Not eating, don't know what to do...

I recently got my first ball python, and he is about a month old. I waited an entire week after I got him home to offer him something to eat (frozen fuzzy mouse), and he didn't go for it. Nor three days later when I offered another.

Apparently, he was eating live from the breeder I got him from, so I thought maybe if I tried live, that he would take it. So I got him a live pinky rat, because I read that giving him something too small and then offering the right size frozen rat will make them convert from live to frozen.

However, he is not even interested in it at all. It is in his cage now, and has been for about ten minutes, and though he is roaming around his cage and he obviously knows it is there, he either crawls right over it or around it.

Now, I have had him about two weeks, so I would think that he is at least a little acclimated to his environment, and he doesn't seem to mind me picking him up and holding him in short bursts. But I am starting to get concerned with the feeding thing.

Any ideas of what to do?

Try a mouse hopper.

I would refrain from holding him at all until he is eating for you.

Could you tell us more about his setup? A picture would be great.

Two weeks isn't really that long, he will be fine. Some snakes take a little longer to acclimate to their environments.

Try not watching him. If your snake is in a room where you can, shut off the lights and leave it alone for about 30-60 minutes and check on him. If the snake is in a larger area like a living room, then try covering the tank with a towel or something to make it dark and private. And like Kaorte said, it may be a set-up or husbandry issue as well...

His husbandry is spot on, as much as I can tell. He is in a 20 gallon long tank. The cool side of his cage is 81 degrees, and the hot side is 93. His humidity is 52%, He has the right size hides and no bright shining lights on him.

I have had him for two weeks, and I have only just started handling him a few days ago. He doesn't seem to mind it in the slightest (no striking or hissing or tight balling). He will happily explore my hand and not remain in a small coiled ball in my palm, so I take it as a good sign that he isn't beyond terrified of me.

I think I will wait a few more days to offer him another rat, and I'll turn the lights off and cover his cage and such so that it is private.

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Originally Posted by quillian91

Apparently, he was eating live from the breeder I got him from, so I thought maybe if I tried live, that he would take it. So I got him a live pinky rat, because I read that giving him something too small and then offering the right size frozen rat will make them convert from live to frozen.

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Do you know if the breeder was feeding live mice or rats? If it was mice, then he may not readily identify the scent of the rat as food. So I will have to agree with trying a live hopper mouse. I would also suggest watching, at least until he constricts it, and then leave him alone, if he looks like he isn't going to eat it right away...

If you got him from a breeder and he's still very young. A 20 long is most likely your problem. the breeder most likely keep him in something like a 6 qt sterilite tub from wal-mart. you can get one, put some air holes in the top of it. place it in your 20 long about 1/3 of the tub on the heat with the lid on the tub and the 20 long. adjust your temps in the tub. get him eating and then cut a hole big enough so he can crawl in and out of it, this will help when trying to get him use to the big tank. after a while when he gets too big for the tub, you can replace with a hide.

I have offered food to him again and Crane still hasn't eaten. Left one in with him over night and it was still there in the morning. I have tried Pinky Rats, Fuzzy Rats, and Fuzzy mice, and still nothing. He seems absolutely uninterested in it. When I had the live pinky rat in there, he slithered over and around the poor thing but never displayed any hunting behavior. If I try to wiggle the fuzzy around and make it seem alive, he will try to go away, and when I put him in a separate feeding container to see if that worked, he spent the whole time wall-climbing to try to escape and didn't seem to care about the rat.

I know that snakes (especially BPs) go through periods where they don't eat anything. The thing is, however, that I don't have any guarantee that he has actually ate anything before. Just the word of the woman I got him from. A worker at the local reptile pet store said that there was a problem with a bunch of baby ball pythons being sold for $45 in town and that none of them seem to want to eat. I paid $45 for him, so I am thinking that maybe I was scammed or something. I am starting to get worried because I have no idea if he has actually eaten before or if it was just something the woman made up to sell them.

Not that I want to give him away because of the feeding issues or anything. I love him dearly and I will do anything I can to keep him happy and healthy, but I am definitely concerned about the situation. He is about six weeks old, is my rough guess, since I got him on May 16th, and a few days before that the add said they were three weeks old. Of course, I don't know that for sure. Crane is an absolute delight besides the food issue. He is calm and isn't nippy at all.

But since he is a baby and I can't guarantee that he has eaten anything ever, what should I do? I am at a loss. I have read up about assisted-feeding and seen a few videos, but I would never do that until someone with experience (you guys), tells me that I should try it.

Any ideas?

Are you prescenting? Have you blasted the prey with a hair drier?

Yes, I have done both of those. But he is still not taking them. Left one in over night (and I keep my room pitch black, so there was no lights shining on him). Also covered the clear side of his cage with a towel for more privacy once, but he still refused.

I would suggest using a mouse hopper -- not a pink or a fuzzy, but a hopper. The fuzzies really don't move enough to get the snake's interest but a hopper will and I don't believe a hopper poses much of a (if any) threat to the snake if left in the enclosure overnight.

Sometimes, lowering the size of the cage will help to make them feel more secure.

Do you have two tight hides that are not log hides?

Before you switch to a smaller cage (or tub), try covering 3/4 of the cage in dark paper to make him feel more secure and make sure those hides are avaliable.

Also, sometimes snakes will not eat f/t, and you really have no choice but to give live a shot. Just keep an eye on him if you feed him live. Once you get him eating in general, he may be able to switch to your desired food type.

Good luck.

I have two small hides that are two dark blue plastic bowls. They are definitely small enough for him. 3/4 of his cage is already covered with black paper, and his lid employs the duct-tape, foil, clear vinyl method that was mentioned on the site to keep in humidity.

His humidity is 54%, his cool side is 82 degrees, and his hot side is 94 degrees.

Have you been keeping track of weight? That might tell us when an assist feed is due. Is he starting to look skinny? Did he look skinny to begin with?

He's probably fine and just not hungry. I recently bought one that's been like that for all of his six years.

Can you tell anything about his shed stage?

Despite what you've done to the enclosure, it may still just be too much open space for one so small.

Bigger isn't better. You have a hatchling in a 20 long tank, a 10 gallon tank is too big. get a 6 qt tub from walmart price is around 1 dollar. use paper towels in it. most likely the snake never ate. start reading on assist feeding to be prepare if you have to go that route.

I would also move him to a 6 quart tub with a nice tight hide on paper towels or aspen.

a 20g is pretty big for a baby and even bigger for a baby who has possibly never eaten a meal in its life.

Can you get a weight on your snake in grams? This will be helpful. If he's 6 weeks and never had a meal, you're very close to having to assist feed him. i've done it on a few hatchlings with great results. If you have any questions on it pm me.

Stop handling him. Completely. Whether he seems to mind or not--he minds. Do not handle him again until he's eating regularly, period.

Hatchlings have far less weight reserve than adults when it comes to fasting. I would be concerned about a hatchling that failed to eat for 4 weeks. They cannot go for months the way older, heavier snakes can.

It's very important to resolve the problem as soon as possible. The most common reason for this is that there is something wrong with the snake's environment--it does not feel secure, so it will not put itself into a dangerous position and feed (a feeding snake cannot defend itself or flee easily).

Hatchlings need:

A small cage. Smaller than you might think. A 6 qt plastic shoebox is appropriate. Make sure there is at least one small, tight hide in there along with the water dish. As the snake grows, it can be moved to larger enclosures. If you're using an undertank heater controlled by a thermostat, the solution is simple--place the plastic shoebox inside the existing tank, so that 1/3 of it is over the heat pad. :)

Seclusion. Keep the snake away from household traffic, in a quiet area, and don't handle it.

Darkness. Ball pythons are nocturnal. Offer food at least a half hour after the lights are out. Make sure you are giving the snake a regular photoperiod (lights go off at the same time every night, and on at the same time every morning--use a timer if you're not going by light through the window).

Correct-sized prey. The prey item should be as big around as the widest part of the snake, and should be a prey item the snake is used to eating (if it was eating rat fuzzies, offer a rat fuzzy--if it was eating mouse hoppers, offer a mouse hopper).

Patience. Wait three days between each attempt at feeding. Offering food too often will generally prevent the snake from feeding.

If you see the snake roaming around the cage constantly, something is wrong. It is trying to escape to get to someplace it will feel more secure.

If the snake begins roaming quickly around and ignoring a prey item, you can generally remove it--the snake is trying to leave the area to get away from it, so it is not going to eat it on that attempt. If the snake remains coiled or in its hide, you can leave the prey item in longer, as the snake may decide to eat it.

Thanks for the responses! I will do those immediately! Tomorrow, I will go purchase a bin and set it up. I have noticed him roaming around constantly, and I hope that a new set up will make him feel more secure.

I haven't handled him in a few days, so I'll just continue.

I have had him for about three weeks, and I cannot guarantee that he has before then at all. I think he has, as the woman bred live feeder mice as well, but I truly can't be sure.

Tomorrow I'll set him up in a bin so that he feels more enclosed. If he doesn't feed in the next week or two, should I try assist feeding?

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Originally Posted by quillian91

Thanks for the responses! I will do those immediately! Tomorrow, I will go purchase a bin and set it up. I have noticed him roaming around constantly, and I hope that a new set up will make him feel more secure.

I haven't handled him in a few days, so I'll just continue.

I have had him for about three weeks, and I cannot guarantee that he has before then at all. I think he has, as the woman bred live feeder mice as well, but I truly can't be sure.

Tomorrow I'll set him up in a bin so that he feels more enclosed. If he doesn't feed in the next week or two, should I try assist feeding?

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Yes, if moving him to a smaller enclosure doesn't work, try assist feeding...

How long do you wait between feedings? You said at the start you waited three days, simply not enough. If you have a refusal of a meal, you try again 7 days later.

Trying too often will just stress him out. Don't handle him at all until he eats.
Try leaving it in over night. Try filling the tank with newspaper (in balls) to give lots of hiding places.

Tons of things to try, he's still young, but that doesn't mean going 4 weeks without food will harm him. Be patient.

Yes, definitely try the crumpled newspaper trick before assist-feeding.

Assist-feeding is NOT force-feeding, by the way. I hesitate to tell someone new to ball pythons that they should assist-feed a snake. Although the risk of injury is not as high as with force-feeding, there is still a risk. It also takes even experienced folks 2 or 3 tries sometimes. It's not particularly easy to do.

i had the same exact problem mine went 3 months before i got it to eat. the trick that i used was. i let the fuzzie sit out for an hour to thaw. then i kept it in the plastic baggie and let it sit in warm water for 15 minutes after that i took a knife and punctured a hole in the top of the fuzzies head and squeezed some of the brains and brain juice out. after that i used tongs and moved it around in front of him and nothing happened so i just stuck it in the hut next to him and within 5 mins of doing that i look over and he only has the fuzzies tail sticking out of his mouth lol..

when u squeeze the brains out it will give off a strong foul smell which will get him hungry and excited to eat.

hairdrying the rodent will give you the same smelly effect...and you don't need to stab a dead mouse carcass in the head and squeeze out its brains..

Don't feed it in its cage, i use a Petco box to feed my BP in, they let you take the boxes no problem ;)

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Originally Posted by Tyrannosaurus Rex

Don't feed it in its cage, i use a Petco box to feed my BP in, they let you take the boxes no problem ;)

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Why not? I feed all my snakes in their cages. They are doing just fine :confused:

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Originally Posted by Kaorte

Why not? I feed all my snakes in their cages. They are doing just fine :confused:

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i dont know some people have told me its because if u feed it in its cage people say that it will get used to it and maybe in the future when u go to pick it up and hold it. it will bite u thinking that ur food.

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Originally Posted by ronniec02

i dont know some people have told me its because if u feed it in its cage people say that it will get used to it and maybe in the future when u go to pick it up and hold it. it will bite u thinking that ur food.

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For some bigger species of snakes, this can be true. For ball pythons, not so much. I feed every single one of my snakes in their home enclosures as well as many members of this site. I have never been bitten.

Most bites are feeding related incidents where the keeper moved the snake but smelled like a rodent and got tagged. You are MUCH more likely to take a bite if you feed outside the enclosure.

Also, no where does my hand enter the feeding process, so how can the snake associate being fed with my hand if it isn't even present?

Check out actual experiences with this: Cage Aggression Due to Feeding Practices.

Now, you just might wanna read a little more before you start throwing advice out there. Stickies, caresheet, posts, etc.

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Originally Posted by ronniec02

i dont know some people have told me its because if u feed it in its cage people say that it will get used to it and maybe in the future when u go to pick it up and hold it. it will bite u thinking that ur food.

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100% not true with ball pythons - all of mine are fed in their enclosures - none of them mistake me for food or are cage aggressive.

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Originally Posted by rabernet

100% not true with ball pythons - all of mine are fed in their enclosures - none of them mistake me for food or are cage aggressive.

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i never said it was true. i feed mine in its cge and its fine. i was just stating that whats some people say and is probably what the guy above was referring too.

Alright, I am seriously running out of options. I have done a very good job of not panicking, but now I am starting to. I have had Crane for over a month and he had not eaten once. He has shown no signs of interest in the mouse or rat.

I have done two different thawing methods: Water and just letting it sit out and thaw. I have tried both wet and non-wet. I have blow-dryed it and not blowdryed it. I have given him seven days between attempted feedings. I have moved him from a 20 gallon tank into a 6 quart plastic container about three weeks ago, so he is definitely settled. And I waited over a week to try to feed him again after settling him in his new set up. I have also tried loosely crumpled newspaper and he tried to hide from them (wedged himself as far away from the newspaper as he could and hid behind his water dish), so I took that out after a few days. I have no held him (besides the necessary moving from cage and attempt at feeding) that entire time. His container is at 81 degrees on the cool side, 94 degrees on the hot side, and at 54% humidity. 3/4ths of his container is covered with black paper, so that it is more private and secure for him.

I have looked up a few tutorials online on how to assist feed a ball python, and I have read the one on this very site as well. I have researched it to the death to make sure I don't hurt him. I have given that a try twice, and he has shown no interest in trying to eat it. I'll only insert the head barely into the throat and then hold him and the rat still so that Crane has a moment to calm down and 'walk' his mouth up the rat to begin swallowing if he so chooses. Unfortunately, about 30 seconds after I let him relax, he'll struggle and spit the rat out. I don't want to force him into not spitting it out in fear that I'll hurt him.

I am seriously starting to get worried, because he is looking skinny (I have never really seen many baby ball pythons, so I am unsure how he is supposed to look, but it just seems that he is too thin. You can see his spinal cord easily).

I have no idea what I should do now. I am so worried that I might one day wake up and find him dead from starvation. I cannot be absolutely positive that he has eaten since birth (I have seen urates, so he is drinking water, but I do not see any feces yet.). If I recall correctly, he is around a month and three weeks. A month of that is without eating.

If the knowledgeable people on here have any ideas or suggestions, please tell me. I am trying to do everything I can to keep him happy and healthy and well kept. And other than his lack of appetite, he seems to be doing well. I have noticed no other health issues, so I am really at a loss of what to do now.

Any help would be wonderful right about now.

Have you tried live? Mouse hoppers, right?

I have tried live Rat Pinkies, since they were out of live fuzzies at the moment, then I tried live rat fuzzies. Should I try live mouse hoppers now, you think?

Well, mouse hoppers are one thing I've heard that are the right size for a snake that age. I'm not too familiar with rodent "sizes". I'm just thinking try live, appropriately sized prey. Cuz F/T's not working, y'know?

I don't have much experience, but I haven't yet heard of an assist feed failing.

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Originally Posted by quillian91

I have tried live Rat Pinkies, since they were out of live fuzzies at the moment, then I tried live rat fuzzies. Should I try live mouse hoppers now, you think?

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Alright this is what your going to do. Sounds like your snake has a serious dislike to f.t so I would stray away from that and stick to live prey. A live hopper is best, but go to petco sometimes they have some really small mice that will do as well. Pinks aren't typically fed to bp's, and I have never tried to do this once. My babies started on small mice, or hoppers.

Don't waste time/money on f.t anymore. Its not working. My pastel male hates f/t with a passion and would die before eating it, so live live live!!

Just hang in there man! I know your going nuts right now, but I promise hes fine. Sounds like your doing great otherwise, just stay positive and get that live mouse hopper asap. You want a prey item with fur and a lot of movement. Most bp's can't resist the aroma of a nasty mouse. I think that pinks and less furry items don't give off the scent as well, or move as good either. But good Luck, please let us know how it all goes!

Thank you! I'll get the live hopper tomorrow. It has been so damn stressful, because I really love my snake, and I don't want something to happen to him, which I am terrified it will. I guess I am a really big animal lover (I love my fair share of kittens, like any girl, but reptiles especially have a place in my heart...).

Thanks for the advice, everyone! I would have probably torn my hair out with stress if I hadn't had some place to turn to...

NP.

Keep me updated on this.

Good Luck :salute:

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Originally Posted by Animals As Leaders

NP.

Keep me updated on this.

Good Luck :salute:

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All of us, please. We'd really like to hear it turn out well.

Currently, Crane is lounging in his cage with a full belly! He ate, finally! I went to the local Reptile store, which is a wonderful place that really knows how to take care of reptiles, and I told the owner my problem with Crane. She led me to the back and gave me a live African Soft-furred Rat fuzzy, which she said is supposed to be pretty much a guaranteed feed. He didn't eat it, eve when I left it in his cage over night. In the morning, I found the baby rat CUDDLED up to Crane as they both shared the heated-side of his container! :confused: :confused:

Sooo, that was obviously a no go. Apparently, Crane thinks mice and rats are friendly stuffed animals. :rolleyes:

However, the woman at the Rep-store told me that if he didn't take it, that I should come back the next day, with Crane, and she would either assist-feed or force feed, and teach me how to do whichever one we had to do.

She tried a live pinky mouse, just to see if he would take it through assist-feed. One she got it in his mouth, and held it for a moment, he kinda started to coil and constrict (though he is really bad at it), and eventually killed it. He then did the walk-up and finally swallowed it. We did this three more times, so he ate four pinkies in total. We had to assist feed all four times, as he refused to strike at it, and he was horrible at constricting. He kept coiling around his neck, which made it a lot harder for him to swallow.

However, I have him on a feeding plan now, to get his weight up. She told me that after he defecates, that I should feed him again, five pinkies, so that his weight will go back to normal (he was so skinny, I was worried I would wake up and find him dead...). And apparently, he is older than I thought. He has apparently already gone through his first shed, since his 'belly button' is a slight yellowy, instead of vivid pink.

Anyways, thanks everyone for all the information and advice. I am so relieved that he has eaten, finally! He just doesn't seem to know how to eat without help. Thanks again!

Personally, I wouldn't wait until after he defecates to feed him again. He might not poop for 4-5 weeks.

Also, I would try assist feeding one bigger meal rather then a bunch of pinkies. More assist feeds = more stress. So if you only need to assist feed once per feeding, wouldn't that be more preferable?

I would try a fuzzy at least or a hopper. Pinkies aren't really developed enough to give the snake the nutrients it needs.

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Originally Posted by Kaorte

Personally, I wouldn't wait until after he defecates to feed him again. He might not poop for 4-5 weeks.

Also, I would try assist feeding one bigger meal rather then a bunch of pinkies. More assist feeds = more stress. So if you only need to assist feed once per feeding, wouldn't that be more preferable?

I would try a fuzzy at least or a hopper. Pinkies aren't really developed enough to give the snake the nutrients it needs.

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Gonna have to agree.

Pinkies are for those snakes that are like 5 - 10 inches when they are like 1 month old.

They are generally for very small snakes that are still babies. IMO

get a hopper and let it roam his tank/tub. but not unattended. If/when he strikes it and coils it make sure its dead.

He isnt taking F/T because hes a ball python :D they are picky that way as everybody knows.

Get him a live prey item that moves and you should have him eatting. if he doesn't eat then, then you move onto assist/force feeding a hopper. but not a pinky again.

Hope he gets better!

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Originally Posted by MikeV

Gonna have to agree.

Pinkies are for those snakes that are like 5 - 10 inches when they are like 1 month old.

They are generally for very small snakes that are still babies. IMO

get a hopper and let it roam his tank/tub. but not unattended. If/when he strikes it and coils it make sure its dead.

He isnt taking F/T because hes a ball python :D they are picky that way as everybody knows.

Get him a live prey item that moves and you should have him eatting. if he doesn't eat then, then you move onto assist/force feeding a hopper. but not a pinky again.

Hope he gets better!

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The OP has already tried live.

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Originally Posted by Kaorte

The OP has already tried live.

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Ah, then I dont know...


assist feed a hopper? thats all I can think of thats left lol

He refused to assist-feed with F/T. He did, however, take four live pinkies. We only have to barely put it in his mouth and he started taking them immediately. After the first one was down, we offered him the second to see if he would take it himself, but he tried to run away from it. So we had to assist-feed it. We were just trying to get something in him, to start off with. He is really, really skinny. If were were going to have to force feed him, we wanted to use a smaller prey so it stands a better chance of not getting regurgitated.

I will move onto mice hoppers/rat fuzzies in a feed or two, but he seems to have absolutely no idea on how to eat it unless I put it in his mouth. And even then, he only seems to want to take pinkies. He didn't seem stressed after the first time we assisted him. After that, when we nudged it in his mouth, he immediately coiled and constricted it (although poorly...). The whole process per pinky took about three seconds. He got a taste for them immediately, though he still refused to strike or eat on his own. We just had to nudge it in his mouth and he did the rest.

He hasn't eaten in a month, the roundest part of him is about the size of my thumb, maybe just a tad bigger (and I have small hands...). It is obvious from his weight that he has probably not eaten for quite a while before I got him, so I have no idea how long it has been since he has eaten. I don't want to give him something too big that his malnourished system can't handle and end up regurgitating. That seems like it would be a lot more stressful than assist feeding...

He may be malnourished, but he hasn't actually shrunk. He can handle it.

And don't leave live rodents in there unattended. You're lucky it didn't decide to eat him. I wouldn't place a live one in his mouth, either.

I really think that you failed the first assist feed, not him. He's eating fuzzies this way, why not something that's actually the right size? I'm not being mean, I just think you may have made a mistake, like anyone could. No, I've never assist fed and I wasn't there, but I'd certainly expect to make a mistake my first try.

And he won't poop unless you feed him, so put him on a schedule and don't wait for a dookie that's not coming.

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Originally Posted by stevepoppers

He may be malnourished, but he hasn't actually shrunk. He can handle it.

And don't leave live rodents in there unattended. You're lucky it didn't decide to eat him. I wouldn't place a live one in his mouth, either.

I really think that you failed the first assist feed, not him. He's eating fuzzies this way, why not something that's actually the right size? I'm not being mean, I just think you may have made a mistake, like anyone could. No, I've never assist fed and I wasn't there, but I'd certainly expect to make a mistake my first try.

And he won't poop unless you feed him, so put him on a schedule and don't wait for a dookie that's not coming.

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A live pinkie is not going to eat him. Neither will a hopper or a fuzzy.

I don't think the OP was wrong by assist feeding, but I don't think it was necessary to feed 4 pinkies in one sitting. One small fuzzy would have been a better option. Feeding 4 pinkies is about the same as feeding a fuzzy or two. So whats the difference if he eats it in one sitting rather then 4?

My point is that if he can handle 4 pinkies, he can handle a fuzzy.

Yes, the live rat I put in his cage overnight was not full grown. It didn't even have it's eyes open. I am certain that it wouldn't be able to harm him.

The thing is, I wasn't the one to try to assist-feed him. I tried a few times, but he kept spitting it out. When I say he wouldn't take a fuzzy through assist-feeding, I mean that the owner of the reptile store, who has taken care of Ball Pythons her entire life, tried it with a fuzzy and he tried to spit it out as soon as possible. She said that Force-Feeding should be the last alternative, as it is extremely stressful for the snake, so she tried to assist feed a pinky. And he took it without any trouble or squirming away or spitting it out. It wasn't stressful at all and he didn't freak out or try to struggle away or wrench himself away from it. He ate without any fuss once we put it into his mouth for him.

With the fuzzy, he was struggling as hard as he could, trying to get away as much as possible.

I am not going to keep feeding Crane pinkies, but this was just something to get him to eat one meal. Just something to get in him so he wouldn't die. We didn't see the need to force-feed him fuzzies and stress him out a ton, when he was happily taking pinkies through assist-feed, in a much, much less stressful way.

In another feed, I will be using fuzzies, but the pinkies were the first time he had eaten in who knows how long. Over a month. Probably well over a month. Getting something into his stomach was the main priority.

Well, it's really good you got something in him, whatever it was. Go for something bigger if you can. This is really great though. :gj:

A rodent can't eat him if it doesn't have teeth, yah. ;) General precaution and whatnot.

Try this!!!
This has worked for me in the past. Take him out and put him in a dark cloth sack with a properly sized food item. Get a cloth sack with a draw string or other way to secure it so he cannot get out and put him back in him enclosure what this does is simulates being in a rodent den much like in nature. Even though he was CB, instinct will take over whether he is CB or wild caught. Also this may make him feel more secure due to the sack will lay against him. I had a bp hatchling that this was the only way I could get her to eat. I was like you and tried EVERYTHING. this was the only way she would take food. After she was established eating (after about 8 feedings) I moved her into a small box for feeding for about another 2 months. After that she was on. She ended up being a great eater after that.

Hope this helps. Godspeed to you and yours.