Not eating

Hello I'm new to the forum and I need some advise I bought a Bp from a guy on Craigslist and he said she ate live small rats so I got her one but when I put her in her feed ing tip with the rat it smelled it and showed no more interest in the rat and I left it in there for close to an hour but nuthin is there anything I can do but keep tryin every couple of days

Can you describe your setup and temps and how you're measuring the temps?

I'd give it a week to settle in then try again, it might still be acclimating. I wouldn't try to feed more often than every 7 days: offering too often may make it not want to eat.

Also never leave a live rat that's bigger than a crawler in with the snake unattended: keep an eye on the rat/snake while the rat is in with the snake.

Alright I have it in a 55 gallon tank and I got it Saturday and its been in the since then but I have the biggest zoo med heat pad and a basking light but I don't have a thermostat yet but I have a thermometer in there reading 85.6 on the hot side and 80 on the cool side

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Alright I have it in a 55 gallon tank and I got it Saturday and its been in the since then but I have the biggest zoo med heat pad and a basking light but I don't have a thermostat yet but I have a thermometer in there reading 85.6 on the hot side and 80 on the cool side

Here are some pics
http://i1334.photobucket.com/albums/...ps80d3a74e.jpg

http://i1334.photobucket.com/albums/...pscefe8af1.jpg

Some quickie suggestions:

Clutter up the tank with lots of fake plants or crumpled up newspaper. Black out the three sides of the tank with construction paper - maybe the extra clutter will make the snake feed more secure so it will start eating.

If you don't have a thermostat pick up a lamp dimmer (~$10 from Home Depot) asap as the heat pad will get hot enough to burn your snake. Some here can recommend a good affordable thermostat (the kind I use is $115 and I can't remember the cheaper one that others recommend, but I believe you can find it on Amazon. It is not a rheostat: it's an actual thermostat).

Get another hide for his cold side so he has a hide per hot/cold side. Many recommend having hides that fit the snake very snug so it also feels more secure.

If the tank is in a high traffic area I'd move it somewhere quieter.

I don't use tanks for my BPs but I may look into a tub setup if your snake keeps refusing food: once I put my first bp into a tub (from a tank) she became an eating machine. Though it's not as pretty as a tank setup I have much more success with tubs and fully recommend them (some are free standing and some in racks). You can fancy them up too (with decor) if you please too.

It is in my room so there's not that much traffic and i heard it was bad to feed in there terrarium so I fed it in a little ten gallon were I keep my rat before it eats

^ Feed in the enclosure, there's nothing bad about it. Just monitor the feedings.

Like Angelica said, the snake is probably still acclimating to its new home, so just leave it alone for a week or two before trying to feed it. I'd also recommend switching to frozen/thawed or freshly killed rats as soon as possible too. This prevents injury to your snake in the event of a sloppy strike/constriction. My snakes have always eaten f/t rodents.

The cheap thermostat she is referring to is made by Hydrofarm. You can get them from Amazon or Ebay for around $30 shipped and they work just fine. You can also sometimes find them at greenhouse supply stores or hydroponics shops. If you're using a heat lamp, secure the probe from the thermostat at the hot end of the tank under the lamp, down at the bottom. I'd also recommend that you replace the bulb with a ceramic heat emitter, as they heat up a little more gradually, and won't burn out quickly due to repetitive on/off cycles. If you really want the cage lit up, use a flourescent fixture to provide light without added heat.

Definitely do like she said and provide a hide on both ends of the tank, and use some plastic sheeting (black garbage bags work great) to cover about 75-80% of the screen top as well as covering 3 of the sides of the tank with that or the aforementioned construction paper. This will accomplish two things.....locking in the heat and humidity, and providing more security for your snake. Misting the enclosure a few times a day will help with humidity, which in turn will help keep your snake healthy and happy. A happy snake is a good eater!!

Ultimately, your best bet is to house the snake in a properly set up tub or an actual snake cage, but the info we've given will help make the tank you have work a little better than it does now.

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Originally Posted by Daybreaker

^ Feed in the enclosure, there's nothing bad about it. Just monitor the feedings.

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And yes, definitely feed in the enclosure. Its very stressful to a snake to be handled immediately after a feeding and can lead to regurgition. Avoid handling the snake at all for about 48 hours after it has fed.

Alright guys thanks for the help and the previous owner told me she wouldn't eat f/t I would love to feed her that but she won't do it lol. But I have always hear bad stuff about grading snake in their terrarium because it will associate your hands going in as food and you will get bitten.

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Originally Posted by Chilli lover

But I have always hear bad stuff about grading snake in their terrarium because it will associate your hands going in as food and you will get bitten.

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In my experience this is a myth: even my retic, bloods, and boas know when it's food time vs handle time. Just don't smell like a rat when going in to pick it up!

Some snakes are difficult to switch over to f/t. There are tricks to doing it that can help though. Thawing the rat in cool water til its soft all the way through and then putting it in some fairly hot water for a bit will bring it up to more lifelike temperatures. Some people use a hair dryer on the rat just before feeding it to their snake. Dangling the rat from forceps to mimic movement will usually ellicit striking.

As for the whole feeding association thing......tapping on the cage a few times and/or touching the snake with a snake hook or similar object will generally take the snake out of feeding mode and you'll be able to safely pick it up without getting bitten. My snakes never strike at me due to feeding aggression.

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And yeah, definitely wash your hands if you've been handling rats lol.

allright guys I will try to feed it in a week and if it works out I will try f/t the next time because that would help a lot

But one more question idk if it's a stuck eye cap or it might be going into she'd but only one of my girls eyes are grey and its been like that since Saturday if its a stuck eye cap is there anything I can do or should I wait for the next shed

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But one more question idkbif it's a stuck eye cap or itkight be going into she'd but only one of my girls eyes are grey and its been like that since Saturday if its a stuck eye cap is there anything I can do or should I wait for the next shed

Can you post a pic of the eyes?

If its a stuck eyecap, try adding a humid hide for your snake and let her get it off herself. Just put some spaghnum moss in the hide box and keep it damp. You can also try soaking her for a bit in some warm water, and then wipe a wet towel or washcloth over her head to remove the cap. If it won't come off, just make sure that you bump up the humidity in the tank so that the next shed is better.

Oh, and please get a rheostat for the heat mat asap!! :please:

Here is pics of eyes idk if u can tell but it's grey and I tried soaking it and whipping the eyes with a warm damp towel.

http://i1334.photobucket.com/albums/...ps6e913517.jpg

Hard to see the eye that well, but her skin looks awfully shiny to be going into shed. I'd just leave it be for now, but provide the humid hide box.

Kk thanks for the info but I tried feeding it about an hour ago and it ate the rat after about 20 minutes but I heard u feed them every 3 weeks wat do u guys think

An appropriately sized prey item is a good feeding schedule. IMO, once every 3 weeks is pretty spaced out.

I would feed every 7 days personally.

Ok I'm probably gonna feed it every 2 weeks so she doesn't get to fat

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Originally Posted by Chilli lover

Ok I'm probably gonna feed it every 2 weeks so she doesn't get to fat

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Feeding once a week is a healthy schedule; she won't get obese :) Feeding every 7-14 days is fine though for adults so it's up to you. I personally like feeding them more often (if they'll take it and still staying on a healthy schedule). For me that's every 5 days for the smaller ones and every 7 days for adults.

Kk thanks for the advise

I don't like the idea of feeding a BP any less than once a week unless they're off food, but if they're a pet it doesn't really matter. I myself probably wouldn't ever go more than 7 or 8 days between offerings but I know some breeders feed their males once every two weeks when it's not the breeding season to keep their weight steady.

I feed my BP a medium to large rat every 2 weeks, but he's an adult male. Your girl should be fed an appropriate sized rat every 7 days since she's still young. 3 weeks is way too long between feedings.

2 years for a Bp female is young? Lol didn't know that I figured 2 weeks was ok because she isn't a real aggressive eater but it doesn't hurt to try I guess

What's her length and weight?

Eh, if she's two and a decent size (ie an adult) she could very comfortably eat a 50-100 gram rat once a week for the rest of her life.

Haven't had the chance to weigh her I have to purchase a gram scale but she is almost 3 foot probably 2'9 but I will measure her Saturday since she ate her small rat today

Length doesn't matter so much as weight. With a weight we can give you advice on what size rat to feed and how often. Definitely invest in a scale ASAP.

Allright. Do you think they will sell them at Walmart or do I have to got any were special to get one. And I brought here into the pet store and they told me I should be feeding her a small rat she is a hefty girl for her length I think.

Any digital kitchen scale that weighs in grams will work.

Allright thanks for the advise and help

No prob! :gj:

In my experience, adult BPs will fast before they get fat. We feed them often when they will eat, knowing that there is a very high probability that they will stop eating a few months out of the year.