so. His own enclosure is fine for him to eat in.

P.S. For appropriately sized, go with a rodent that is about as thick as the snake is at the thickest point on it's body. You could also do the 10-15% of it's body weight rule.

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Originally Posted by bman123

Does anyone read the caresheet or use the search function?? How many threads are about this on the 1st page.

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There is a caresheet.
http://www.ball-pythons.net/modules/...warticle&id=59

BUT that is besides the point. ALL of these cases are individual and may not be assisted with just caresheet information. This is an informational website that is meant for asking questions about problems people are having with their ball pythons. The more threads, the merrier.

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Originally Posted by f4n70m

Idk could u use the search function and tell me?

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There is no reason to be rude. If you are so inclined to be rude to other members, the door is open for you to go. That goes to both of you.

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Originally Posted by bman123

Does anyone read the caresheet or use the search function?? How many threads are about this on the 1st page.

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hey, thanks for stating the obvious. for your information, i actually lots of research, but did not find what i was looking for thats why i posted the question. the searchbar, my friend, is not the solution to all the worlds questions :colbert:

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Originally Posted by blackcrystal22

Just because that worked for you does not mean it will work for all ball pythons. I've had many balls that won't eat in larger enclosures despite how much I filled the cage up. The ambient air temperature should be 80 or above, 75 is too cold.



Get him a 15 gallon at that size. Don't use the microwave at all, just use a blow dryer if you want to warm him up after thawing him out. Putting it in hot water to thaw is a lot faster than just leaving it out.

Make sure you have a good ambient air temperature of about 80F and a warm side at 90-95F and the cool side at 80-85F. What are you using to heat up the tank? If it's a heat lamp, get rid of it and get an UTH and Thermostat combo.

How are you measuring your heat? What kind of thermometers? What are you using to measure humidity? (thermometers and hygrometers that are dial are extremely inaccurate and a waste of money, get some digital ones from the planting section in Walmart for 10 bucks. Get your hands on some digital thermometers with probes too to put UNDER the substrate on the glass to make sure it's not getting too hot).

What kind of substrate are you using?

For the feeding, turn off all lights, get an appropriately sized LIVE rodent, put it in the cage and leave him in quiet. Watching him with all the lights on in the room or any sort of traffic could be stressing him out. Also, do not move him to another enclosure if you are attempting to do so. His own enclosure is fine for him to eat in.

P.S. For appropriately sized, go with a rodent that is about as thick as the snake is at the thickest point on it's body. You could also do the 10-15% of it's body weight rule.

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can you tell me some more about the "UTH and Thermostat combo"? i mean, whats a good kind/brand and where do i buy one? :oops:

i measure heat with a stick-on thermometer, which looks pretty accurate to me but what do i know...

substrate is newspaper which i replace weekly or if it gets wet/soiled.

again, thanks for all the info guys. i did a lot of research but couldn't find much on this particular stuff :(

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Originally Posted by Aerial

can you tell me some more about the "UTH and Thermostat combo"? i mean, whats a good kind/brand and where do i buy one? :oops:

i measure heat with a stick-on thermometer, which looks pretty accurate to me but what do i know...

substrate is newspaper which i replace weekly or if it gets wet/soiled.

again, thanks for all the info guys. i did a lot of research but couldn't find much on this particular stuff :(

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A thermostat is something that controls the temperature of an object. In your house, it is the temperature of the air, but with reptiles, it is the temperature of the heat mat. When left unregulated, a UTH can heat up to dangerously high levels. A thermostat is put in place to keep the UTH from getting to these dangerous levels.

The stick on thermometers are actually well known for being INaccurate. I would recommend buying the accurite digital weather station with indoor and outdoor thermometer and hygrometer. It is the only unit you will need for a single setup. It allows you to monitor the temp of the UTH with the external probe, the ambient air temperatures, and the ambient humidity. It is sold at the home depot, lowes, and walmart for around $11.

As for thermostats and heat mats. I prefer the zoomed heat pads for individual setups and the reptitemp 500r thermostat to control it.

Stick on thermometers are good for measuring the temp of the glass... that is about it.

You want to use a thermometer that either goes in the enclosure (for air temps), use a infrared thermometer gun, or a thermometer with a probe.

Newspaper is fine for substrate.

As far as UTH and thermostat, its really wide open. Most thermostats are rheostat like while others are completely digital. If you can use a rheostat thermostat and set it correctly they do the job just fine. As for UTH you can use any of the zoo-med stick on ones, or you can use heat tape or heat cable as well. It just depends on what is available to you.

ah, ok i am using both a heat lamp and a UTH- however i don't really think the tank will be warm enough with just the UTH? before i added the heat lamp (and the ball python...) the temp was around 73 with just the UTH, the heat lamp keeps it around, like i said, 84-86 depending on the air temp of the house. also, is the floor temperature, like where the UTH is something i need to be aware of?

If your house temperature is below 75* normally then you will probably need a low wattage heat lamp or a space heater for the room. The only downfall to heat lamps is that they sacrifice humidity which is already hard to maintain in a glass tank.

Please get a reliable digital thermometer like the one I mentioned so you can actually see what your temps are. Completely forget what those dial thermometers say.

You need to know the temperature on the floor right where the UTH is. Since you are not using a thermostat, it is probably hot enough to cause a burn. They run up to 120* unregulated and if your snake sits on that too long, it will cook itself. So yes, you need to be aware of that temperature.

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Originally Posted by Aerial

is the floor temperature, like where the UTH is something i need to be aware of?

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Absolutely. That is where the Accurite Indoor/Outdoor thermometer comes in. It has a probe on it. Place that under your substrate, on the glass above where the UTH is. This is the hottest part of your tank. You don't want that to ever get above 95F.

You plug the UTH into the thermostat(i.e, ReptiTemp 500R), then the thermostat into the wall. Adjust the thermostat setting, so that it maintains the desired temp. The ReptiTemp does not have a number indicator, just a Cool-Warm wheel. Adjust that to keep the thermometer probe reading (Outdoor reading is the probe reading. Indoor is ambient temp) 90-92F. The thermostat will continually cut power off and on to the UTH to maintain your temp.

An unregulated UTH (one without a thermostat) can reach temps of 110-120F. So be careful! This will literally burn your snake.

Also, I had the same problem as you. I keep my apt very cool, ~68. So I use a CHE (ceramic heat emitter). It is like a heat bulb, but... does not produce light. Just heat. I have a 15g terrarium, and I use a 60w CHE. This keeps it ~81. It does hurt the humidity a bit, so I had to foil the screen top. If you slide your water bowl a little to the warm side, and have a water bowl with a larger surface area, it will also increase humidity. A slight misting never hurts either :)

are there any good digital thermostats around the 10-20$ range?

whats an example of a good reliable digital thermometer?

again, thanks for all the help guys...

Lets clarify, there is a difference between a thermometer and thermostat. A thermometer reads temps, where as a thermostat reads temps and adjusts temps accordingly.

There is no digital thermostat in the 10-20$ range, but there is a dial on off thermostat called the reptitemp 500r which is around $25. It is the cheapest thermostat for a single setup. It is hard to find in stores though and you will most likely have to order one online.

As far as thermometers go, the accurite weather station is an indoor outdoor thermometer (for your house) for single setups. It is sold at the home depot, lowes, and walmart for around $12.

Thanks for all the help guys. I got the repti temp 500r, covered 3 sides of the tank, and got the accu rite thermometer, and today he ate a f/t mouse! I put it in his cage, then wiggled it around for 5 minutes, but no luck. I left for 10 minutes, and tried again but... no luck. I just left the mouse in there so i could try after i watched a tv show or something, and while entering my room to put laundry away i noticed he took the mouse!! While it was just laying there! He got it down in like 5 minutes.

Once again, thanks for all the info and help!!! Now i can sleep in peace :D

mine will do that sometimes too. either cuz of shed, stress or maybe urs is shy. u may have to put it in their warm hide over night sometimes.

Yeah, I think I might have been intimidating him while feeding him, he's a rather shy snake.