HELP! - Baby BP won't eat for months

Greetings,

I purchased a 6 month old or so ball python snake from a pet shop 4-5 months ago that refuses to eat ... no matter how i approach feeding him, he just seems completely disinterested or frightened. After 3 months of not eating i decided to force feed him with success. That was about 1 month ago, and since then he still refuses to eat by himself. I have been following these instructions: keep good temp and humidity in the tank, leave the snake alone for a few days before feeding, feed during the night time, i have tried dangling the dead rat on a string in front of him and even leaving the rat in his tank over night. I was told to thaw a frozen rat, then let it soak under hot water so the rat becomes warm and then attempt to feed the snake using tongs. He has shed only a few times since i purchased him, his most recent shed being a few days ago. Am i going to have to force feed him for the rest of his life? If someone could help me i would greatly appreciate it! Please pardon my ignorance...

What was the snake eating before you got it?

Has this BP EVER took a meal for you? have you offered live? What type of prey was offered by the pet store.

How big his your BP and can your provide details on your husbandry, cage size, temps, how you measure them, with what type of thermometer do you measure your temps, where do you take your readings, how tight are your hides, what is your humidity, how often do you handle your BP.

And please do NOT assist or force an animal that knows how to eat, if he was 6 months when you purchased him he was obviously eating.

90% of the time it is human error and husbandry related.

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Originally Posted by Deborah

Has this BP EVER took a meal for you? have you offered live? What type of prey was offered by the pet store.

How big his your BP and can your provide details on your husbandry, cage size, temps, how you measure them, with what type of thermometer do you measure your temps, where do you take your readings, how tight are your hides, what is your humidity, how often do you handle your BP.

And please do NOT assist or force an animal that knows how to eat, if he was 6 months when you purchased him he was obviously eating.

90% of the time it is human error and husbandry related.

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The guy at the pet store took care of me and had me purchase my whole setup from scratch, he sold me the tank, wood chips, 2 reptile hides, warming pad that is underneath the tank of one of the reptile hides, reptile tank thermometer, and even the same frozen rats he was apparently using to feed him... The snake spends almost all of his time underneath one of the two hides, and is quite active at night time or especially when i'm cooking food and there is a smell... the temperature in his tank is in low 80's and higher 80s and low 90s in his heated hide.. i don't know what the exact humidity is, it fluctuates often depending on the weather outside my apartment, but i was told to pour some water into his tank to keep it more humid during the drier days. From the videos I have seen on youtube, the owners literally keep their ball pythons in a small plastic container with nothing but a plastic hide and a bowl of water.. and the ball pythons just snap at the food they're given like its nothing.. so easy....


here are some pics to give you an idea of my setup and his size:
http://imgur.com/a/ZzvHu

Hi, is the heat pad connected to a thermostat? Try cluttering up the enclosure more with plastic foliage and some cardboard paper towel rolls as extra hides. Use some dark colored construction paper to tape 3 sides of the enclosure so as there is only the front that is viewable to the inside. That will add to the feelings of security for the python.

If that screen lid isn't partially covered you will have humidity issues. I would cover 2/3-3/4 of it with plastic to keep the humidity up

What size are the rats you are trying to give him? And if you have a weight of your snake can you provide that; if not, what's the diameter of the fattest part of his body?


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Originally Posted by assistancerequired

From the videos I have seen on youtube, the owners literally keep their ball pythons in a small plastic container with nothing but a plastic hide and a bowl of water.. and the ball pythons just snap at the food they're given like its nothing.. so easy....

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Yes it is. Ball pythons in the wild live underground and they hunt at night. They like dark, humid, tight-fitting places. They typically don't do well in open tanks, and they get stressed to the point of not eating because they are exposed, don't feel secure, aren't warm enough, and are too dry. People who keep and breed a lot of them keep them in tubs and racks not so they can keep a lot of critters into a small space, but because the snakes thrive in that environment.

Of course, the folks at the pet store won't tell you this because they would rather sell you a heavily marked-up tank than tell you to go to Walmart and buy a Sterilite latchbox for five bucks.

I also don't see where you were sold a thermostat for that under-tank heater. What is the surface temperature of the glass over top of it?

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Originally Posted by StillBP

If that screen lid isn't partially covered you will have humidity issues. I would cover 2/3-3/4 of it with plastic to keep the humidity up

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When I pour a bit of water in his tank the sides of it condensate and fog up a little bit, think that is a sign of enough humidity, no? Also, I cover the top part of the tank with a towel and leave enough space for air.

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Originally Posted by Albert Clark

Hi, is the heat pad connected to a thermostat? Try cluttering up the enclosure more with plastic foliage and some cardboard paper towel rolls as extra hides. Use some dark colored construction paper to tape 3 sides of the enclosure so as there is only the front that is viewable to the inside. That will add to the feelings of security for the python.

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I have some dark colored towels, can i use them to cover up the sides of his tank to help him feel more secure?

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Originally Posted by BPGator

What size are the rats you are trying to give him? And if you have a weight of your snake can you provide that; if not, what's the diameter of the fattest part of his body?


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The rats are a bit under 3inches in size... here is a picture: http://imgur.com/a/o2hM9 . I tried weighing him on a food scale but had difficulty keeping him still in the center and not move off it a bit, he is somewhere around 400grams (14.1 Oz)

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Originally Posted by bcr229

Yes it is. Ball pythons in the wild live underground and they hunt at night. They like dark, humid, tight-fitting places. They typically don't do well in open tanks, and they get stressed to the point of not eating because they are exposed, don't feel secure, aren't warm enough, and are too dry. People who keep and breed a lot of them keep them in tubs and racks not so they can keep a lot of critters into a small space, but because the snakes thrive in that environment.

Of course, the folks at the pet store won't tell you this because they would rather sell you a heavily marked-up tank than tell you to go to Walmart and buy a Sterilite latchbox for five bucks.

I also don't see where you were sold a thermostat for that under-tank heater. What is the surface temperature of the glass over top of it?

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Ok, I just wrapped the sides of the tank in dark colored towels, maybe it will help him feel more secure. Are you asking me what the temperature is outside of the plastic tank? Because it's somewhere around room temp normally around 73-75 degrees.

Also, thank you all for trying to help me :)! <3

Unless I missed it, there's a couple of unanswered questions:

•what was he eating before you got him (mice or rats, live or frozen)?
• do you have a thermostat connected to your heat pad?


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Originally Posted by BPGator

Unless I missed it, there's a couple of unanswered questions:

•what was he eating before you got him (mice or rats, live or frozen)?
• do you have a thermostat connected to your heat pad?


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- Apparently he was eating these frozen rats before I purchased him http://imgur.com/a/o2hM9.
- No I don't, but I can put the tip of the temp measuring device on top of the thin layer of wood chips of his hide that has the heating pad, and it is usually around mid 90s. The heated area is very slightly warm to the touch.

If the top of the wood is mid 90s that's too hot! The glass under the substrate should not exceed 90°. You really need a thermostat if you don't have one


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Originally Posted by assistancerequired

- Apparently he was eating these frozen rats before I purchased him http://imgur.com/a/o2hM9.
- No I don't, but I can put the tip of the temp measuring device on top of the thin layer of wood chips of his hide that has the heating pad, and it is usually around mid 90s. The heated area is very slightly warm to the touch.

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A thermostat isn't a thermometer. It regulates the heat pad from getting above a temperature you set. You plug the heat pad into the thermostat.

Heat pads can be mid-90's or mid-100's if it's not plugged into a thermostat, which is hot enough to burn a snake.

There's herpstat (google it) which is the best in the hobby. If you are on a serious budget, there's hydrofarm thermostats on amazon. They can get pretty inaccurate in the long run, but it's better than nothing.

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Originally Posted by redshepherd

A thermostat isn't a thermometer. It regulates the heat pad from getting above a temperature you set. You plug the heat pad into the thermostat.

Heat pads can be mid-90's or mid-100's if it's not plugged into a thermostat, which is hot enough to burn a snake.

There's herpstat (google it) which is the best in the hobby. If you are on a serious budget, there's hydrofarm thermostats on amazon. They can get pretty inaccurate in the long run, but it's better than nothing.

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The heating pad underneath one of the hides is literally barely warm, right now i'm getting only 87.5 reading there with my reptile thermometer. When I first purchased the heating pad, I actually went to return it because I figured it was defective because of the unimpressive amount of heat it produces, but turns out that's how it was supposed to work. My snake spends a lot of time under there and his skin looks super healthy. He has a 2nd hide with no heating underneath and he spends time there as well. Is there still cause for concern? And if so, how likely is it the reason he's not eating?

Some of the time when I go to feed him he seems completely disinterested, but a lot if not most of the time he is just scared of the dead rat... If I accidentally drop the dead rat with my tongs near him he'll make a sudden movement and back away.. Don't get me wrong, I have also tried being very patient and just slowly dangle the rat near him but he just sticks out his tongue and becomes a bit curious, and for a moment I get the feeling like he'll actually bite for once, but no, after some time he is disinterested again.

Get a thermostat. That's the number one thing to do. I have also had success feeding something a hair smaller than normal meal size for some of mine when they decide to get picky. No expert here but it has worked for me many times. They take two smaller meals in a week then the next week they have bumped right back up. How often are you trying to feed it?

http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h1...psqcouxfgn.jpg

Fix your husbandry first.

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Originally Posted by assistancerequired

The heating pad underneath one of the hides is literally barely warm, right now i'm getting only 87.5 reading there with my reptile thermometer.

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I'm confused - I thought it was mid 90's on top of the substrate. How can it be 87.5 under the substrate? And what's a reptile thermometer?

Make sure all husbandry is in point. Make sure hides are small, tight and secure (no half logs - hides should have one opening and be small so the walls touch the snakes body when curled up inside). Don't take him out to play until he eats. Try feeding a rat pup. I'd even venture to say try live food.





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Get your husbandry correct per the previous advice. Also, be sure ft rats are warmed to live animal temps. Pythons zero in on a heat signature, if it's not warm enough it will not be recognized as food.