ballpython didnt eat for 2 monts...

Hello everyone,
we got our first ball python from a pet store 2 Months ago.
Sadly we realized after a while that he had mites.
So we started a Nix treatment and it worked well. We are mites free for about 2 weeks now.
Sadly he hasn't been eating the whole 2 months. We are kind of worried now. He also didn't shed yet.
The guy at the pet store said he was about 2 months when we bought him.
So he is 4 months now. He weighs 82 g now which is not enough i guess.
We have him in a 20 gallon tank with 2 heating lamps (1 day, 1 night) and one under tank heater.
The temperature is around 80-90 during the day and around 75 at night. Humidity is usually around 40-60%
He also still has some raised scales but i checked there are no black dots underneath anymore...
Also his skin wrinkles up recently (maybe for a week now).
Other then that he seems healthy. He is running around and drinking too. We take him out almost every day to get him used to us.
Can anyone maybe tell us if the 2 months of not eating are really bad or what we could do to feed him... We tried fuzzies and pinkies so far.
Here are some pictures of the wrinkles and his general condition...
Thank you very much in advance!
Faby
https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil..._162833825.jpghttps://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil..._160521804.jpg
https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil..._160808311.jpghttps://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil..._160857365.jpg

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ifWill

Hello everyone,
we got our first ball python from a pet store 2 Months ago.
Sadly we realized after a while that he had mites.
So we started a Nix treatment and it worked well. We are mites free for about 2 weeks now.
Sadly he hasn't been eating the whole 2 months. We are kind of worried now. He also didn't shed yet.
The guy at the pet store said he was about 2 months when we bought him.
So he is 4 months now. He weighs 82 g now which is not enough i guess.
We have him in a 20 gallon tank with 2 heating lamps (1 day, 1 night) and one under tank heater.
The temperature is around 80-90 during the day and around 75 at night. Humidity is usually around 40-60%
He also still has some raised scales but i checked there are no black dots underneath anymore...
Also his skin wrinkles up recently (maybe for a week now).
Other then that he seems healthy. He is running around and drinking too. We take him out almost every day to get him used to us.
Can anyone maybe tell us if the 2 months of not eating are really bad or what we could do to feed him... We tried fuzzies and pinkies so far.
Here are some pictures of the wrinkles and his general condition...
Thank you very much in advance!
Faby
https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil..._162833825.jpghttps://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil..._160521804.jpg
https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil..._160808311.jpghttps://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil..._160857365.jpg

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STOP handling him until he eats; ZERO CONTACT. you should not handle a snake that is not eating as you will further stress them out and cause them to go off feed, and this snake is far too skinny to keep missing meals. he has 20 years to get used to you, he'll be fine.

"running around" is not something you want to be seeing with a baby beep; that is a sign of stress. aside from over handling, baby beeps will not eat unless their husbandry is properly met to a TEE. could you show us pictures of the enclosure? you mention bulbs and a UTH, but how are you regulating those heat sources? ALL sources of heat MUST be regulated by a THERMOSTAT! or a rheostat, but thermostats are preferred.

read through this post and retain ALL the information: https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...-hatchling-101

mites take a huge toll on beeps; they need time to get their health and strength back, and it wouldn't surprise me if they don't eat right away once the mites are gone.

I only have a minute so someone can chime in with a more detailed reply but the biggest issue is probably stress from over handling. Do not hold at all besides spot cleaning tank and checking husbandry. There's no need to handle daily "to get used to" you, BPs are incredibly laid back naturally as far as that goes and can go months without being held and still be a pet rock when you pick them up. Heat lamps also usually kill the humidity and stress them out with all of the light. Does he have secure warm, dark hides?

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He weighs 82 g now which is not enough i guess.
We have him in a 20 gallon tank with 2 heating lamps (1 day, 1 night) and one under tank heater.
The temperature is around 80-90 during the day and around 75 at night.

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Your feeding issue is 100% husbandry related, follow the link provided above to a T

No handling and no more night drop

Thank you very much for your answer on my post. I have a couple of questions. Is it dangerous to feed a live mouse when he is so small and (as it sounds like) weak? Also how would i heat the 6 qt box? Lamp or UHT? How do I keep the temp at 80 at night? I thought they don't like the bright light (that's why i got the blue night lamp but it's only available with weaker watt). Another issuse is the humidity. Do i control that in the 6qt box? With a spray can? Also how do I ensure he doesnt just leave the box? Should i leave the top on and poke some wholes through the top for air? And why in the world do all the people tell me to keep handling him after buying him???? I mean with the mites we kind of had to handle him but a lot of websites said we should handle him at least every second day..... -.-
Sorry for all these questions but it seems like we only got misinformation so far and did pretty much everything possible wrong...
We are trying to get all the stuff we need today and get him back on track.
Thank you very much!!!!

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by ifWill

Thank you very much for your answer on my post. I have a couple of questions. Is it dangerous to feed a live mouse when he is so small and (as it sounds like) weak?

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there is always the risk of injury and possibly death when feeding live and i can't say i'd recommend it here.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ifWill

Also how would i heat the 6 qt box? Lamp or UHT? How do I keep the temp at 80 at night? I thought they don't like the bright light (that's why i got the blue night lamp but it's only available with weaker watt). Another issuse is the humidity. Do i control that in the 6qt box? With a spray can? Also how do I ensure he doesnt just leave the box? Should i leave the top on and poke some wholes through the top for air?

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you heat the box with a UTH controlled by a thermostat and monitored by a probed thermometer inside, no lamps needed.

keeping ambient temps up depends on your own environment in the house. how are you measuring your temps now?

a good substrate will keep humidity well. something like coconut husk is fabulous for humidity and should work well.

tubs keep their temp and humidity very well.

for security: get a plastic storage container with a lid from target ($6). the lid has latches but i would put something heavy on top to ensure he can't push up any corners.

you'll need to make airholes in the SIDES of the tub. some people use a soldering iron but there are many ways to accomplish this. just make sure you don't leave any SHARP edges.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ifWill

And why in the world do all the people tell me to keep handling him after buying him???? I mean with the mites we kind of had to handle him but a lot of websites said we should handle him at least every second day..... -.-
Sorry for all these questions but it seems like we only got misinformation so far and did pretty much everything possible wrong...

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no offense but it seems you've been researching very inaccurate info. handling only applies to healthy and thriving snakes.

this forum is full of friendly people with DECADES of experience in keeping ball pythons. you should stay a while, there's so much you can learn just browsing here. you're already on the right track with asking questions and taking our advice. DON'T EVER feel like you can't ask a question; we're here to help!

keep us posted and ask us anything. 😀

Another option for heating (either instead of or in addition to an UTH with a thermostat) is a ceramic heat lamp. They only emit heat, not light, so it won't disturb your or the snake's sleep schedules, and I've found they help keep the ambient warmer than an UTH alone. The only caveat is that because they don't emit light you can't tell at a glance if they're on or not, you'd have to check it daily to make sure it didn't fail or get accidentally turned off. Dimmer switches are a good idea for lamps in general, to give you finer temperature control and prevent overheating.

Ok Thank you everyone!!!
I bought a UTH today and we will get the box and the saucer hide later today too. Ill post a picture of the setup later today. Sadly the pet store didn't have the thermostat so i will try and get one tomorrow. I always just used a digital thermometer that showed me the temp and humidity in the tank. As far as that was always in the temperatur needed we never got a termostat. I'll buy one now...
we also bought some frozen fuzzies for in a week. if he doesn't heat that I'll try live prey. I'm just a bit scared the mouse might hurt him in his current condition.
Thank you again and I'll keep you posted!
Should've done that a long time ago....

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Quick reminder that if possible try not to go cheap with the thermostat if possible, The reasons they are necessary is to prevent the UTH from getting too hot burning your BP or even your house (rare but its hppened) and if it fails and your BP gets too cold thats really bad too, Not always possible to get the best one ever made, just try no to get the cheapest one.

Also yes feed frozen thawed, live not recommended here, it needs to be placed in warm/hot water until defrosted but not allowed to cook. If your snake refuses to eat for one or 2 more weeks I suggest assist feeding. My first BP didn't want to eat for a good few months either and we had to resort to it but after 3 times being assisted he got the message that food goes in mouth. To assist feed (which again is a last resort) you need to very gently but semi firmly hold your bp by the part after it's head ends and very gently put the mouse into is mouth until its back teeth are holding it, do not push into throat ir anything, at this point put them back in and leave them alone for 10-20 mins and he should've either swallowed or spat it out. if it fails try 5 days later. Hopefully you wont need to do this, adjusting all your husbandry with the advice of everyone here should be more than enough. Best of luck!

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Ok just a quick update.
Here are some pictures of his new setup now. I didn't get a chance to buy the thermostat yet but we put the box right next to our pcs so we can monitor it closely until we get a chance to buy one (hopefully tomorrow)
Any suggestions for good thermostats? also we thought of buying an automated humidifier because the wintera here in Jersey are a bit dry. Any suggestions?

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for thermostats i have to recommend a Herpstat: top of the line but are expensive. for a cheaper alternative that can last until you save up for one is a JumpStart thermostat from amazon (i'm on mobile so hopefully someone else can link): they're $30 and woro well but i wouldn't rely on them as a permanent thermostat.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...74f9e60363.jpg
Picture update... I think he likes his new cozy tank :)

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by ifWill

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...74f9e60363.jpg
Picture update... I think he likes his new cozy tank :)

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alright, way to go!!! looks great, only thing i want to say is maybe cover some of the sides with fabric so he won't feel exposed. other than that, just let him get comfy! :gj:

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Originally Posted by tttaylorrr

alright, way to go!!! looks great, only thing i want to say is maybe cover some of the sides with fabric so he won't feel exposed. other than that, just let him get comfy! :gj:

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Okay yah good idea! He is standing in a corner next to my desk maybe that's still a bit too light for him. this is the first time i see him running around in there si ce Sunday though. :) He seems to really like it :)

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by ifWill

Okay yah good idea! He is standing in a corner next to my desk maybe that's still a bit too light for him. this is the first time i see him running around in there si ce Sunday though. :) He seems to really like it :)

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"running around" during the day can be a sign of stress, but if he was hiding since sunday that's a good sign. "a hiding ball is a happy ball." keep on top of the husbandry and make sure he's feeling secure. if he's in an area of the house where people are/walk by a lot i'd consider moving him or at least covering that side.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by tttaylorrr

"running around" during the day can be a sign of stress, but if he was hiding since sunday that's a good sign. "a hiding ball is a happy ball." keep on top of the husbandry and make sure he's feeling secure. if he's in an area of the house where people are/walk by a lot i'd consider moving him or at least covering that side.

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Oh okay yeah he was hiding thankfully the last couple of days. I will cover the front up with a towel so he can't see us.
Thank you :)

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by ifWill

Oh okay yeah he was hiding thankfully the last couple of days. I will cover the front up with a towel so he can't see us.
Thank you :)

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no problem. keep us updated! :gj:

So yesterday evening I tried one last time to feed him a frozen mouse... Because i Reeeeeealllyy dont want to start with live prey..
I moved it around a little bit away from him and then left it in the cage overnight (as some here in the forum suggested).
It was dark and he was in his hide so i thought he will probably eat it when i leave him alone with it...
Didn't work. My husband is going to buy a live mouse on Friday and we will try that.
If this doesn't work we will have to take him to the vet...
I honestly have no idea what is wrong this time. The temp was perfect yesterday the whole day the humidity was around 70% I put a shirt over his box the whole day so he doesn't see me while working...
So much for the update... Really disappointed i hoped it would work yesterday...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ifWill

So yesterday evening I tried one last time to feed him a frozen mouse... Because i Reeeeeealllyy dont want to start with live prey..
I moved it around a little bit away from him and then left it in the cage overnight (as some here in the forum suggested).
It was dark and he was in his hide so i thought he will probably eat it when i leave him alone with it...
Didn't work. My husband is going to buy a live mouse on Friday and we will try that.
If this doesn't work we will have to take him to the vet...
I honestly have no idea what is wrong this time. The temp was perfect yesterday the whole day the humidity was around 70% I put a shirt over his box the whole day so he doesn't see me while working...
So much for the update... Really disappointed i hoped it would work yesterday...

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Ok so what are the temps? Are you using a UTH under that tub? Did you get a thermostat yet?

Try getting hopper mice if the pet store has them, you run far less risk of bites/injury since hoppers would rather jump 12 inches in the air than bite.

Just relax, You are on the right track here

The temp was now always between 80 and 87. Yes i have a UTH and the thermostat is on the way.
Okay thanks for the help

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by ifWill

The temp was now always between 80 and 87. Yes i have a UTH and the thermostat is on the way.
Okay thanks for the help

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please double check the temp on the side with the UTH under the substrate on the plastic, if its still unregulated those things get every bit of 110 degrees in a matter of minutes.

i have a timer on it that turnes it on and off every 2 hours. that gives me a pretty steady temperature so far as long as i keep the room temperature steady. Also he has a decent amount of bedding in there and i haven't seen him ever trying to get underneath so i guess it should be fine... I'll definitely check though

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- - - Updated - - -

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ifWill

i have a timer on it that turnes it on and off every 2 hours. that gives me a pretty steady temperature so far as long as i keep the room temperature steady. Also he has a decent amount of bedding in there and i haven't seen him ever trying to get underneath so i guess it should be fine... I'll definitely check though

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yes definitely still check, only takes 5 minutes to hit 100 degrees on those. I only press the issue because its harder to deal with burns than not eating.

Okay thank you very much for the warning! Where do i best put my digital thermometer to control the heat all the time? should i put it underneath the substrate? right now it's right at the entrance of his hide.

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by ifWill

Okay thank you very much for the warning! Where do i best put my digital thermometer to control the heat all the time? should i put it underneath the substrate? right now it's right at the entrance of his hide.

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Whereever the snake can reach, in your case under the substrate on the plastic. even if you never seen him burrow it doesn't mean he wont.

also how did you thaw/prepare the f/t prey? and what size? just trying to cover all bases.

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Originally Posted by tttaylorrr

also how did you thaw/prepare the f/t prey? and what size? just trying to cover all bases.

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I put it in hot (not boiling) water for 15 minutes then changed he water for new hot water for another 5 minutes. the mouse was pretty hot when i touched it. I know it has to be over 100 degrees but my infrared thermometer gun didn't arrive yet either so I can't tell you exactly the heat. It was a small mouse because I've read in several threads here that fuzzies are too small for any BP.

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by ifWill

I put it in hot (not boiling) water for 15 minutes then changed he water for new hot water for another 5 minutes. the mouse was pretty hot when i touched it. I know it has to be over 100 degrees but my infrared thermometer gun didn't arrive yet either so I can't tell you exactly the heat. It was a small mouse because I've read in several threads here that fuzzies are too small for any BP.

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Never heard anything about warming to 100F to be honest but I warm with a hairdryer plugged in next to the vivs so you can offer whilst still warm plus the hairdryer doesn't wash all the rodent aroma away..

This method WORKS if done properly ...
I wait until evening as they're nocturnal of course . I let the rodent thaw out in the reptile room so they get the smell ..
Then I warm up the mouse / rat with a hairdryer and offer with tongs IMMEDIATELY whilst still warm . If refused simply repeat the heating and offering as many times as needed. .
A couple of mine will only strike feed from within their hides so I dangle the warm rodent in front of the hide's entrance - usually works but if it fails simply reheat the rodent with a hairdryer and immediately offer again whilst it's still warm , continue until it's grabbed ...
I always wait until evenings to feed as they're nocturnal of course .

Incidentally , if it shows no interest at all not even a tongue flicker maybe it's best to leave for a week or so.

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Originally Posted by Zincubus

Never heard anything about warming to 100F to be honest but I warm with a hairdryer plugged in next to the vivs so you can offer whilst still warm plus the hairdryer doesn't wash all the rodent aroma away..

This method WORKS if done properly ...
I wait until evening as they're nocturnal of course . I let the rodent thaw out in the reptile room so they get the smell ..
Then I warm up the mouse / rat with a hairdryer and offer with tongs IMMEDIATELY whilst still warm . If refused simply repeat the heating and offering as many times as needed. .
A couple of mine will only strike feed from within their hides so I dangle the warm rodent in front of the hide's entrance - usually works but if it fails simply reheat the rodent with a hairdryer and immediately offer again whilst it's still warm , continue until it's grabbed ...
I always wait until evenings to feed as they're nocturnal of course .

Incidentally , if it shows no interest at all not even a tongue flicker maybe it's best to leave for a week or so.

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Okay I'll try that later tonight then...
Weirdly enough he is now up and about sniffing around the place where the mouse was lying the whole night...
I don't thaw them directly in the water. I put them in a sealable plastic bag to thaw them so they keep the gross smell.

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by ifWill

So yesterday evening I tried one last time to feed him a frozen mouse... Because i Reeeeeealllyy dont want to start with live prey..
I moved it around a little bit away from him and then left it in the cage overnight (as some here in the forum suggested).
It was dark and he was in his hide so i thought he will probably eat it when i leave him alone with it...
Didn't work. My husband is going to buy a live mouse on Friday and we will try that.
If this doesn't work we will have to take him to the vet...
I honestly have no idea what is wrong this time. The temp was perfect yesterday the whole day the humidity was around 70% I put a shirt over his box the whole day so he doesn't see me while working...
So much for the update... Really disappointed i hoped it would work yesterday...

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What the vet will likely do is he will recommend tube feeding which should not be done, everything you need to do can be done by YOU if you are patient and follow instructions to a T (live was one of them)

If you handle, do not offer the proper prey size or type you will get a refusal again, it can take time to adjust and privacy is imperative including during feeding. If you offer too often you will end up with the same result you should only offer once a week.

When you decide to switch to F/T now is not the time you want to thaw at room temp near the enclosure once thawed you want to warm up with a hair dryer grabbing the prey from behind the neck and moving it in the enclosure as if it was alive (I get 100% success rate switching this way).....again now is not the time LIVE should be offered regardless of what YOUR preference is.

A vet will likely take you on a trip from un-needed prescription to tube feeding (which is never needed with BP)

Fixing your husbandry is not something that works overnight especially when a snake has not ate for so long, the less they eat the longer between meals the more emaciated the more they adjust to it and the more it becomes a viscous circle, this is why you should never wait that long for an hatchling to take a meal.

With hatchlings the more you feed them the more they want to eat the less you feed them the less they want to eat.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Deborah

What the vet will likely do is he will recommend tube feeding which should not be done, everything you need to do can be done by YOU if you are patient and follow instructions to a T (live was one of them)

If you handle, do not offer the proper prey size or type you will get a refusal again, it can take time to adjust and privacy is imperative including during feeding.

A vet will likely take you on a trip from un-needed prescription to tube feeding (which is never needed with BP)

Fixing your husbandry is not something that works overnight especially when a snake has not ate for so long, the less they eat the longer between meals the more emaciated the more they adjust to it and the more it becomes a viscous circle, this is why you should never wait that long for an hatchling to take a meal.

With hatchlings the more you feed them the more they want to eat the less you feed them the less they want to eat.

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Yeah as i said above my husband is going to buy a mouse and we'll try to feed on Friday. Believe me I'm already going crazy about this. Good to know that we shouldn't take him to the vet. I'm seriously trying my best here... It has already been way to long i know but i know I can't change the past so I'm seriously trying not to freak out because of all the crap we didn't do from the start. As i said we'll try alive on friday until then he is in the box with the thick towel on top at 80 - 83 degree.

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Also this is what I was talking about in my first post. We got 1 person saying try live food and 2 no don't give him live food. That's why i tried thawed again... Everyone says something different on how, when, what to feed what temp the enclosure should have, what substrate etc... it's just not easy to decide which one to believe more.....

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by ifWill

Also this is what I was talking about in my first post. We got 1 person saying try live food and 2 no don't give him live food. That's why i tried thawed again... Everyone says something different on how, when, what to feed what temp the enclosure should have, what substrate etc... it's just not easy to decide which one to believe more.....

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i had stated not to try live, but if the snake hasn't eaten f/t it's time to try live. listen to Deb, she's one of the most knowledgable people on this forum.

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My thermostat arrived finally. I put the sensor underneath the substrate so it should be an accurate temperature no matter if he hides or not. I put the temperature on 82. Please let me know if that's too high for during the night. If so then I'll put it lower during the night.

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by ifWill

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My thermostat arrived finally. I put the sensor underneath the substrate so it should be an accurate temperature no matter if he hides or not. I put the temperature on 82. Please let me know if that's too high for during the night. If so then I'll put it lower during the night.

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Thermostat probe should ALWAYS be outside the enclosure NEVER inside where it can be cool down by urine, water or be dislodge.

T-stat probe should be directly secure to the UTH

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Deborah

Thermostat probe should ALWAYS be outside the enclosure NEVER inside where it can be cool down by urine, water or be dislodge.

T-stat probe should be directly secure to the UTH

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Well that is good to know! Ok ill put it on the bottom of the box.

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by ifWill

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...16695e501a.jpg
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...0cbc81ba1c.jpg
My thermostat arrived finally. I put the sensor underneath the substrate so it should be an accurate temperature no matter if he hides or not. I put the temperature on 82. Please let me know if that's too high for during the night. If so then I'll put it lower during the night.

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good to hear. you need to sandwich the 'stat probe between the UTH and the bottom of the tub. if you have one of those adhesive/stick-on UTHs, VERY VERY carefully peel back a corner and shove the probe in. they are very easy to damage during removal so just be very careful.

for my thermostat: i have it set at 95 to get the floor around 90. you need to figure out what works for your setup. i think i recall you ordered a temp gun? use that to dial the thermostat in. it can take a couple hours for the UTH to finally start having a stable temp once regulated, so just be patient.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by tttaylorrr

good to hear. you need to sandwich the 'stat probe between the UTH and the bottom of the tub. if you have one of those adhesive/stick-on UTHs, VERY VERY carefully peel back a corner and shove the probe in. they are very easy to damage during removal so just be very careful.

for my thermostat: i have it set at 95 to get the floor around 90. you need to figure out what works for your setup. i think i recall you ordered a temp gun? use that to dial the thermostat in. it can take a couple hours for the UTH to finally start having a stable temp once regulated, so just be patient.

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Okay so i want the bottom of the tank to be 90 with the gun?

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by ifWill

Okay so i want the bottom of the tank to be 90 with the gun?

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Keep the hot side a bit cooler 86/88 for an hatchling.

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Deborah

Keep the hot side a bit cooler 86/88 for an hatchling.

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Ok Thank you very much!

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So i played around with the thermostat a bit. The bottom of the tank (I measure it with my new temp gun from the side between tank and UTH) shows 86 now. the in tank air temp is 83. We will buy the mouse tomorrow (hopefully we'll find a store that sells them right away) and try feeding him after sundown.
Thank you for all your help!

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Okay new update...
We tried to feed him a live hopper yesterday. He striked once but (we think of insufficient space in the spot at the bix where he striked) the mouse got away. After that he tried striking a couple of more times but he never got him again. The mouse had a head wound though. We took it out and ended it's suffering. Pep was kind of defensive after that and curled up tightly in his hide. The temp is pretty good now we have 84 directly in the box and 86 between box and uth. No more drops during the night thankfully either :) Sooo much easier with thermostat and temp gun!
Should we try to give him a hopper again next week or would it be better trying something smaller like a live fuzzy? I know that wouldn't be sufficient food but our thought was that small food is better then nothing... We now also have a towel on his box permanently so he doesn't get bothered by us.

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I'd almost try a fresh killed. Sounds like he's hungry. That or a small feed tub just to help get him going.

Hello overyone,
Our snake just died last night. :(
We tried feeding live twice over the last 2 weeks. Shortly after the second time we found him with his front side up side down and his he was not moving his lower side at all. He didn't look super thin or anything at all. He must have had some kind of sickness. He had mites when we got him, he was star gazing a lot from the beginning on. Also he striked the first live mouse but missed several times. Not sure if that was just defensive or part of the sickness. We wanted to bring him to a reptile specialist to do assistant feeding today but he didn't make it :(
Thank you very much for all your help!

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Sorry to hear that sad news :(

I think that you should get another snake asap but from someone on thus forum or at least a recommended breeder ....certainly not a pet store ....

i agree with zinc: reputable breeders are highly recommended here, and come with WAY less issues and stress regarding the animal.

i'm so sorry for the outcome, but hope you've come out of this more knowledgeable than before. keep your chin up knowing you did your best for your baby. (:

ifWill,

should you choose to get another snake:

1. Buy from a reputable breeder. Visit the classifieds on this site.
2. Since you appear to be disinclined to feed live, buy one that’s already on f/t. Snakes hatched out in 2016 are well established now and you should be able to find one that has made the switch. Again, dealing with a reputable dealer is important, un-reputable dealers (and big box stores) will tell you what you want to hear with total disregard for the truth.
3. Should you acquire another very young snake, follow the advice in the link previously provided on hatchling 101.
4. Get the enclosure set up in advance of purchasing the snake. Get the temps and humidity dialed in before purchasing the snake.
5. leave the snake alone for a week or so before attempting to feed.