still wont eat

its the 3rd week my baby bp wont eat hes getting skinny like he doesnt look anything like what he should be, how long can a baby bp go without eating and also do they eat live crickets and can crickets harm the snake at all if i leave them in there?

What have you been offering it and how is your setup?
I don't know exactly how long babies can go without food, but I know it's not good since they're so small and still growing. How often have you been offering food?

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Originally Posted by deathfromabove

its the 3rd week my baby bp wont eat hes getting skinny like he doesnt look anything like what he should be, how long can a baby bp go without eating and also do they eat live crickets and can crickets harm the snake at all if i leave them in there?

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Bp's do not eat crickets as far as I know....Please describe your setup in great detail, and what you have been offering it to eat and how often please... Pic's may be helpful also....

Don't feed crickets, they don't recognize bugs are prey. Forgive me if you've answered this 100 times what what is your setup like? Temps, humidity, how you read them, size of enclosure, hides etc? Like Kymberli asked, how often are you offering food, and have you given him/her time to adjust at all without handling?

my temps are fluctuate from 89-92 and cold side 82-84 i have a infa red heat bulb and its a 10 gallon tank with all sides covered 2 hides and a water dish paper towels as bedding humidity is around 50% at all times, i offer f/t fuzzies every 5 days and i even tried a live fuzzy and he just ignores it completely or just acts like it isnt there, last week he was interested for a second than just ignored it and if i keep it there for too long he gets agitated, ive left it in the tank for a couple hours and nothing i dont get it, i think im gonna get big crickets and try that, but my friend had a monitor and he fed it crickets and i think the crickets ate at the head of the monitor one time it was pretty bad and i dont want that to happen

No crickets, rodents only, are you trying to feed live or frozen thawed? What is your setup like? Do you have an under tank heater, 2 indentical hides, a thermostat for the heater, what are your humidity levels? Post some pics of your setup please.

A snake is not a monitor, they will not eat crickets. How are you measuring temps?? That's the only answer you did not answer.

i dont understand why he doesnt want to eat i know he has to be hungry, and yes i have not held him in about a week and a half, hes still active too he likes to climb on top of the thermometer and look for a way out

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Originally Posted by deathfromabove

my temps are fluctuate from 89-92 and cold side 82-84 i have a infa red heat bulb and its a 10 gallon tank with all sides covered 2 hides and a water dish paper towels as bedding humidity is around 50% at all times, i offer f/t fuzzies every 5 days and i even tried a live fuzzy and he just ignores it completely or just acts like it isnt there, last week he was interested for a second than just ignored it and if i keep it there for too long he gets agitated, ive left it in the tank for a couple hours and nothing i dont get it, i think im gonna get big crickets and try that, but my friend had a monitor and he fed it crickets and i think the crickets ate at the head of the monitor one time it was pretty bad and i dont want that to happen

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Don't feed it crickets, they wouldn't offer the nutrition that your snake needs.
Sounds like your setup is good. You didn't mention an under tank heater though, what are you using for belly heat? Back heat from a light bulb may not be enough for you snake. Don't keep offering every five days, I would let him relax for 7 days before offering him anything again, sounds like he might be stressed. Have you tried offering rats? Do you live in a state where you can find ASFs? You may have better luck offering ASFs.


EDIT: Just read your last post. Him being active, looking for a way out is a sign of stress which is probably your answer to why he is refusing food.

Looking for a way out could be showing you that something is not right in your setup....

i have the probe on the hot side on the bottom of the tank on top of the paper towels and the accurite gauge it self is on the cold side and the heat bulb is on a thermostat and its all the way up if i back it down it wont be hot enough in there

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Originally Posted by deathfromabove

i have the probe on the hot side on the bottom of the tank on top of the paper towels and the accurite gauge it self is on the cold side and the heat bulb is on a thermostat and its all the way up if i back it down it wont be hot enough in there

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So.. no under tank heater? Just a light bulb?

Those heat lights get very hot, do you use a UTH?

Don't feed it crickets, they wouldn't offer the nutrition that your snake needs.
Sounds like your setup is good. You didn't mention an under tank heater though, what are you using for belly heat? Back heat from a light bulb may not be enough for you snake. Don't keep offering every five days, I would let him relax for 7 days before offering him anything again, sounds like he might be stressed. Have you tried offering rats? Do you live in a state where you can find ASFs? You may have better luck offering ASFs.


EDIT: Just read your last post. Him being active, looking for a way our is a sign of stress which is probably your answer to him refusing food.

what is ASFS and isnt he too small for rats, hes only roughly 18 inches

no i have a UTH but i really dont like it, cuz the cold side drops to the 60s

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Originally Posted by deathfromabove

what is ASFS and isnt he too small for rats, hes only roughly 18 inches

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It would be easier to tell you what size rat he can handle if you had a scale to weight him with. I'm sure he can take a rat pinky just fine.

ASFs are "African Soft Fur Rats". They are indigenous to Africa, from the same habitat that BPs are native to. It's believed that BPs instinctively are more attracted to ASFs (usually) than rats or mice. Many picky eaters do fine on ASFs, but they tend to be difficult to find, especially on the West Coast of the U.S. where there are several states in which ASFs are illegal, such as California.

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Originally Posted by deathfromabove

no i have a UTH but i really dont like it, cuz the cold side drops to the 60s

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Okay, starting from the beginning. UTH are best for snakes because it is necessary for digestion. IF you use a UTH you NEED a thermostat/rheostat/dimmer to maintain safe temps. Heat lamps get very hot, and suck out humidity, and just unnecessary in general. It's the end of May, is it really getting to the 60's where you live? Ambient temp is not as important as belly heat, however too cold ambient temps are not good, but they don't need to be as strict as the belly heat temps.

The best way to read ambient temps is with a digital thermometer. I use an IR temp gun which is accurate and easy and cheap.

The only time your ball python should be active is during a short period at night. Anytime other than that and it is usually a sign of stress. There are very informative caresheets on here, along with very useful thread on this same problem. Once you fix your husbandry, leave him alone for at least a week. Then try offering a small prey item such a hopper or adult mouse. Do NOT feed crickets, they are not snake prey.