new bp feeding help?

Hi! So i got my baby bp two weeks ago tomorrow and he hasn't eaten yet. He was hiding well the first week or so so i tried to feed him one week after getting him and he wouldn't take it. Now he barely hides at all and spends all of his time roaming around and trying to escape :/
I'm worried that it's been so long since he's eaten because he's getting kind of thin, so any advice would be greatly appreciated!

BPs have been known to confuse & frustrate their new owners, so "welcome to the club". ;) Here's a link to info you should consider-:snake:

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...-hatchling-101

For us to help "diagnose" any issues with your snake & set-up, we need more specific info also- kind of cage, temperatures, kind of heat,
# of hides and their placement, etc. Pix help too.

How much does he weigh, what his the enclosure size, temps and how tight are your hides?

I'd like to see a photo of the snake and one ( or more ) of the set up ..

A picture can be worth a thousand words as they say ..

Also what type of thermometer are you using ....

I'm always wary of overheating when a Royal is so active and looking to get out especially after two weeks ...


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I think his temps are okay, 96f on the hot side and 80f ambient, I'm using a uth with a thermostat. He's in a 10 gal temporarily until I can find him something better (was going to go with a tub but was unsure about if it's okay to use uths with them) and has one bigger hide on the hot end and two smaller ones on the cool end (he's gone in them a few times so I know he can fit his entire body in them). He also has a water dish and I'm using eco earth for substrate. I'm not sure how to upload pics here or I would. He's been in his hides all day today so far

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96f on the hot side

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WAY too hot lower to 86/88 and you want your hides to be TIGHT like a shell on a turtle's back tight and preferably identical to the animal does not chose security over thermo-regulation, the fact that your animal is not eating and rooming around tell you that he is stressed and the enclosure does not meet his needs.

Now we know why he's "roaming"...too hot! Please fix immediately, he wants out for good reason...he's miserable.

Yowsers!!! 96??? No wonder he wants out!!

I keep my hot spot at 88-89. No need to get into the 90s for a BP.

Sounds to me like you would benefit from learning basic husbandry. Time to start reading reading reading and reading some more. The more you know about your pet the better you can care for it.

I'm not trying to be rude, but I think you've either been misinformed or simply didn't do proper research.

I would spend as much time as you can reading through this forum. Start with husbandry and care sheets.

And ask questions!!! We were all new once, and we're happy to help.

P.S. you can download the free app tapatalk to upload pics

Oh wow thank you guys! I had no idea that was too hot! I've been researching for months I can't believe I missed that! Lowering his temps right away and going to get him some new hides today. I feel so bad for him! Poor little guy :(
Thank you guys again! <3

Hope that 96 is UNDER the substrate..... If you are taking your temps on top of the substrate its a lot hotter than you think.

Also what was it eating before you got it?

Yes, 96 was under the substrate, but I've turned down the thermostat & it's now 86 above the substrate. He was eating live before I got him but I'd really like to switch him over to f/t for safety reasons
I didn't have anything else small enough on hand for a hide today so I put a toilet paper roll in his bigger hide, I know he fits in it but it's tight so I thought it might work, is that okay?

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Originally Posted by Ditto

Yes, 96 was under the substrate, but I've turned down the thermostat & it's now 86 above the substrate. He was eating live before I got him but I'd really like to switch him over to f/t for safety reasons
I didn't have anything else small enough on hand for a hide today so I put a toilet paper roll in his bigger hide, I know he fits in it but it's tight so I thought it might work, is that okay?

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If he's anywhere close to big enough to get stuck in it, I'd highly recommend removing the toilet paper roll immediately

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Originally Posted by Avsha531

If he's anywhere close to big enough to get stuck in it, I'd highly recommend removing the toilet paper roll immediately

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Snakes cannot get "stuck" in cardboard rolls from wrapping paper, paper towels or toilet paper: yes, they can be hard to get out when YOU want them to, but
they won't get "stuck". If they did (ie. you cannot wait for them to emerge) it's VERY easy to tear the roll open along the spiral lines where they're put together.
Of course that does destroy the roll, but they're easy to come by, eh? ;)

What you SHOULD always worry about (as far as snakes getting stuck) is something they cannot back out of because it's wider at one end (so they enter) and
gets narrower (so they can't back out). Also, materials that cannot be torn apart (like cardboard) should be carefully assessed before using: many aquarium
decorations ("castles" etc) that are designed for fish to swim thru are death traps for snakes, & also have sharp edges inside. Likewise, cholla logs are deadly.

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He was eating live before I got him but I'd really like to switch him over to f/t for safety reasons

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Right now switching is not a priority, the priority is to get the animal to eat for you at least 3 to 5 times consecutively before attempting to switch.

A well established animal that is eating for you will switch a lot easier than one that is not, trying to get an animal to adjust to his new environment and switch at the same time is just too much at once.

Update! Decided to try one more time with f/t before I go out and buy live and he took it! He is full and hiding :)

That's great! Just remember, don't handle him until he's fed several consecutive times for you...let him 'be a snake' first (focused on his instincts to feed).

Yep, I think I'm a bit too scared for him to stop eating to handle him for awhile anyways lol!

Along with limited handling, and all the other members advice.. I was just dealing with the same issues a lil while ago… as we over look sometimes very small details that can be an easy fix... look over the communication with the breeder or reach out them to see what he was eating,

May be you did already, or someone hit on the actual cause, but being fresh out of a 3 month strike with my noodle, I have him going steady now.
I thought I read F/T but it was live hoppers.. so yes Lam ate the F/T the 1st time (about 2weeks after I got him I tried the F/T again next feed, but the next 2 attempts I wasted the mice mice.. so i went back and was on hoppers. Knowing my Lam is a striker – he is still very aggressive, I know he’ll strike at the hoppers, and eventually feed. So he is on his rat hoppers rn, or adult mice if they do not have hoppers/.. but don’t get too comfortable until with the switch until its continuous, like I said 3 months of trying to wait him out to keep him on his 1^st F/T but I can wait long as he’s eating ..
as everyone has already said, get him on a consistent meal he will accept and allow him to pick up some weight at least a few months and then try.. He may not be so picky once he’s on a routine schedule.. then you hit him with: the starve an extra week or so, then you offer.. “oh I’m so hungry … (IDC) .. snatch!!! And then you have your F/T switch (BAMM!)

Not sure if anyone still cares but I've now successfully fed him f/t for the second time! Still not going to try to handle him until he's eating consistently and I understand his eating habits a bit better, but anyways, thank you all again for your help! <3

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Originally Posted by Ditto

Not sure if anyone still cares but I've now successfully fed him f/t for the second time! Still not going to try to handle him until he's eating consistently and I understand his eating habits a bit better, but anyways, thank you all again for your help! <3

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Yey !!

That's great news !!


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Originally Posted by Ditto

Not sure if anyone still cares but I've now successfully fed him f/t for the second time! Still not going to try to handle him until he's eating consistently and I understand his eating habits a bit better, but anyways, thank you all again for your help! <3

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Heck yeah we still care!!! Thank you for the update, keep up the good work. :gj:

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Originally Posted by Ditto

Not sure if anyone still cares but I've now successfully fed him f/t for the second time! Still not going to try to handle him until he's eating consistently and I understand his eating habits a bit better, but anyways, thank you all again for your help! <3

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Hooray! :sweeet::dance::dance::pinkele::banana::carrot:

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Originally Posted by Ditto

Not sure if anyone still cares but I've now successfully fed him f/t for the second time! Still not going to try to handle him until he's eating consistently and I understand his eating habits a bit better, but anyways, thank you all again for your help! <3

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Yes these are the updates we like to hear!!! Congrats!

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I was sweating my first feeding but my little one has eaten every week for 8 weeks

Congrats on getting the feedings started