Dont know what to do ?

Hi im new to this forum and new to ball pythons i have had bearded dragons before just no snakes this is my first snake which ive done alot of research on and have got the correct habbitat and i rescently purchased her from a local petshop on thursday the shop owner said he got her in 3 weeks before i purchased her and she has ate 3 times on every saturday so she was due a feed this saturday.
i got her in and ill be honest she was handled alot on the thursday and then less on the friday ,come saturday and i offered her food she didnt want it so i left it in over night still not even touched so i left her from saturday to today and tryed to feed her again today still no look im starting to get worried because she has missed nearly a week and a half no feed
what should i do ? this is my first snake and was told they were a good first snake my friend said dont worry about it i will take when its ready but i get worried because its only a hatchling and i would say about 9 weeks old or so it has shed ,i just dont know what to do so any help i would gladly consider , i know off all the options and i have tryed frozen thawed left in viv dangled around in front of her and even brained , no live but im willing to try and have been told most young pythons take live easily troube feeders include.
any help i will very very much apriciate thanks!

Well, you say you have the correct habitat, but what are the temps, humidity, how do you read them, how many hides...describe the cage/tank/tub. There are three reasons she could not be eating just off the top of my head. You didn't give her any time to adjust, aka leaving her alone for a week. You are trying to feed her too often. Her husbandry may not necessarily be correct.

Ball pythons can go off feed for months without a problem, 1 week isn't going to hurt her. If we can find the reason and correct it, then hopefully she won't give you too much hassle.

You really need to give your snake at least a week with no handling. The snake may be stressed out from being handled and this could be why it has not eaten. You should not attempt to feed the snake every day. This animal needs some down time with no handling and no feeding attempts. Give it a week off and then try again. Good Luck!

First off don't worry as long as they have been honest with you that it was feeding prior to you getting him then it will be fine til he starts up with you.

Second what was it being fed before you got him it needs to be the same prey item til it acclimates.

Third do not handle him or her til its fed a few times with you just dont mess with him at all.


http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...s%29-Caresheet

The above link is to our caresheet read up a little maybe it can be of some help.

thanks and she hasnt been touched since saturday as i read up about it and it said no touching till a week in its new habitat ive attempted to feed it twice over a matter of 4-5 days and it has numerous hides about five just a log bought out pe the petshop cut up and placed out in the viv so the viv doesnt seem to big , temperature is just above 90 on the hot side and not sure on the cool side and miosture i have a bowl / cermaic bath thing with water that keeps on top of that

How are you reading temps? It sounds like you are very unsure of what the temps even are. How are you heating the hot side? How large is the enclosure? The more detail you give us the more we can help. It sounds like some things can be adjusted in the enclosure to meet your new bps needs....and can very well be the reason she does not want to eat.

Could you show us a picture of your set up?

ye sure what ever it takes brb

ive took a picture of the viv cold and hot end temperature readin on the hot end bear in mind i switched the heat lamp off 15mins ago to let the tank cool down for night it read 93/94 when its at max it is heated by the lamp and by the hea mat the lamp is dulled by like a yellow tinted glass , hear are some pictures anything needed or anything needed to be removed etc i am willing to do after all i have to learn and realy like this snake , sorry i dont know how to upload photos any help ?

You have to upload pictures to a hosting site such as photobucket.com or tinypic.com, you then copy and paste the IMG link into the box here, it is labelled the one for forum boards. It sounds like your temps are too high, but you still have not mentioned how you are reading temps. I am going to assume it's with the stick on analog guages, which are dangerously inaccurate. Just a few pointers to help you out okay?

Being a baby ball python, the tank she is in shouldn't be any larger than 20 gallon long. Ball pythons like small tight spaces, and that includes hides. There should be two hides, one on the hot side and one on the cool side.

Belly heat is much more beneficial to snakes, as it aides in digestion. Heat lamps not only suck the humidity out of the tank, but they get very hot and generally heat up the tank too much. I suggest ditching the lamps and getting an under tank heater and a thermostat.

Thermostats are necessary for UTHs. UTHs get VERY hot, and even if they don't feel hot to our touch, it is far too hot for a snake. The hot side should remain between 88-92, and the cool side between 78-82.
Thermostats can range from useful and cheap to top of the line. Here is the cheapest one I would recommend.
http://www.amazon.com/Hydrofarm-MTPR...3&sr=8-1-spell

You should invest in a digital thermometer to read cool/hot side temps and humidity.
http://www.amazon.com/Chaney-Instrum...6786276&sr=8-4
You place the unit on the cool side, and place the probe on the hot side. This way it reads both temps and humidity inside the tank all in one unit.

You may also be interested in getting a temp gun. They are a great tool for any reptile owner as they read surface temps with great accuracy, however they are not necessary.
http://tempgun.com/

You may also want to consider blacking out the sides and back on the tank to help her feel more secure. You can buy black adhesive Con-Tact paper from Home Depot, one roll is $6 and that's all you need. It really makes a considerable difference in their security.

I also suggest covering about 1/2 to 2/3 of the screen top, to help hold in humidity. You can use anything from aluminum foil to plexi glass.

After you've made some changes, I suggest leaving her alone for a full week. Once she has settled in her new home, try feeding at night. If she doesn't eat then, I'd be surprised :) Good luck! Hope this helps...

[IMG]IMG00967-20110530-2055[/IMG]
[IMG]IMG00968-20110530-2055[/IMG]
[IMG]IMG00969-20110530-2055[/IMG]
dont know if these will work but if they do great !

They did not work. Try tinypic.com, upload the photo, and then copy and paste just the IMG code...for forum boards :)

http://s1229.photobucket.com/albums/ee466/tomo45/

http://s1229.photobucket.com/albums/...10530-2055.jpg

http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/...10530-2055.jpg
http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/...10530-2055.jpg
http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/...10530-2055.jpg

Here you go :)

sorry about this im still trying

http://s1229.photobucket.com

If you go back to the first page I left a long list of suggestions, I wish you luck :)

thankyou you dont even realise how much trouble i was having getting them up :mad: so go on whatwrong what needs changing etc ?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by LGray23

If you go back to the first page I left a long list of suggestions, I wish you luck :)

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thanks

Hi,

You need to copy the text in the "IMG code" box on the right hand side of the page then just paste that into your post where you want the picture to be.

It will look like this before you hit submit reply;

[IMG]http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/ee466/tomo45/IMG00969-20110530-2055.jpg[/IMG]

And like this in the actual post;

http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/...10530-2055.jpg

Onto the problem.

Those hides are huge - they really like hides small enough to touch them on all sides.

I would go to a garden center and get some drip trays made for flowerpots like these and cut an opening in the side for them to get in and out of.

The viv is also huge which might or might not be a problem for the snake.

I would add in some more plastic foliage and the smaller tight hides.

I would also get the digital thermometers with probes to get a better read on what the temps actually are. Those dial thigns just aren't reliable - and the snake is more focused on the temps inside the hides rather than anywhere else.


dr del

thanks everyone ill see what i can do

I think it's just a combination of issues. Handling probably happened too much. Personally, I would wait a full week before any handling or additional feeding attempts. The snake will be just fine for a little while, and I think you'll get a better response if you let the snake be.

As for the tank... definitely get a digital thermometer/hygrometer with probes. They sell them all over the place. I got mine at Radio Shack. If it were me, I would double check hide sizes and maybe just give it two for now - one on each side. Cover some of the tank sides with fake plants or towels to give extra security. That should help.

right everyone im going out today to buy the following
digital thermometer / hygrometer
fake plants
light shield thing
and ill see what else is there

thanks for all your help ill buy all of this then leave her for a week before trying to handle