not eating

well we all know bp's... been ab a month or so and no luck but hey ball pythons will be ball pythons...never before has she done this so its pretty wierd but im not worried..who knows bc the temps are good, she has been cold, not eaten. Warm, not eaten. Just median...not eaten. Humidity good.....and you guessed it hasnt been eating...my supply of mice is getting smaller...

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Originally Posted by DatBoiAJ_

... you guessed it hasnt been eating...my supply of mice is getting smaller...

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Does that mean YOU'RE eating them? :rofl: (sorry, I had to)

But about her appetite, have you double-checked the temperatures in her enclosure? Because (assuming your room/home is cooler now in winter?) it might need to be adjusted- & unfortunately, once some snakes get the feeling that it's "winter", they're not easily persuaded to resume eating. (So I hope those mice are yummy? ;))

hahah no since i breed mice then freeze them...well once theyre thawed you cant..like re freeze them soooo

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Originally Posted by DatBoiAJ_

hahah no since i breed mice then freeze them

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You probably do but I'm just making sure, are you euthanizing them humanely? They should be killed by CO2 or cervical dislocation, not freezing.

oh no i definitely dont freeze them-just after ive killed them. just break their neck and theyre out its effective because i dont want to have to buy co2 :gj: dont worry lol

but i would like to know if theres a way to get them eating again

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Originally Posted by DatBoiAJ_

but i would like to know if theres a way to get them eating again

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Patience, and not trying too often- that just stresses them out & makes them more likely to refuse.

If you were feeding weekly, start offering every 2 weeks, & if refused every 2 weeks, make it 3. Just hang in there, if temps & privacy (etc) are all good.

Are you handling this snake? Might you be over-doing it?

Any other changes inside the enclosure (or nearby in the room) that might be upsetting the snake? Things like too much activity or vibrations, a cat or dog stalking the BP's home, etc.

so after that long shed we talked about so 3 weeks without food-- she wouldnt eat. wierd, i thought a one time thing, nope. HAndling 2-3 times a week, sometimes less, been busy. BUt recently i did put a divider in my 40 gal prepping for my new baby- i saw u saw the post- so that would explain this recent refusal. HAve been trying every 2 weeks, even before you jsut now reccomended it so whatever, shes fine still 1k so shews healthy, im not worried just wanted to share

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Originally Posted by DatBoiAJ_

so after that long shed we talked about so 3 weeks without food-- she wouldnt eat. wierd, i thought a one time thing, nope. HAndling 2-3 times a week, sometimes less, been busy. BUt recently i did put a divider in my 40 gal prepping for my new baby- i saw u saw the post- so that would explain this recent refusal. HAve been trying every 2 weeks, even before you jsut now reccomended it so whatever, shes fine still 1k so shews healthy, im not worried just wanted to share

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Are you planning on putting the baby in the same tank as your current BP but with a divider?

If you are, that's a big no-no. You have to quarantine any new arrivals. Preferably separate rooms. Definitely separate tanks, tools, bowls, etc.

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Originally Posted by dakski

Are you planning on putting the baby in the same tank as your current BP but with a divider?

If you are, that's a big no-no. You have to quarantine any new arrivals. Preferably separate rooms. Definitely separate tanks, tools, bowls, etc.

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Well, it's not against the law -you don't "have to" but you SHOULD! It's a darn good idea to quarantine any new snakes, especially if you ever want to be respected as a breeder & expect to sell anything to anyone. Do it the right way or please don't do it at all. ;)

I will refreeze once thawed....once. Then I either feed it to a snake I know will take it or somebody gets an extra. I really hate throwing them out. But that is a perk of having several snakes. Somebody will usually always happily take it.

I'm not a fan of re-freezing uneaten prey. If it's been laying around (fully thawed) for very long, that allows way too much spoilage. If re-frozen promptly, the main thing you'll lose is "quality"- ie. when re-thawed, it's likely to be mushy & fall apart easily- but if it was thawed for a longer amount of time, it's likely to be spoiled & most snakes won't accept it anyway. Remember that freezing doesn't kill bacteria- just puts it on hold, not growing until temperatures are once again favorable. Bleah...

Let me say I thaw and then offer. If not taken it goes back in the freezer. I do not leave it sitting in a cage. This is on snakes that I know well enough to know they will not take it if left. So I do not leave it in with them and put it directly into a bag and into the freezer. If I do leave one out and it doesn't get eaten it is thrown away.

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Originally Posted by KMG

Let me say I thaw and then offer. If not taken it goes back in the freezer. I do not leave it sitting in a cage. This is on snakes that I know well enough to know they will not take it if left. So I do not leave it in with them and put it directly into a bag and into the freezer. If I do leave one out and it doesn't get eaten it is thrown away.

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Thanks for clarifying! :gj: I was hoping this is what you meant, & it's best if others don't get the wrong idea.

well since i know and trust the breeder, and i wouldnt use the same equiptment for the snakes-so i think i'll be okay

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what it jsut glitched me to another post- idk

wait its the next page lmao i was so confused

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Originally Posted by DatBoiAJ_

well since i know and trust the breeder, and i wouldnt use the same equiptment for the snakes-so i think i'll be okay....

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It's not about you being okay, but about the snakes & their well-being. Dividing a cage to house 2 snakes from different sources is far too close together to count as any sort of quarantine, just fyi.

Even having them in the same room carries some risk, & it's not about knowing & trusting a breeder, since pathogens often disrespect people's reputations. It's better to learn this before, not after.

If you have 2 snakes & they catch something from each other, then you have 2 that need medical care, or that you may possibly lose. It's irresponsible to knowingly fail to quarantine new snakes. I hope you have plenty of money saved for possible medical care also?

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Originally Posted by DatBoiAJ_

but i would like to know if theres a way to get them eating again

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What type of substrate are you using? Try switching to or adding cypress mulch to the enclosure. Sometimes changing a ball python’s enclosure temporarily and then placing them back to the original enclosure will elicit a feeding response.

FYI It can be inexpensive to have a quarantine tub. The latching 6qt sterlite tubs are $2. few air flow holes, heat and temp control you would of needed anyways. Then you can reuse it for other new arrivals or where ever you see fit. As far as feeding security is the first thing I look at for a non feeder. A hide or well placed piece of cardboard can do wonders.