Introducing Dexter

For those not following my other thread, my kids picked out their first BP this past Sunday at a local show. We met the owners of Bourbon Ball Pythons from Louisville at the last show and they were great with the kids, so we decided to use them. The kids saved their own money from August to now and had to pay for everything themselves. That also gave us a couple months to research and learn what we were getting into. They picked a male Pastel HET Clown 66% HET Pied. I kind of know what all that means (LOL). The one they picked was hatched this past July and weighed in at 214 grams, I was fine with getting one that has been eating for a while and they have been handling so he has a good temperament. They told us he was eating live rat pups and last ate a week ago today. I was able to pick up a live rat pup today and he took it in less then a minute. After striking he held on to it for about 25 minutes which surprised me but we left him alone and he was swallowing it last I peeked in. I plan to switch to FT once he gets settled in to his new environment. He was named after everyone's favorite killer, Dexter....

https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...9/img_3568.jpg

What a great choice for a new pet...one that's well-established, & :gj: making sure that your kids had some "skin in the game" too.

Dexter's a good looking snake, & I'm not surprised that he held fast to his dinner rat for 25 minutes...many rosy boas will constrict a long time just to "make sure" also.

Just the little bit of research I've done in the past few months I was expecting him tonight to be moved over to the hot side of his tank. He seems to really like being tucked in behind his enclosure partially covered by the fake plants. Do they always use the hot side for digestion or is it hit or miss? I assume since he has only been in this tank for a couple days he might not know all the ins and outs. The first day he was in the cool side hide all day tucked back into the shallow spot so he had some back pressure.

In my experience with various kinds of snakes, they don't always choose the warm hide to digest; whether it's because they're new occupants & don't know where
things are yet, I can't say, because I've seen this with long-time residents too. Are the 2 hides of equal size?

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Originally Posted by Midwest

Just the little bit of research I've done in the past few months I was expecting him tonight to be moved over to the hot side of his tank.

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ill save you a few steps: not many snakes have read what they're supposed to do, like we have. [emoji6]

if your temps and husbandry are fine, where the snake chooses to be at any time is a non-issue.

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Originally Posted by Midwest

Just the little bit of research I've done in the past few months I was expecting him tonight to be moved over to the hot side of his tank. He seems to really like being tucked in behind his enclosure partially covered by the fake plants. Do they always use the hot side for digestion or is it hit or miss? I assume since he has only been in this tank for a couple days he might not know all the ins and outs. The first day he was in the cool side hide all day tucked back into the shallow spot so he had some back pressure.

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With those heat pits they know where the heat is or isn't.
To be honest I have always questioned whether a BP needs belly heat as much for digestion as say a corn snake, or rat snake does. I had a corn snake and it would always go straight to the uth after eating and stay there a day or 2. But I don't think it is as vital for a BP. That is why I don't even use a uth for my BP as I have a glass tank. BUT I do keep a total ambient of 80 and above by using 2 over head heat bulbs (black light by Zilla or Moon light by Zoo Med) one on each end (each on thermostat's). My snake can use the top of the black plastic hides for a hot spot if it wanted to get belly heat because they are always the warmest spot in the enclosure. My snake likes to rest it's neck and head up on the hide tops sometimes.

Not saying belly heat is a bad thing. It's the opposite. It is very good. But I don't think it is as vital for a BP's as it is for colubrids. In my observations any way.

But in racks and plastic tubs I'd say it is VITAL to have at least one uth or heat tape. (But some may use 85 F. room heat if I'm not mistaken)

Thanks for all the input. It's nice to be reassured as a new owner. As far as my husbandry, like I said before the UTH's I have cover 90% of the bottom of the tank, one side is at 88 degrees (glass temp) and the other side is 78. They don't quite meet in the middle so it's a little cooler there, either way there is a range. My hides are both identical. The reason I picked these two is because the opening is on the side but the "top" tapers down to one side so even the smallest snake could tuck in there and have back pressure and the top near the opening is taller. He spent one full day inside the cool side hide and the rest of the time he is hanging out behind the hide. How long should I let him go not really using the hides before I try a different style in case he doesn't like them for some reason? You can see the hides below. The room the snake is in stay just over 70 degrees. My breeder and several others on here had told me that since the entire "floor" surface of the tank is 78 degrees or higher and my room temps are at least 70 I shouldn't need an additional heat source. I assume since he is hanging out on the cools side he is not to cold.https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...9/img_3539.jpg

About your hides: the doorway is quite wide open...not recommended for snakes seeking "security", even with some "back pressure" at one side. It's preferred that
the doorway be just big enough for the snake (after eating) can fit thru. The two things you could do right now (short of changing them for more appropriate ones)
is to wad up paper & block part of the opening (or attach something w/ hot glue, maybe), AND turn them so they face the back (& blacked out sides).

Many pet stores know people want to see their pets...but this fails to consider what the pet's needs are, & it's the pet's needs that are actually important. Just because
they sell it, doesn't mean it's what you need. ;) And you can even modify some cardboard boxes as hides for the time being & toss them when they get dirty. I know
that's not attractive to look at, but your snake won't care at all.

With your UTHs covering 90% of the floor, I do hope they're well-regulated with quality thermostats, since heating more than 2/3 of the floor is risky if they ever fail
& stay full-on. (Actually most don't use UTH on anything even close to 2/3 of the floor either, but every situation is different.)

Set-up is attractive, & I'd agree that you shouldn't need any over-head additional heat with those floor temps.

Wow! That is one beautiful snake. :)

Thanks, when I bought the UTH's I didn't realize they were that size but applied them anyway, the thinking was it would be easier to regulate temps and humidity this way then with a CHE. They are on thermostats. The plan is to run the current setup for a while and either build or purchase a PVC type set up, similar to at T8 or T10. I plan to go with heat panel and the higher end thermostats. I wasn't exactly sure what size snake we would be getting etc. so I figured I could make this 20 gallon tank work temporarily. If he doesn't start using the hides soon I will grab some others. I am knew to this and kind of figured if it was a security thing then being in the hide with an opening a little too big would still feel more secure then sitting behind the hide.

I peaked in tonight when I got home from work and he is out checking things out, he was sitting on top of the warm side hide and then climbing the branches. I'm trying to keep the activity to a minimum and leave him be to get settled in.

Dexter had his 2nd meal today. Another live rat pup that was quite a bit larger then the one last week. The shop only had one last week and this week they had more so I got one that was closer to the size of the as Dexter. Once he took it from the tongs I had to leave and my son checked about 10 minutes later and he already had it down. Last week he had the squeeze on for over 20 minutes before he started swallowing it. Today as soon as he finished it up he moved into the hide on the hot side. I am not sure if I will do one more live feeding or go ahead and try F/T next week. I was originally planning three weeks but so far he has eaten so good I don't feel he is stressed to much.

I am going to order some of the black hide boxes like I see a lot of people using. I am just not sure which size to get. He still tends to not use the hides too often, this is only the third day I have seen him in them in a little over a week. He prefers to curl up behind them under the fake leaves with his "chin" resting on top of the hide. I am going to try the other hides to see if he takes to them better. I really think since most of the floor is warm he just finds a secure spot under some leaves and hangs out there.

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Originally Posted by Midwest

.......I am going to order some of the black hide boxes like I see a lot of people using. I am just not sure which size to get......

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I think once you get them (the black reptile basics type) both you and your snake will like them. Because they are easy to remove and clean (you) and your snake will like them for the darkness and security they provide for the snake. I have learned by wrong decision that snakes don't like bright inside hides. Hides that allow the light to pass through the walls or hides with big open doors.

I would say as far as size go I would get a medium. But eventually you will need to go to large maybe but I wouldn't until it becomes obvious that you need to go to large. On reptile basics it say's mediums are OK for under 700 gram snakes. You could go ahead and order the medium's and the large that way you will have what you need now and will be ready for when he is over 700 grams. It might make it cheaper in the long run due to shipping to get both sizes. Amazon also sell these kind of hides made by Pangea.

love his name!

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Originally Posted by SilentHill

love his name!

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Dexter is one of my fave series ... the theme is also my ringtone and the slow version is my alarm call :)


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So Dexter had his third meal last week, a live rat that was a little larger then is "recommended" by a few grams but it was my only option. That was his third meal with us. Tomorrow I am going to a local lab that breeds rats and getting frozen pups from them. Now that he has three meals I am going to try to switch him over. So far with the live he has been an aggressive eater, taking the rat within seconds of it being lowered to him in the tongs. I also weighed him tonight and he has grown from 215 grams on November 10th to 256 grams today. I was surprised to see him gain that much but I don't really know what to expect. Hopefully he eats the F/T as good as he has live...... I have also let my son handle him a couple times this week since he had his third meal. Only for a couple minutes a day.

Crossing my fingers for him to make an easy switch to f/t...just remember it's all about the prey being warm & offered the right way: evening, dim light, not too
much motion from the tongs, & make the rat seem to be going past your snake, not directly "at" him, & then when he takes it keep still & don't be a distraction.

Sounds to me like you've been doing pretty well...I know how hard it is NOT to handle a new snake too much. :gj: Especially for the younger ones.

Well I call tonight a success. I left the rat in my barn today to thaw at about 40 degrees. Tonight when I came home I put it in a pan of warm water until it was about 80 degrees body temp. Then I took it out of the bag and blasted it with the hair dryer for about 10 seconds. At firts he came right toward it in a striking pose. He examined it for about 5 minutes but never did strike. I heated it again and the same thing he just kept moving all around it so I decided to just set it on top of his warm hide for the night. I watched from a distance for about 5 minutes, he never moved away from it but I left the room. I peaked my head in about 20 minutes later and he had it in his mouth about 1/2 way gone so I left him alone.
My only other issue is maybe finding another source for frozen rats. The place I went to today had a very nice website and seems like a professional place. They had them bagged and ready for me. Their website showed rat pups 20-30 grams. When I got home I weighed all of them and only a couple were over 20 grams, most were around 16-18. I only bought 15, since he weighed in last night at over 250 grams I feel like these wil be too small. If I can find a reliable source for some that are closer to 30 grams I might just get some and feed him the few I got that are over 20.

Did you remember to do the zombie rat dance after heating? :dance:

Yes I tried to make some subtle movements just enough to make it appear alive. No matter where I moved it or how I moved it he followed right next to it, poised to strike he just never did. I am not sure if maybe it wasn't warm enough or what. Or it could just be that it was his first time with F/T. Either way I am glad he ended up taking it. I wish I could have seen it, I am just curious if he just started eating it, or struck and squeezed it or what since it was just laying on top of the hide.

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Originally Posted by Midwest

Yes I tried to make some subtle movements just enough to make it appear alive. No matter where I moved it or how I moved it he followed right next to it, poised to strike he just never did. I am not sure if maybe it wasn't warm enough or what. Or it could just be that it was his first time with F/T. Either way I am glad he ended up taking it. I wish I could have seen it, I am just curious if he just started eating it, or struck and squeezed it or what since it was just laying on top of the hide.

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Your right it might not have been warm enough. Have you tried using your infrared gun to get a measurement while you are heating it with the hair dryer. By the time you get the dryer put down and the door open it looses heat fast. That is why I like to get mine up to about a 100. By the time you get it in it will have cooled down a LOT.

Also with mine lately I have had to make it very dark inside before offering. That seemed to make a big difference in how fast it hits it. I think it's because the more dark it is the more they rely on that heat signature. IMO I like to see whats going on too, but I think the less we can see the better they seem to like it.

Seems like even BP's are all different somewhat. All mine I have had almost never would eat like yours did. Some BP's seem to eat it just laying there. But some BP's won't touch it if it's just laying there. I guess you have for the most part find out what works for each snake and go with it.

According to the chart you could still use the lower 16-18 g weight feeders. I would start with the smallest and save the bigger till the snake gets bigger or use the bigger and save the smaller to feed two once your snake gets to 350 grams you might be able to use 2 of the smallest because weaned rats can be hard to find sometimes. But then again some snakes will eat more than one but some won't. The one I have now would eat 2.

Thank s for the input. I used my heat gun before I hit it with the hair dryer and it was 80 degrees, so I hit it for about 10 seconds and the right into the tank. I'm going to try a little warmer next time. The one I fed this week was the smallest one I had. I planned to get rid of those first, but if I can find a reliable source for some a little larger I might go ahead and get some and feed the few I have that are over 20 grams. I didnt buy very many of them so it's not a loss if I don't end up using all the ones I have left. I only spent $20.00 because I know at his size he might be ready to move up to smalls soon.

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Originally Posted by Midwest

Thank s for the input. I used my heat gun before I hit it with the hair dryer and it was 80 degrees, so I hit it for about 10 seconds and the right into the tank. I'm going to try a little warmer next time. The one I fed this week was the smallest one I had. I planned to get rid of those first, but if I can find a reliable source for some a little larger I might go ahead and get some and feed the few I have that are over 20 grams. I didnt buy very many of them so it's not a loss if I don't end up using all the ones I have left. I only spent $20.00 because I know at his size he might be ready to move up to smalls soon.

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It doesn’t work all the time but for the other 99.999 % the hairdryer trick is absolutely fabulous :)


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So for the last several weeks Dexter has been spending most of his days in the hot side hide and comes out at night to cruise around. Still eating well. Yesterday I took him out in the afternoon and completely cleaned his enclosure. This morning when I got up he had burrowed under his water dish. I thought maybe I had it sitting uneven, leaving an opening. Today I moved all the bedding out from under the water dish and set it directly on the glass and pushed the mulch up around the edges, assuming it would stop him from getting back under it. Tonight he is back digging under it again. Since I added new bedding my humidity went up from about 60% to 75 %. I have moved the plexi glass covering partly off to drop it a tiny bit I feel like he should be going into shed any time. So I think the higher humidity will help.

I had originally planned to change out his hides for the black plastic ones but he started using them so much more then he originally did that i figured he was fine with them.

My little girl likes to burrow in fresh substrate too. She once tunneled all the way from her cool hide to the warm hide. I think it's cute.

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Originally Posted by Southpaw91

My little girl likes to burrow in fresh substrate too. She once tunneled all the way from her cool hide to the warm hide. I think it's cute.

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Here she is with just her head poking out of the substrate. She kicked some into her water bowl too as you can see lolhttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...ff9be78b19.jpg

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So as each day goes on I have another newbie question to ask. I just had this gut feeling that he should be or is going to be going into shed any time. After I changed the substrate he spent 2 days getting under his water bowl which he has never done before. The last two days he has been back in his hot hide. I tried his 2nd F/T feeding last night, after success last week. Last night was a no go. He came out of his hide and showed interest in it, much like last week, but he never did strike. After a few tries of re warming it up with the hair drier I laid it on his hide like last week and he checked it out but went back in the hide and did not touch it over night. I tossed it this morning and am wandering when I should try again? As I mentioned I am now in the 5th week of having him and first weigh a month ago he was 214 grams and last week he was in the 250's so I know he is growing. We haven't been handling him too much which means I haven't noticed his eyes changing. At this age should I try again in a couple days or just weight until feeding day next week in case he starts shedding between now and then? Input is appreciated as always. A couple of days ago it appeared as though the top of his head was a little duller in color but everything else looked pretty normal. As he gets older and we handle him more I am sure that I will easily be able to spot the signs of a shed but right now we are just getting him him out a few minutes every couple days. So I could very easily miss the initial eye color change and other beginning shedding signs.

Bumping this looking for some help. For the 2nd week in a row he has shown no interest in a F/T rat. I kind of assume it is because he might be going into shed. The problem is I have not been handling him a lot since he is still fairly new and trying to keep his stress level down. I have not seen his eye change in color and his current skin color appears to be normal. I know not to feed him when he is getting ready to shed, but I am not sure if he is refusing because he doesn't like the F/T or if he is about to shed. I have had him for 5 weeks now so he should be ready to shed any time based on "normal time lines" that I read. If I just offer him a F/T once a week until I actually see him shed will that stress him out or would it be better to not try to feed him for another week or so to see if he does shed?

Hi,

There is normally only a few days between "clearing up" and shedding in smaller snakes so I think you will know what is going on before the next feed is due. Just keep the humidity on point and yiou should be golden. :gj:

ETA - your post from the 9th of december stated he was eating well so there is certainly no need to panic at this stage. Sorry just remembered america has a different date order than we do in the uk. :oops:

When did he last eat for you?

December 3rd was the first time I offered him a F/T and he took it. The following week I tried again and he showed a little interest but not much. This time I made sure I had it nice and warm (right at 98-100) with the hair drier on my temp gun. He showed pretty much zero interest. I had the room basically dark but I couldn't even see his tongue flicking, he was just staring at it. I know a couple off weeks without feed is not a big deal at all, I just wander if: A, if he is not ready to switch to F/T or if he is getting ready to shed: and B: if I should keep trying once a week. I have read that this can be stressfull and don't want to have that.

My humidity has been floating around 70% since last Sunday when I switched out the substrate and cleaned his tank. I had read that the entire shed process, from the very onset, to the eye color change, to the skin dulling in color and then coming back again, until finally the shed, can take a couple weeks from start to finish. Will they still not eat in the very beginning stages or is it normally just right before the actual shed.

My Jake is about the same size as your new guy. When he shed last he basically went in his hide for a week and didn't come out at all until he shed. I didn't even attempt to feed him when I saw his eyes go blue. Once he had shed he ate just fine on his next meal. He eats f/t now but we were feeding him love for a short period. He has never missed a meal other than when he was in shed. I didn't even try to feed him though. Wait another week and try again. It's very obvious when their eyes are in blue. Jake will take 1 or two days or say after blue is gone to actually shed. Make sure you check under hides for the shed. It will likely be in a ball wrapped up with poop. Good luck.

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I’m sure the eyes will be obvious. My main concern with that is he has a black stripe that crosses his head which covers his eyes which are mostly black so I’m not sure how obvious it will be. Plus us not handling him every day we could miss it.

Another failed F/T attempt tonight. Next week I'm going to try live again. Then I will be able to figure out if its an issue with F/T or possibly something else. I've checked every day and the hot side of his tank (where he spends most of his time) is always at 89-90 degrees. The cool side floor temp sits on 80 degrees. And right now the humidity is floating around 68%, it has gradually been coming down since I changed his bedding weekend before last. He is still spending most days in the hot hide and then coming out at dark and cruising around his tank for an hour or so.

I wouldn't worry about it at all. My ball python i got at approx 180 grams weighs 623 now n i got him in july. He eats everytime so far.
My male who is 8 years old hasnt eaten since October and was 1950 grams and weighed last week at 1912 grams. Its very possible for urs to not lose anymore weight the only weight it really lost since ur last feed was prob just from pooping after that meal.

Changing the substrate absolutely could be the culprit as can the shed. However, just because the animal is in shed doesnt mean it wont eat, if hes hungry n he can tell there an animal it likes there it will eat it.

When u went from live to f/t is it from the same place? If not go to the olace u get ur live from get another live mouse n feed him that after he sheds ask for some beeding in the container u vring him home in. The next time u feed ater the live try f/t but warm it up like u would n chuck it in that container n bounce it around a little and then wipe off anything stuck to it n try the f/t feeding thats what i would do.

Dont feed him again till hes done shedding.

If u changed his substrate to somethig diff go back to what u were using.

If u clean it in the future use only chlorhexidine solution its all u need f10 sc is awesome stuff to if u can get but tyoe in chlorhexidine 2% solution into amazon n order a gallon it will cost u like 10 dollars and get a spray bottle as well. Put about i think its 5 oz. In the 32 oz bottle if i remember correct or just look it up. That stuff is excellent n doesnt smell strong n doesnt need to be rinsed its very safe at the correct dilution and the only cleaner u need. It will clean glass like glass cleaner with zero wipe marks. You can spray it on branches n the id rinse those tho, n clean everything really. I still always clean the water dish as i would a glass i drink out of with a sponge and dawn thats ur best bet there regardless of what anyone says on here its very safe n is perfectly fine to use.

When u warm the mouse up put it in hot water in bag obv dont let the mouse get hot then to keep the temp up or warm it back up the hair dryer trick could be used but if u heat it up too much the snake is not getting the nutrients and u could risk exploding a part of it where its insides kimda ooze out of a part of it which is nasty af.

Dont be afraid of using live for a little longer u should switch the earlier the better but live is technically the best for a multitude of reasons. A) its what they actuall eat. B)its the optimal nutrition. C) u know the health of animal a little more before it died and usually can talk to the breeder of those animals n figure out its diet and know if they eat garbage feed or dog food or whatever they use to know if ur buying the best feeders u can be buying. D) it almost always will get eaten with a stubborn ball python if its hungry. If it isnt hungry or is turned off by that particular breeders feeders for whatever reason theres no getting around that.

You should be feeding him adult mice if ur not. U can also go right to live weaned if u wanna go that route which is even better. I got mine at 180 grams did 2 live feeding with adult mice then jumped to 30 to 35 gram weaned rats which is the size of an adult white mouse and he took them no problem. I just feed him a small rat at about 50 grams yesterday n u cant even really see that bulge. Rsts are a superior food source.

Its more important in my mind to get him on rats than worry about f/t unless u have nothing live near you or something.

A worse case scenario get a bag of 25 weaned rats from rodent pro n small rats and u will be set for the next year easily. He will eventually eat n he will be better off eating rats. Also a weaned rat u can get it with his eyes still closed n it cant hurt ur animal n chuck him in n keep an eye on them. He will prob take it eventually. Id go that route though or start thinking in that direction.

My male was born early this year n is 623 grams n looks great n that feeding him every 10 days. If u get better quality feed u can spread it out more too.

Also u seem to think u have to handle ur snake often? Not sure why this notion is in ur mind. When i got my snake he was scared to death, puffed up n hissed like crazy n snapped at everything. I put him from the box into his enclosure. I waited 3 days n tried a live mouse he ate it. Waited 1 week tried a live mouse he ate it. I waited 1 week tried a small weaned rat he looked at it for like 5 seconds and ate it. I waited 10 days since it took him 4 days to poop n fed him again. I didnt hold him once for 4 weeks. I opened his cover once a day to check on him n check or change his water n look for poop. (i have him in a sterolite with a heat mat one hide on each side a water dish. all the sides covered with paper on the outside so he cant see anything n obv holes for proper air flow. Temp n humidity guages and a thermostat for the heat mat set to 90 degrees n eco earth n thats it). When i started handling him he was still a little scared but a way diff animal, much more calm than before.

I used a hook to get him out thats it. Just to make it less stressful for him n neither of us to have a bad experience n thats all i ever used it for just to get him out n place him in my hand. I started handling him once a week. I feed on Thursdays. So sat n sun n tue n wed i do not ever bother him. I dont want him to regurgitate n i dont want him stressed before i feed. He has eaten everytime. If ur gonna handle ur snake id go with a schedule like this to start. When he is older and used to his enclosure n used to u which he isnt yet thats a fact, u can do as u please. I still wouldnt one day before n one day after the rest is whatever u want to do. Try something like this for a while. Ur not incubating eggs so dont get to paranoid on temps n humidity. Theres a recommended number n be within 5 degrees under or 2 degrees over. So 75 to 82 on the cool side and 85 to 92 on the hot side. If hes not eating it can be a million reasins but its winter if ambient temps are cold n u cant keep the heat with a heat mat add a moon light or black light type lamp on top if the enclosure can support this and add the bulb wattage u need for the desired temps. The cool side of my ball pythons are routinely 75 degrees at best and my animals are healthy n eat well. I notice my adult male doesnt like the temps suggested. If i have the hot side 90 degrees n the cool side 80 degrees he routinely acts like hes trying to escape the tank like he is panicking. These animals need to be able to heat themselves to certain temperature the cool side isnt as important cause they can go back to the hot side whenever they want and are smart enough to do so. They will however go off feed if its too cold cause they have a natural response to lower activity n reserve body heat n will curl up to stay at temps n go basically into a survival mode which u obv dont want.

U have a heat gun n hopefully have a thermostat connected to ur heat mat n if so ur doing better than most already. n i actually keep the cool side a little more moist than his hot side to keep moisture levels in tank more constant and he has a way to get the humidity he needs without it over accumulating in the enclosure.

Ur not diing anything wrong its an animal that can think their not all the same u will find what works for u wont for me n vice versa. So just observe him before u feed everytime. N then try to feed him n observe his reaction to the food when he eats. This will give u a great idea of wheter or not u need to waste ur time trying when ur dangling the food in front of him.

Whenu hold the food experiment with diff positions, my adult will ironically take it when i dangle it by the tail my other has become accustomed to me holding it behind the neck n bouncing him around a little. Also right after he grabs it keep messing with the mouse a little to make ur snake think its still alive and will tighten more which will actually help flatten it out a little if its bigger than hes used to or something.

Anyway theres a million things i can tell ya. Ur doing everything correct. Just wait till hes done shedding before u feed n dont handle him preferably 2 days but at least a day before u feed. Also font ever clean his tank before u feed in the future keep that same schedule for anything stressful. And get the correct cleaning solutions if u dont already have as bleach is not good nor is any household cleaner and that will absolutely cause ur animal a great deal of stress more than really anything u can do.

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Originally Posted by Tmacsballs

I wouldn't worry about it at all. My ball python i got at approx 180 grams weighs 623 now n i got him in july. He eats everytime so far.
My male who is 8 years old hasnt eaten since October and was 1950 grams and weighed last week at 1912 grams. Its very possible for urs to not lose anymore weight the only weight it really lost since ur last feed was prob just from pooping after that meal.

Changing the substrate absolutely could be the culprit as can the shed. However, just because the animal is in shed doesnt mean it wont eat, if hes hungry n he can tell there an animal it likes there it will eat it.

I should have been more clear, I just changed out the substrate, it is the same brand/substrate I have been using.

When u went from live to f/t is it from the same place? If not go to the olace u get ur live from get another live mouse n feed him that after he sheds ask for some beeding in the container u vring him home in. The next time u feed ater the live try f/t but warm it up like u would n chuck it in that container n bounce it around a little and then wipe off anything stuck to it n try the f/t feeding thats what i would do.

Dont feed him again till hes done shedding.

I am not certain he is shedding, I haven't seen signs, was just assuming he should be because of his growth and the amount of time we have had him.

If u changed his substrate to somethig diff go back to what u were using.

If u clean it in the future use only chlorhexidine solution its all u need f10 sc is awesome stuff to if u can get but tyoe in chlorhexidine 2% solution into amazon n order a gallon it will cost u like 10 dollars and get a spray bottle as well. Put about i think its 5 oz. In the 32 oz bottle if i remember correct or just look it up. That stuff is excellent n doesnt smell strong n doesnt need to be rinsed its very safe at the correct dilution and the only cleaner u need. It will clean glass like glass cleaner with zero wipe marks. You can spray it on branches n the id rinse those tho, n clean everything really. I still always clean the water dish as i would a glass i drink out of with a sponge and dawn thats ur best bet there regardless of what anyone says on here its very safe n is perfectly fine to use.

This is what I have been using.

When u warm the mouse up put it in hot water in bag obv dont let the mouse get hot then to keep the temp up or warm it back up the hair dryer trick could be used but if u heat it up too much the snake is not getting the nutrients and u could risk exploding a part of it where its insides kimda ooze out of a part of it which is nasty af.

I have been letting the rats thaw in my garage. Once they thaw I have been placing them in a "warm" water until the rat gets warm, around 80-85 degrees on my temp gun. I then hit it with the hair drier just before offering.

Dont be afraid of using live for a little longer u should switch the earlier the better but live is technically the best for a multitude of reasons. A) its what they actuall eat. B)its the optimal nutrition. C) u know the health of animal a little more before it died and usually can talk to the breeder of those animals n figure out its diet and know if they eat garbage feed or dog food or whatever they use to know if ur buying the best feeders u can be buying. D) it almost always will get eaten with a stubborn ball python if its hungry. If it isnt hungry or is turned off by that particular breeders feeders for whatever reason theres no getting around that.

You should be feeding him adult mice if ur not. U can also go right to live weaned if u wanna go that route which is even better. I got mine at 180 grams did 2 live feeding with adult mice then jumped to 30 to 35 gram weaned rats which is the size of an adult white mouse and he took them no problem. I just feed him a small rat at about 50 grams yesterday n u cant even really see that bulge. Rsts are a superior food source. Its more important in my mind to get him on rats than worry about f/t unless u have nothing live near you or something.

He has been on rats since before I got him. The first two live I fed him were pups around 20 grams. That supplier had none available so last time I got him a small rat, around 35 grams (Can't recall exact weight) and he ate it. Next feeding was a F/T rat that he took which was around 25 grams. This was the last one he ate. The other ones I attempted to feed him came from the same place as the last one he ate.

A worse case scenario get a bag of 25 weaned rats from rodent pro n small rats and u will be set for the next year easily. He will eventually eat n he will be better off eating rats. Also a weaned rat u can get it with his eyes still closed n it cant hurt ur animal n chuck him in n keep an eye on them. He will prob take it eventually. Id go that route though or start thinking in that direction.

My male was born early this year n is 623 grams n looks great n that feeding him every 10 days. If u get better quality feed u can spread it out more too.

Also u seem to think u have to handle ur snake often? Not sure why this notion is in ur mind. When i got my snake he was scared to death, puffed up n hissed like crazy n snapped at everything. I put him from the box into his enclosure. I waited 3 days n tried a live mouse he ate it. Waited 1 week tried a live mouse he ate it. I waited 1 week tried a small weaned rat he looked at it for like 5 seconds and ate it. I waited 10 days since it took him 4 days to poop n fed him again. I didnt hold him once for 4 weeks. I opened his cover once a day to check on him n check or change his water n look for poop. (i have him in a sterolite with a heat mat one hide on each side a water dish. all the sides covered with paper on the outside so he cant see anything n obv holes for proper air flow. Temp n humidity guages and a thermostat for the heat mat set to 90 degrees n eco earth n thats it). When i started handling him he was still a little scared but a way diff animal, much more calm than before.

Not sure what I said that made you think I have to handle him often. We didn't handle him at all for the first couple weeks. He has only been handled a couple times since then. We obviously want him to be used to being handled but he has not been out of his enclosure for more then 30 minutes total since we have had him.

I used a hook to get him out thats it. Just to make it less stressful for him n neither of us to have a bad experience n thats all i ever used it for just to get him out n place him in my hand. I started handling him once a week. I feed on Thursdays. So sat n sun n tue n wed i do not ever bother him. I dont want him to regurgitate n i dont want him stressed before i feed. He has eaten everytime. If ur gonna handle ur snake id go with a schedule like this to start. When he is older and used to his enclosure n used to u which he isnt yet thats a fact, u can do as u please. I still wouldnt one day before n one day after the rest is whatever u want to do. Try something like this for a while. Ur not incubating eggs so dont get to paranoid on temps n humidity. Theres a recommended number n be within 5 degrees under or 2 degrees over. So 75 to 82 on the cool side and 85 to 92 on the hot side. If hes not eating it can be a million reasins but its winter if ambient temps are cold n u cant keep the heat with a heat mat add a moon light or black light type lamp on top if the enclosure can support this and add the bulb wattage u need for the desired temps. The cool side of my ball pythons are routinely 75 degrees at best and my animals are healthy n eat well. I notice my adult male doesnt like the temps suggested. If i have the hot side 90 degrees n the cool side 80 degrees he routinely acts like hes trying to escape the tank like he is panicking. These animals need to be able to heat themselves to certain temperature the cool side isnt as important cause they can go back to the hot side whenever they want and are smart enough to do so. They will however go off feed if its too cold cause they have a natural response to lower activity n reserve body heat n will curl up to stay at temps n go basically into a survival mode which u obv dont want.

U have a heat gun n hopefully have a thermostat connected to ur heat mat n if so ur doing better than most already. n i actually keep the cool side a little more moist than his hot side to keep moisture levels in tank more constant and he has a way to get the humidity he needs without it over accumulating in the enclosure.

Ur not diing anything wrong its an animal that can think their not all the same u will find what works for u wont for me n vice versa. So just observe him before u feed everytime. N then try to feed him n observe his reaction to the food when he eats. This will give u a great idea of wheter or not u need to waste ur time trying when ur dangling the food in front of him.

Whenu hold the food experiment with diff positions, my adult will ironically take it when i dangle it by the tail my other has become accustomed to me holding it behind the neck n bouncing him around a little. Also right after he grabs it keep messing with the mouse a little to make ur snake think its still alive and will tighten more which will actually help flatten it out a little if its bigger than hes used to or something.

Anyway theres a million things i can tell ya. Ur doing everything correct. Just wait till hes done shedding before u feed n dont handle him preferably 2 days but at least a day before u feed. Also font ever clean his tank before u feed in the future keep that same schedule for anything stressful. And get the correct cleaning solutions if u dont already have as bleach is not good nor is any household cleaner and that will absolutely cause ur animal a great deal of stress more than really anything u can do.

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hello friend, i have some suggestions for you to consider. i thaw my rats right next to my snek’s enclosure to get him in the mood, and boy does he notice. you said your thawing them in the barn? try doing it where he can get some smells going to whet his appetite. i like feeding rats that are about 20% my snake’s weight and your little guy is going to do a lot of growing once he starts eating again, i also made the mistake of buying a large quantity of rat pups and my snake outgrew them in a few weeks. put the rat out an hour or so after the sun goes down, then by the time your serving up dinner he’s primed and ready to strike. remember to keep things dim/dark when he feeds.


another thing, you’ve mentioned you only take him out for a few minutes at a time. the most stressful part for your snake is the going in and out for handling, try to do longer handling sessions so he has time to destress and get comfortable around everyone. pay attention to his body language and behavior though, he very well could need to go back after just a few mins but don't let that be your default setting.


given your less than ideal hides and that he’s burrowing under the water bowl it makes me think theres an issue of security. i think trying new hides is a warranted endeavor. you can get like an 8oz thing of mushrooms in a plastic container from a grocery store for a few bucks and cut your own door that’s the perfect size (if you do this make sure you burn the edges to smooth them and make them safe). your enclosure is also on the bigger side for his size so getting him comfortable with his hide situation is extra important. and also i think your heating setup is unconventional but it checks all the boxes so you should be fine there.


you don’t have to change his substrate, let him get familiar with his land. i only spot clean my substrate for poopy pee stuffs.


when your snake is going into shed his eyes are going to look soooo cloudy and blue/grey it is unmistakable. the problem is that this only lasts a day or 2 so you have to keep an eye on him. the only time i won’t offer food for MY snake is when he is “in blue” as they say and his eyes look blind. my guy is a ferocious eater though and as you’re finding out for yourself these snakes don’t read about how they’re supposed to behave like we do hah. everything is going to come down to understanding your little dexter, it may seem overwhelming at first but i can already tell from your posts that you’re well on your way!

Thanks, the hiding under the water dish only happens for a day or two and that was the day after I cleaned his cage and put in the clean substrate. After that he went back to using his regular hides. Ive got the black ones now I’m goi g to put in.

I put the black plastic hides in tonight and I got a small CHE to try to raise the ambient temps in the tank a few degrees. I'm curious to see if that changes his behavior any. I am not sure if it will help or not but I moved some things around in the tank so his water dish is directly under the CHE. My thoughts were that might help it from drying the tank out too much too quick. Im trying one of the dimmers on the CHE for now instead of a thermostat.

So since last week Dexter has had the new plastic hides and a small CHE boosting his ambient temps to 78-79 degrees. I picked up a live rat today on my way home for my lunch hour. He appeared to be asleep in the hide and I had some errands to run so I just set the small box with the rat in it inside of his enclosure. I was going to be gone for about an hour and didn't want the rat chewing out of the box and escaping in the house (it's unlikely but the wife was home) When I came home about 30 minutes later he was out of the hide and moving toward the box with the rat so I knew he must be thinking about eating. I let the rat loose and he tracked it and had it dead in a minute or two. I am probably going to try live another time or two and then try the F/T again. Just glad to know that he is still eating, he was either not wanting the F/T or his husbandry might not have quit been to his liking. Still hasn't shed the first time for me yet. I plan to weigh him again in a few days after this meal digests.