am i doing something wrong? (bp won't feed)

hello!! i got my first ball python on January 4 and she has not eaten since. i tried moving her to a new enclosure, but i think that stressed her out a little too much, so i've been trying to feed her in her own enclosure. she is a baby, about a foot long and i've been trying to feed her fuzzies. she resides in a 20 gallon glass tank with a hot side of about 88-90 degrees and a cool side that is usually around 70-80 degrees. i try to keep the humidity at 50 percent but it tends to fluctuate since the tank is covered by a screen, but to fix this i cover half of it with a small blanket. i have a 50 watt heat bulb and a heating pad. also, she is quite active during the day recently so could that mean she is hungry or uncomfortable? i tried to feed her two days ago, but should i try again today? i have gone through 8 fuzzies already and she has refused every single one. i'm very worried so please give me some advice :( thanks!

A 20-gallon tank could be too big for a baby snake. It stresses them out based on my experience before.

should i try feeding her in something smaller again?

Your temps and such are all "about a"- how are you controlling and monitoring heat? How many hides and what size? Are you trying live or f/t? Was she on rats before or mice?

i've raised a hatchling in a 20-gallon: as long as there is clutter to make them feel more secure they should be fine.

moving her will definitely stress her out and make her not want to eat; she needs to acclimate first. leave her completely alone for a few days — no handling, no feeding — and then try to offer food. offering food after refusals will also stress them out, so wait a few days and let her get comfortable.

roaming during the day is definitely a sign of stress. how are you measuring your temps/humidity? with my mesh top i taped saran wrap over the top with slits cut into it and keeps humidity very well.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by chakup

Your temps and such are all "about a"- how are you controlling and monitoring heat? How many hides and what size? Are you trying live or f/t? Was she on rats before or mice?

---

these questions are also very important and answering them will help us help you.

i keep the heat lamp on all day but i don't have a thing to control the heat for the heating pad. there's a hide on the cool side and on the hot side. i'm trying f/t mice cause that's what she was eating before i got her. the hide on the hot side is much smaller than the one on the cool side, should i get something bigger?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by dumpsterfunk

i keep the heat lamp on all day but i don't have a thing to control the heat for the heating pad.

---

unplug the UTH IMMEDIATELY! they can reach up to 120°+ when unregulated which will kill your snake. ALL sources of heat MUST be regulated: this is non-negotiable.

bulbs suck out humidity and i would advise you not use them if possible to maintain temps.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by dumpsterfunk

the hide on the hot side is much smaller than the one on the cool side, should i get something bigger?

---

the hides should be identical so your snake does not have to choose security over regulation. whichever one it's spending the most time in, i would get another one to replace your other hide.

yeah she definitely needs more clutter since theres a good deal of "foot traffic". we don't really have enough space for a reptile room, sadly.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by dumpsterfunk

yeah she definitely needs more clutter since theres a good deal of "foot traffic".

---

foot traffic will stress them out as well. if you haven't: cover 3/4 of the enclosure's sides with dark fabric or thick paper, leaving the front open for viewing.

okay i unplugged it. today i will try to get out and buy a thermostat for it and some more leafy things. but about the humidity- i can only mist when im home but i have school during the day. what could i use to keep it humid? im aware that heat lamps absorb humidity thats why i have a low wattage bulb. sometimes if im lucky the humidity will stay at 50 percent all day even with the heat lamp on but not always :(

that UTH is guaranteed to be well over 95 degrees unregulated, your snake is probably uncomfortable in that tank. You need a thermostat or the VERY least a light dimmer to regulate it.

Place a bowl of water underneath your light on the hot side, it will help with humidity. you can also place a damp papertowel or moss in the hides directly to create a humid hide.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by dumpsterfunk

what could i use to keep it humid?

---

as i said a few posts back: tin foil or saran wrap over the mesh works very well; sphagnum moss is also great. what kind of substrate are you using? some are better than others when it comes to maintaining humidity.

where should i place the moss? i have aspen substrate

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by dumpsterfunk

where should i place the moss? i have aspen substrate

---

p much anywhere, though i place it in the hides. follow the other tips people have mentioned here and it should get you on the right track. :)

thank you so much for the advice i really appreciate it!! as for feeding, do you feed your ball in a separate enclosure? i'm not sure which approach to take next once i fix everything else

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by dumpsterfunk

do you feed your ball in a separate enclosure?

---

you're welcome.
and nope. it's another stressor for them to be moved back and forth. aggression issues are a myth and if you're worried about them ingesting bedding, you can lay down a piece of cardboard, though they digest bones so ingesting a little substrate should not be a problem.

There is a difference between raising hatchlings in a 20 gallons when they have no issue and trying to keep them in a 20 gallons when they have issues.

The key is security if your BP is under 200 grams do this to a T https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...-hatchling-101, if under 500 grams use a 12 quarts tub instead, larger enclosure even very cluttered do not always work and even less if you have issues there is a reason why breeders start their animals the same way and recommend smaller enclosure to troubleshoot issues, that's because it works based on 1000's of animals not a few exceptions.

My understandings have been that a mice fuzzie is too small for a bp even as a hatchling,https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...d4de35da8c.jpg

Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk

For a total refusal to feed I found changing what I offered worked and ramping up the humidity. I will admit I got a bit stuck with mice but defrosting in the same bag solved it so far.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by dumpsterfunk

okay i unplugged it. today i will try to get out and buy a thermostat for it and some more leafy things. but about the humidity- i can only mist when im home but i have school during the day. what could i use to keep it humid? im aware that heat lamps absorb humidity thats why i have a low wattage bulb. sometimes if im lucky the humidity will stay at 50 percent all day even with the heat lamp on but not always :(

---

Until you research Thermistats like the "Herpstat 2" that will control 2 heat sources ($195)...just get one of these for the UTH and use a thermomiter to get it between 88-91. This is $15 at Lowes.
https://m.lowes.com/pd/Lutron-Creden...Dimmer/4462387