I'm so frustrated with Kona

Background: Kona is a 16 yo rescue who was apparently always a "picky eater." She used to eat live, switched to f/t and her past owner said she does better with f/t.

I've had her for about 4-5 months and she's eaten once. ONCE. And the one time that she ate, the rat had popped (sorry, I know it's gross) on the heating pad prior to offering it to her. So I've been thinking maybe she likes the smell of the blood and I've been cutting the heads of the f/t rats a bit, but it doesn't help.

She actually will "run" away from the rat when I offer it. I don't understand :(

Also, she spends all of the daylight hours seemingly trying to escape from her tank (40 gallon)---she's always slithering around and up the walls.

Her hides, temp, and humidity are good (measured by accu-rite). Any ideas?

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Her hides, temp, and humidity are good (measured by accu-rite). Any ideas?

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That's probably the #1 subjective type of statement made here. "Good" is all a matter of varying opinions.

What are the ACTUAL temps on both sides of the cage? Humidity?

A healthy ball will eat rats without having to mutilate them to trick them into eating. You might want to take it to a vet to get it looked over. Internal parasites could be at work here as well.

Sounds like she's not feeling secure in her new home...and an insecure BP won't eat. If you're SURE the temps are correct, then I would definitely look to security as the next issue.


Is she in a high traffic area? Or just a "busy" area like a living room where the TV may cause frequent light flickering? Or near a stereo speaker or other vibration source? Check around for those sorts of external stimuli.

Are you using a bright white light to heat or light the cage? That's another thing that can make them unhappy.

Finally...once you're sure all other outside influences are nullified...try covering at least three sides of that glass tank with dark paper. That'll help keep her from feeling so exposed. And then take a whole bunch of loosely crumpled newspaper and fill the tank with it...leave just enough space to allow you access to her water dish and that's it. The crumpled newspaper will give a more "denlike" feel to her enclosure and allow her to start to relax. But it can take time. Don't try to feed her again too soon....and don't take any paper out until she's started eating regularly....and even then...just take a little bit out at a time once a week or so...until eventually she won't have any paper anymore. The process can take several weeks or even months, depending on how nervous she is.

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Originally Posted by elevatethis

That's probably the #1 subjective type of statement made here. "Good" is all a matter of varying opinions.

What are the ACTUAL temps on both sides of the cage? Humidity?

A healthy ball will eat rats without having to mutilate them to trick them into eating. You might want to take it to a vet to get it looked over. Internal parasites could be at work here as well.

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I agree with Brad.Let us know what the Vet says.

She was vet checked right when I got her and probed (that's how I know she's a she :) )
The lowest I've ever seen the humidity was 52%, but it's normally in the mid 60s.

Cool side temp averaged between 78-82. Warm side usually 87-89. I don't have a probe inside her warm hide (it's a cave type thing), but can tell with my hand that it's always a few degrees warmer in there.

Oops---I said she was vet checked but forgot to say that she was given clean bill of health. Her old owner said "Sometimes she just doesn't eat" when I brought it up to him . . .

You should really get another thermometer to measure the hot side temps. they should be 92-94 and the cool end should be right around 82-84.


-Andre

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Originally Posted by Dananyc

Cool side temp averaged between 78-82. Warm side usually 87-89. I don't have a probe inside her warm hide (it's a cave type thing), but can tell with my hand that it's always a few degrees warmer in there.

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That's the type of stuff you've got to get over with ball pythons. You can't do any type of guessing! Knowing exactly what you are doing is crucial to success with these guys.

I would say you need to increase your temps across the board- 82-94 on the cool side and 92-94 on the warm side.

Get that right, follow Judy's advice on making sure the tank feels secure for the snake (multiple hides, low traffic around the cage, NO BRIGHT LIGHTS) and she should come around.

Minimal handling (none unless you are doing cage maintenance) until she eats. Many people have "handled" these guys to death...they are not a snake that particularly likes to be out of their cages for extended periods of time.

Ok, will do. There are no bright lights near her at all, or tv/music, etc. She's constantly out roaming around her cage, and when I take the lid off for maintenance she slithers right onto me---she actually seeks out handling. She doesn't seem nervous, as she spends minimal time in her hides.


Increasing the temp is easy, will do that right now. Should I just push her into the tank when I'm changing water/cleaning and she seems to "want" to come out?

My curiousity is why she seems afraid of the food---she'll come and sniff it and then quickly dart away . . .

I wonder if she has ever been bitten before by a rat and therefore scared of getting bit again?

In addition to all the good information offered above - you may even want to consider switching her to a tub set up and give her 3-4 weeks to acclimate to it, with no handling (other than to move her for routine maintenance) and THEN offer her a live small, small rat. The tub would have a lower ceiling which would offer her more of a sense of security than a higher ceiling 40 gallon tank.

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Originally Posted by Dananyc

She's constantly out roaming around her cage

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That is a sign that she's not happy with her environment. A content ball python is not constantly roaming looking for ways of escape.

If she were my snake (and she's not of course), I'd try the tub set up. I have pictures I can show you of how my adult female was housed if you're interested.

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She's constantly out roaming around her cage, and when I take the lid off for maintenance she slithers right onto me---she actually seeks out handling. She doesn't seem nervous, as she spends minimal time in her hides.

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I'll second Robin...these are not signs of a Ball that is content with its surroundings. I guarantee you that its not "seeking out" handling...the fact that you even said that reinforces my suspicion that you may be handling it too much...forgive me if that's not the case, though.

Hey, no offense taken :) No, I'm not handling her at all right now actually----I've been solely focused on getting her feeding right, and I have plenty of other critters to "play" with! She just climbs out onto me whenever I'm in the tank (water changes, cleaning, and food offering once a week).

I have a smaller tank (20 gallon) that's empty---do you think that that might make her feel more secure? I hesistate getting into tubs because I like being able to see the snakes, and my husband gets frustrated with all of the extra equipment we seem to have. I've always used tanks for my reptiles. If all else fails, I guess I'll have to go into tubs, but I'd like to hold off on that if at all possible.

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Originally Posted by Dananyc

I have a smaller tank (20 gallon) that's empty---do you think that that might make her feel more secure? I hesistate getting into tubs because I like being able to see the snakes

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You can try - but it should ultimately come down to the snake's well being, rather than wanting to see the snake. I just take mine out of their tubs when I want to see them. A 20 gallon doesn't offer the low ceiling that most balls prefer.

This is NOT to say that a snake can't be kept successfully in a tank, there are several people who do - but it's clear that your girl is not happy with her tank, and you should give a tub set up serious consideration.

A open 40 breeder is a lot of floor space and a lot of visibility....I'd say a 20 long would be a better choice for now, with a tub being a better option than that. It will be easier to maintain optimal temperatures and provide security, for certain.

I've kept balls in 20L's before and found them one of the easier sized glass tanks to manage for snakes. Anything bigger should be reserved for fish ;)

Excellent---thanks for all of the help guys. I'll move her into the 20 long later today. She's the biggest BP I've ever owned so I just thought she'd appreciate the extra space of the 40-----anthropomorphizing, I guess:oops:


With a smaller tank and higher temps, hopefully she'll calm down, and I'll try feeding again next week . . . with fingers crossed . . .

Thanks again for all of the advice. If nothing works, we'll move over to tubs . . .

What kind of hides do you have for her. Make sure they are the same size and small enough that she can touch all the sides. That leads back to her not feeling secure.