Why wont my snake eat?

I have a new BP, had him for almost a month.... and i've tried to feed him a feeder mice... he wont touch it @ all.... he even lets the mouse walk all over him... etc... we dont have any trouble with our other Ball eating.... i just dont know why he wont eat?

perhaps he was eating rats? maybe it's time to try one.

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Originally Posted by recycling goddess

perhaps he was eating rats? maybe it's time to try one.

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well when i got him from the petstore... he said he could be eating rats... so if he was on rats.... he wont eat a feeder mouse?

nope. ball pythons are imprint feeders... and you can sometimes change them from mice to rats but no so often the other way around. i guess rats taste waaaaay better than mice.

so you are going to have to get your snake a bunch of rats... ;)

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Originally Posted by recycling goddess

nope. ball pythons are imprint feeders... and you can sometimes change them from mice to rats but no so often the other way around. i guess rats taste waaaaay better than mice.

so you are going to have to get your snake a bunch of rats... ;)

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http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k2...i0469/new1.jpg

here is the size of mine... sorry i couldn't get him to strech out... it was the 1st day i got him... only picture i have.. .. i sorta thing he cant eat a small rat.... but maybe he can?

btw he is sorta thick in the middle

You kind of need something in the picture for context. A quarter or a dollar bill works well.
You can get rat crawlers, or pups.
He's pretty.
Wolfy

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Originally Posted by wolfy-hound

You kind of need something in the picture for context. A quarter or a dollar bill works well.
You can get rat crawlers, or pups.
He's pretty.
Wolfy

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thanks... i thought so.... i'll try and get more pictures of him up...i also... think he may have skin rot...(or what ever it is called) i just notice it lastnight....any info on that?

he could probably do a 3 week old rattie as they are the same size as an adult mouse ;)

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Originally Posted by recycling goddess

he could probably do a 3 week old rattie as they are the same size as an adult mouse ;)

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ok.... what he they bite him??? he's has scars on him... i guess from it's food biting him.. or may from other snakes... i wish i had better pictures to show

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Originally Posted by krazi0469

ok.... what he they bite him??? he's has scars on him... i guess from it's food biting him.. or may from other snakes... i wish i had better pictures to show

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i'm guessing you are asking "what if they bite him" - a three week rattie is relatively harmless but you can always use frozen thawed. ;)

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Originally Posted by recycling goddess

i'm guessing you are asking "what if they bite him" - a three week rattie is relatively harmless but you can always use frozen thawed. ;)

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yea i knew a 3 week was harmless...... i wonder if pet stores sell frozen thawed??? and.. another question... i thought snakes only ate warm blooded... i've read about snakes eating frozen food... and was wondering how they did it? i'm sorry i'm just new @ all of this

if he has scale rot you should treat that a soon as you can. the sooner the better and easier for you. put some polysporin on the infected areas or give him a shallow warm water betadine bath like once a day until it looks better. one of my bps had a slight case of scale rot and betadine baths worked perfectly for me. make sure the substrate is clean and not wet and the scale rot should heal up.

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Originally Posted by bigballs

if he has scale rot you should treat that a soon as you can. the sooner the better and easier for you. put some polysporin on the infected areas or give him a shallow warm water betadine bath like once a day until it looks better. one of my bps had a slight case of scale rot and betadine baths worked perfectly for me. make sure the substrate is clean and not wet and the scale rot should heal up.

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thanks i was taking him to a pet store tomarrow... and was going to have them look @ him... and i know they have some stuff to treat scale rot..i'm about to look up some pictures on scale rot..

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Originally Posted by krazi0469

yea i knew a 3 week was harmless...... i wonder if pet stores sell frozen thawed??? and.. another question... i thought snakes only ate warm blooded... i've read about snakes eating frozen food... and was wondering how they did it? i'm sorry i'm just new @ all of this

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when you buy a frozen prey item (mouse or rat) you bring it home... put it into a bowl of hot water and let it sit for 10 minutes... then dump the water and add more hot water... in another 10 minutes... take out the prey item, dry it off slightly and offer it with a pair of tongs to your snake. don't use your hands to feed as you can get bit.

to check if you prey item is thawed... squeeze the skull... if it collapses... it's thawed.

make sure the prey item is nice and warm when you feed or your snake will not take it. ;)

hope that helps... ask more questions - cause we're here to help!

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Originally Posted by recycling goddess

when you buy a frozen prey item (mouse or rat) you bring it home... put it into a bowl of hot water and let it sit for 10 minutes... then dump the water and add more hot water... in another 10 minutes... take out the prey item, dry it off slightly and offer it with a pair of tongs to your snake. don't use your hands to feed as you can get bit.

to check if you prey item is thawed... squeeze the skull... if it collapses... it's thawed.

make sure the prey item is nice and warm when you feed or your snake will not take it. ;)

hope that helps... ask more questions - cause we're here to help!

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thank you so much... that makes alot of sence now.... i always wondered... well thanks... you all have helped out alot

glad to help!

glad aleesha could help you out. keep us posted :)

ok..i'm back.... and still worried about my snake not eating.....lastnight we fed our 1st snake "Jake" his 1st small rat named "Bob"(lol..... yes i named the poor rat.... i didn't want to feed him to Jake.... but jake had to eat... so i sucked it up... and didn't watched the feeding... which i wanted to @ 1st.... lol untill i got attached to the rat)... anyways back on the subject.... well once jake got done eating we put him back in the tank with Ace (my snake thats not wanting to eat)..

and after that Ace's started acting werid... more then normal.... he was striking a pose... and sticking out his tongue alot.... and thats the 1st time he's ever done that... he's normaly all curled up ..... so i thought maybe he was hungry... so i took him hin out and put him in the tub with a small white feeder mouse....he didn't touch it....he just kept trying to get out...but the while time he was still flicking that tongue out???

i'm clueless.....i just wish i could get him to eat...the guy @ the pet store... gave him something that was supposed to help out his appatite... any ideas?

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Originally Posted by krazi0469

anyways back on the subject.... well once jake got done eating we put him back in the tank with Ace (my snake thats not wanting to eat)..

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That could be your problem--are you housing both of your Ball Pythons in the same enclosure? If so, Ace could be to stressed out to eat because the other snake is being dominate and making him feel uncomfortable.

You should make sure they each have their own enclsoures, set them up properly (correct temps/humidity), give Ace a week to settle in to his new environment and try to feed him again. I'm willing to bet that once he's living in his own enclosure, he'll be more willing to eat.

Just my :2cent: --anyone else can feel free to jump in, too if I missed something?

Maybe you could try not moving your snake into a different enclosure to eat. If you have an insecure snake it might stress him out to be moved into another tub to be fed. Try feeding in his home enclosure one time around.

i was told to "NEVER" to feed ur snake in his encloser....b/c of them thinking that everytime you put ur hand in there it may be food... etc.... but.... we've done tried that also... but yes we

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Originally Posted by Spaniard

Maybe you could try not moving your snake into a different enclosure to eat. If you have an insecure snake it might stress him out to be moved into another tub to be fed. Try feeding in his home enclosure one time around.

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thats what i've been thinking.... just as of right now we have to get more bedding for Jakes 29 gallon tank..... or would newspaper be ok?

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Originally Posted by AzureN1ght

That could be your problem--are you housing both of your Ball Pythons in the same enclosure? If so, Ace could be to stressed out to eat because the other snake is being dominate and making him feel uncomfortable.

You should make sure they each have their own enclsoures, set them up properly (correct temps/humidity), give Ace a week to settle in to his new environment and try to feed him again. I'm willing to bet that once he's living in his own enclosure, he'll be more willing to eat.

Just my :2cent: --anyone else can feel free to jump in, too if I missed something?

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Originally Posted by krazi0469

thats what i've been thinking.... just as of right now we have to get more bedding for Jakes 29 gallon tank..... or would newspaper be ok?

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Newspaper is absolutely okay--many BP keepers use it. :) Getting your snakes into seperate enclosures is definitely what you need to do first.

thanks... thats the 1st thing i'm going to do when i get home...

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Originally Posted by AzureN1ght

Newspaper is absolutely okay--many BP keepers use it. :) Getting your snakes into seperate enclosures is definitely what you need to do first.

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Originally Posted by krazi0469

thanks... thats the 1st thing i'm going to do when i get home...

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Good job! Many beginning keepers make the same error (cohabitation) and usually put up a bit of an argument before finally convinced... ;)

More seriously, though, I'm pretty sure you'll be reaping the benefits of individually housing your snakes before too long.

thanks
yea... i just think they look so cute all curled up together.... and didn;t seem like they had a problem with being in the same together...... besides Ace not eating.... which he wasn't eating even though he was by his self... but i guess that was just from him trying to get use to his new home
thanks for all of yall's help

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Originally Posted by JasonGranger

Good job! Many beginning keepers make the same error (cohabitation) and usually put up a bit of an argument before finally convinced... ;)

More seriously, though, I'm pretty sure you'll be reaping the benefits of individually housing your snakes before too long.

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Hi,


Just remember not to get too stressed if he still doesn't eat for a little while as he will need to setle into his new tank all over again.

It's an enouraging sign he seemed more alert when the scent of the prey was in the air and it's likely, if you can keep that happening when he then doesn't have to be disturbed out of hunting mode to move to another tank, that you are well on the way to finding his particular likes/dislikes.:)

Once he's settled in just start all the standard tricks again from the beginning - different types/colours of prey,scenting with other things [mice,rats,gerbils,chicks etc], live/F.K/F.T, changing temps of prey [fk/ft ONLY please :P ], wet and dry [never understood that one but others have had success with it], making a false nest with rodent litter in a tight box....you know the list by now.:cool:

There used ot be a thread with lots of things to try on it around here somewhere but i can't seem to find it.:(



dr del

Jess the curling up together isn't "cute" and it isn't cuddling or affection between your snakes. It's dominance. They are, in their own subtle snake way, pushing each other around and fighting for space, access to water, heat, etc. They are not like other pets (cats or dogs) that have any need for others of their own kind. They aren't herd or pack creatures so they really have little to do with each other except to breed as adults (then they immediately go their own way again).

Here's our caresheet if you haven't had a chance to go through it yet....

http://www.ball-pythons.net/modules....warticle&id=59

I'd suggest getting them both set up seperately with temps and humidity ranges as described in the caresheet. Have a vet check out the belly on the one with problems there. Pet stores are NOT the best place for advice or for treatment of health care issues.

Feeding in the enclosure will not lead to your snake thinking your hand is food...that's an old myth. If your hand is in there regularily for cleaning, handling the snake, etc. your snake will become quite used to it. Just don't smell like a rodent and you'll be fine. That's not to say a snake won't strike at you or even bite your hand, whether it's in the enclosure, in a feeding tub or out for handling. These are snakes after all, not domesticated or tame just because they may or may not have been hatched in captivity.

There are a lot of threads here about setting up an enclosure, regulating temps and humidity, helping a stressed snake and getting a snake to eat. We have a great search function. :)

I just wanted to update....

we finally got our snakes back into thier own cages as of today... mine seemed lonely....lol but yet he was happy... b/c we gave him something he can hide under finally.... and we are keeping his tank around 82/84.... is that good? and i was also wanting to know yalls(yes i'm southern...) views on heat rocks?

ok another thing....i made another thread.... talking about our new snake "Ozzy"...(which is about 4 1/2 feet) and talked about him being wild caught at an airport in Fl.... someone told me he must have been someones pet... etc... well i dont know about that....i talked to his previous owner lastnight ... and she told me they had him for about two years now... and they took him to a vet in Fl.. and they told them to forse feed him some wet dog food.... it was some high grade stuff... and gave them some cans,,, and said once he get done with the cans... he should start eating... i'm going to let him get use to his new surrounding's... b4 we try and feed him a small rat.... which i'm sure he can easily eat a large rat...but i'm just gonna try and start him off on a small rat... ok let me end this long story right now....

i just wanted to update yall on Ace... and our new snake "Ozzy"

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Originally Posted by krazi0469

I just wanted to update....

we finally got our snakes back into thier own cages as of today... mine seemed lonely....lol but yet he was happy... b/c we gave him something he can hide under finally.... and we are keeping his tank around 82/84.... is that good? and i was also wanting to know yalls(yes i'm southern...) views on heat rocks?

ok another thing....i made another thread.... talking about our new snake "Ozzy"...(which is about 4 1/2 feet) and talked about him being wild caught at an airport in Fl.... someone told me he must have been someones pet... etc... well i dont know about that....i talked to his previous owner lastnight ... and she told me they had him for about two years now... and they took him to a vet in Fl.. and they told them to forse feed him some wet dog food.... it was some high grade stuff... and gave them some cans,,, and said once he get done with the cans... he should start eating... i'm going to let him get use to his new surrounding's... b4 we try and feed him a small rat.... which i'm sure he can easily eat a large rat...but i'm just gonna try and start him off on a small rat... ok let me end this long story right now....

i just wanted to update yall on Ace... and our new snake "Ozzy"

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Your snake's enclosure should be 80-84 on his "cool" side and 90-94 on his "warm" side. This can be achieved with a UTH (under tank heater)--a reptile heat mat, or Flexwatt heat tape. All of those things should (ideally) be controlled by a thermostat (Ranco, Johnsons, Helix, Herpstat are your best bets), to prevent overheating your baby and to keep temperatures constantly correct.

Humidity should be 50-60%.

Heat rocks are a BIG no-no for any reptile--as they can have VERY high heat spikes and can burn your snake.

Um...I think that's it? If I missed something, someone else feel free to chime in :)

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Originally Posted by AzureN1ght

Your snake's enclosure should be 80-84 on his "cool" side and 90-94 on his "warm" side. This can be achieved with a UTH (under tank heater)--a reptile heat mat, or Flexwatt heat tape. All of those things should (ideally) be controlled by a thermostat (Ranco, Johnsons, Helix, Herpstat are your best bets), to prevent overheating your baby and to keep temperatures constantly correct.

Humidity should be 50-60%.

Heat rocks are a BIG no-no for any reptile--as they can have VERY high heat spikes and can burn your snake.

Um...I think that's it? If I missed something, someone else feel free to chime in :)

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with our new snake Ozzy.... they gave us a UTH... but it only heats the side it's on?

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Originally Posted by krazi0469

with our new snake Ozzy.... they gave us a UTH... but it only heats the side it's on?

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I think you said that your snakes are living in tanks? I've never used a tank to house a snake. I'll also be the first to admit that I've been a BP owner for one solid day now, and I only have had his tub up and running for about a week.

As someone new to BPs and their setups and requirements, I'll say that this site is the motherload as far as information. If you search the forums, you can find such a wealth of knowledge. I've been a member since...November? And this site taught me all I needed to know about good husbandry... I know that I'm not an expert at all, and the information I'm passing along to you is information that I've read here or in Kev McCurley's book "Ball Pythons in Captivity".

For my BP, I have him set up in a tub. The UTH (I'm using Flexwatt) provides the proper warm spot, and covers enough of the bottom of the tub (about half) to provide a warm side, and a heat gradient--meaning that my cool side temps are right where they should be. I'm not sure how it works for tanks, I know that there are other variables.

I might suggest that you post a new thread, asking your husbandry questions there. This one's a little long--and with a new one you might get more answers. You can give a run-down of what your current set-ups are (what you use to heat the tanks, what you measure temps with, what you use for substrate, what your temps/humidity are) and I'm sure people will be glad to give you pointers (and they will--for sure--be more experienced than I am.).

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Originally Posted by AzureN1ght

Um...I think that's it? If I missed something, someone else feel free to chime in :)

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Sounds good; other things to keep in mind are:

1) Try to avoid keeping him in a high traffic area of the house; a bedroom or office is a good place. They like it peaceful and quiet as opposed to people running in and out every few minutes. This may not be an issue, depending on how many people live in your house, but it is in mine. I have three siblings.

2) Keep at least two hides that are identical and, ideally, touch the snake on all sides. Half log ones won't do, and oversize cave ones aren't optimal. If the tank is too open, you can add more hides, fake foliage, or whatever, as you see fit.

3) Probably already been mentioned, but please try to refrain from holding him for at least two days (48 hours) after a meal, especially if it's a big meal. Him regurgitating is the LAST thing you want him to do.

4) Please refrain from handling too much while he's in shed, especially in the blue stage. Their eyes cloud over in the blue stage, and I don't think he'd like to be held when he can't see a thing.

Good luck with getting him to eat!

thanks Jason... we have the snakes in our bed room... so hardly any traffic in it... so i got that part taken care of... and we dont handle them after we feed them for ... like you said 2 days or so.... one more question..... how often do snakes shed?

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Originally Posted by JasonGranger

Sounds good; other things to keep in mind are:

1) Try to avoid keeping him in a high traffic area of the house; a bedroom or office is a good place. They like it peaceful and quiet as opposed to people running in and out every few minutes. This may not be an issue, depending on how many people live in your house, but it is in mine. I have three siblings.

2) Keep at least two hides that are identical and, ideally, touch the snake on all sides. Half log ones won't do, and oversize cave ones aren't optimal. If the tank is too open, you can add more hides, fake foliage, or whatever, as you see fit.

3) Probably already been mentioned, but please try to refrain from holding him for at least two days (48 hours) after a meal, especially if it's a big meal. Him regurgitating is the LAST thing you want him to do.

4) Please refrain from handling too much while he's in shed, especially in the blue stage. Their eyes cloud over in the blue stage, and I don't think he'd like to be held when he can't see a thing.

Good luck with getting him to eat!

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Originally Posted by krazi0469

thanks Jason... we have the snakes in our bed room... so hardly any traffic in it... so i got that part taken care of... and we dont handle them after we feed them for ... like you said 2 days or so.... one more question..... how often do snakes shed?

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It really depends. I think hatchlings start out at once a month or so, providing that they're eating every week. The timespan gets larger and larger as they get bigger. I've owned my ball python since September, 2006, and he's shed once, not long after I got him. He's due to shed again in about a day or two, and he weighs approximately 200-220 grams. He had an irregular feeding schedule for a while, though, so he probably would've shed one more time since then if he'd eaten every week. It wouldn't be unreasonable to expect a full grown ball python to shed 2-3 times a year.

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Originally Posted by krazi0469

with our new snake Ozzy.... they gave us a UTH... but it only heats the side it's on?

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Ball Pythons use belly heat to digest their food. UTHs are very nessicary. What are using to heat your other two enclosures? If the temps are only getting up to 84, you are running a great risk of Respitory Infection, which can spread to all of your animals. I also recommend quarentine for any new animals to avoid the spread of diseases they may carry.

well all we are using right now is light bulbs to heat up thier tanks..... i'm going to a pet store this next weekend to look for 2 more UTHs

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Originally Posted by casperca

Ball Pythons use belly heat to digest their food. UTHs are very nessicary. What are using to heat your other two enclosures? If the temps are only getting up to 84, you are running a great risk of Respitory Infection, which can spread to all of your animals. I also recommend quarentine for any new animals to avoid the spread of diseases they may carry.

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