BP hasnt ate for 1 month?!?!? AHH!

Can anyone give me any suggestions on what I can do to get my BP to eat, if at all???
I've given her, live rats, frozen, just been killed rats...every kinda rat imaginable.

She was in shed 3 weeks ago and usually after, she is HUNGRY and will eat. Well she wants to have nothing with eating lately???

any suggestions??? maybe try a mouse???

Have you been feeding her in a seperate box, if so try feeding in her enclosure. Also try leaving a rat in her enclosure over night. Mine never takes it when I put it in but when I wake up it is gone. Hope this helps.

no... i usually feed her in the tank, but a lil over a week I tried taken her out and putting her in a box and tried it but I think she was kind of tooo stressed...

I will try leaving one in over night tonight! Hopefully it doesnt nibble on her...

thanks for the tip!

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Originally Posted by Jonny2184

no... i usually feed her in the tank, but a lil over a week I tried taken her out and putting her in a box and tried it but I think she was kind of tooo stressed...

I will try leaving one in over night tonight! Hopefully it doesnt nibble on her...

thanks for the tip!

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That's a bad idea. You shouldn't leave a live rodent in a snakes cage for longer than 20 minutes or so while supervising them, however you can leave a rat pup in the cage overnight without worry.

What have you been feeding your snake (size, type, fequency)? Also, can you describe your setup. Most of the time when a Ball refuses to eat it's because of a husbandy issue or they were fed too much and have stopped eating to "catch up".

its a 40g tank. 2 hides each side, water bowl in middle
temps approx 85hot 75cool . humidity right now is 35ish.
lots of fake leaves to hide in.

i try to feed once every 7 days...and she has been doing that for a long time now... but she decided to stop.
The rats are about 1month 1week perhaps.

ill leave the live rat in for 30minutes and keep an eye on them... i douth she will eat it! I've tried that....

maybe she is in heat..kinda like breeding season or somethin eh?? i know they can go months without but it does make me very worried!

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Originally Posted by Jonny2184

maybe she is in heat..kinda like breeding season or somethin eh?? i know they can go months without but it does make me very worried!

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No apparently not in this case.

I think there are few things to adjust as previously stated it is often husbandry related

Your temps first should be 80-84 on the cool side and 90-94 on the warm side
Humidity should be 50%-60% at all time

Make you are getting an accurate reading of your temps with a digital thermometer/hydrometer if you are not doing so already.

You need to provide 2 tight identical hides one on each side so your bp feels secure and does not chose security over thermo-regulation.

Also how big is your BP? I am asking because you previously mentioned a 40 gallons tank enclosure and this unless you BP his an adult could be another factor.

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Originally Posted by slither9192

Have you been feeding her in a seperate box, if so try feeding in her enclosure. Also try leaving a rat in her enclosure over night. Mine never takes it when I put it in but when I wake up it is gone. Hope this helps.

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NEVER leave a rat in the enclosure unsupervised. They can do some serious damage to your snake. If your snake doesn't eat it within twenty minutes, take it away. Leaving it longer will only stress it out more. Keep offering food on a weekly schedule. Some snakes go on a winter fast, a month isn't that long, so don't worry too much yet. However, you should let us know how big your snake is. A 40 gal. tank is okay for an adult BP but for a younger snake, it can be way too big, which could cause it to stop eating as well.

Yeah I realize i need a digital temp thing... I'm wokring on that.

My BP is 3 1/2 feet. I havent measured in a while so she's probably coming up to 4feet I hope! and maybe 3 1/2 inches fat.

I've had her in that tank for over a year now and I've never had a problem. Even when she was a baby!

She's acting fine too. I took her out and she was very energized.

I won't fret yet. If she doesnt eat for another month, I'll probably take her to the vet and see what she says!

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Originally Posted by Jonny2184

Yeah I realize i need a digital temp thing... I'm wokring on that.

My BP is 3 1/2 feet. I havent measured in a while so she's probably coming up to 4feet I hope! and maybe 3 1/2 inches fat.

I've had her in that tank for over a year now and I've never had a problem. Even when she was a baby!

She's acting fine too. I took her out and she was very energized.

I won't fret yet. If she doesnt eat for another month, I'll probably take her to the vet and see what she says!

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If you will just adjust your husbandry (your temps are off 5 to 9 degrees on each side) as I described above your BP will very likely resume feeding.

I have 10 BP they have proper husbandry (temps, humidity, hides, enclosure) and all of them are eating just fine during the winter (no fasting)

Don't worry some do go off feed. Watch her weight and keep offering her food every week just like normal. She'll eat when shes hungry. Get your temps right and be patient. To put your mind at rest I have two males that haven't eaten since 12-14-06 :D. So just keep working with her.

Thanks gang...

I do feel better! I can at least put my mind to rest!

and your right, she'll eat whens she's ready!

Thanks!

Well not true that she'll "eat when she's ready", not completely. If her enclosure is off temp, if she's not well, if she's stressed....she won't "be ready". If you are getting a string of refusals look first to your husbandry, enclosure, temps/humidity, that sort of thing and then to the snake and recent events. If everything is bang on, she's healthy and of good weight for length and nothing recently stressed her, then I wouldn't worry overly but it does sound like there may be some issues with her enclosure temps, that can lead to stress, illness, refusals, etc.

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Originally Posted by Jonny2184

Thanks gang...

I do feel better! I can at least put my mind to rest!

and your right, she'll eat whens she's ready!

Thanks!

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Most BP if provided with proper husbandry and not breeding will eat. Now if your BP go off feed just don't say "she will eat when she is ready" adress the issues and I bet she will resume feeding.

Going off feed is either related to husbandry, illness, overfeeding, or breeding, in your case it is obviously related to the husbandry.

Just get a digital thermometer, boost your temps and humidity and I am sure you will see an improvement.

WELL, Its been another month and nothing yet. She still looks at me like I'm crazy!

I have no idea what to do and I think I'm going to take her to the vet by the end of the month if nothing changes, and she what she says!

Its been longer then a month for my older female and i know why she isnt eating my basemenet temps are too low. Im sure your cool side isnt 84 and your hot side 94. I just got another thermostat and flexwatt for my cool sides to get my temps perfect.

When do you all think she would start to be loosing weight?
I looking at her right now and she does seem much skinner?!?!?

Someone told me to try a different food, like maybe a mouse? But I feel that if she is hungry enough she would eat the rats, so nevermind something different? am I right?

I dont have a scale to weight her but she does seem a little smaller? maybe I'm just paranoid! but she is defenetly thinner!

BPs are imprint feeders, so if she won't take her normal food, she most likely won't take a mouse.

Did you adjust your temps and get a digital thermometer? It seemed like you were beating around the bush to do it a few pages back. ;)

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Originally Posted by Tony25

Im sure your cool side isnt 84 and your hot side 94.

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No they aren't. I had said they are 85hot 75cool.
I am about to invest in a digital temp/humd reader from Big Apple Herps, but I probably wont get that for another few weeks depending on delivery time.

I just checked the temps again with my analog reader things and they do look a little lower then they were last time I checked.
PLUS my mother has been running the dehumidifier lately because she says it makes it warmer in the house for her, but it also makes it dryer for my snakes. Humidity was at 35 in the warm end.

Would a higher watt bulb make it warmer eh?? I would think so! I might try that!

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Originally Posted by Sausage

It seemed like you were beating around the bush to do it a few pages back. ;)

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Yeah I'm still beating the bush at the moment. That should change soon!
I will try a higher watt bulb if I can find one around right now.

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WELL, Its been another month and nothing yet. She still looks at me like I'm crazy!

I have no idea what to do and I think I'm going to take her to the vet by the end of the month if nothing changes, and she what she says!

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Well it has been another month, but it seems that you still have not work on the issues that were pointed out, so how do you expect your BP will resume feeding?

Your temps are not good and you still don't have a digital thermometer for an accurate reading, and do not expect one before a few more weeks.

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Originally Posted by Jonny2184

No they aren't. I had said they are 85hot 75cool.
I am about to invest in a digital temp/humd reader from Big Apple Herps, but I probably wont get that for another few weeks depending on delivery time.

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How about investing in an Acu-Rite from Walmart (if you don't have Walmart check your local hardware stores for the same type of device) it look like this http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p...s/Acu-Rite.gif it will cost you about 12$ and you could get it sooner so you would be able to finally know your temps and and humidity and start working on your husbandry so your BP might resume feeding.

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Someone told me to try a different food, like maybe a mouse?

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You need to focus on the husbandry right now not changing prey, BP are imprint feeders so changing prey will not likely help.

Yeah I think I've been beating around the bush because her temps have always been like they are and she never seemed have a problem eating?!?
So I cannot really understand why she would stop now after no problems for a year!
But I have raised them up and I took a peek today and they are 91-90 Hot and 85 in the cool.
I need to keep playing with them because it should be hotter in the hot side and maybe a degree cooler in the cool side.
Also I want to start usuing my spray bottle maybe to get the humidity up 10% or so.

I'll keep you posted on how it goes. Thanks for everyones input. :community

If it's too cold, they won't eat b/c they know the food would only rot in their gut. Since snakes are cold-blooded, you have to help provide the heat for their bodies to do what is needed.


Either get a bigger wattage heat bulb, or a ceramic heat emitter (CHE) to get the ambient temp up to the 82-84*F, and then the UTH will boost the temp the 10* for the hot side to 92-94*. Humidity up to 50%. Move the water bowl to the hot end, or under the heat lamp. Using CHEs and heat lamps will dry out the cage / tank even more, so you need to do extra to keep the humidity up.

I've had a couple balls who stopped eating their rats, and ended their fast last week w/mice, but correct the temp problems first. :)

Do you think I should get a digital thermometer with two probes or one?
I was think if I got a digital thermometer with one probe I would need to buy one for each side?!?!? but if i got one with two probes I needed only to buy one? right??

The Acurite is an INDOOR/OUTDOOR/hygrometer all in one. U put the unit itself on the coolside and then stretch the probe and attach it to the warm side, then when you read the data, the IN value is the cool and the OUT (or outside, like out a window) is the hot side.


After trial and error with the little ones that are singles, I've gotten smart (from ppl here) and out of the 20 snakes, I've got Acurites in all but five of the tubs and tanks....and that's only b/c I already had digital separate units (3 apiece) set up & glued in the tanks. If they ever "die" beyond repair (or simple dead batteries), then they'll get replaced w/the Acurite.

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Originally Posted by sweety314

The Acurite is an INDOOR/OUTDOOR/hygrometer all in one. U put the unit itself on the coolside and then stretch the probe and attach it to the warm side, then when you read the data, the IN value is the cool and the OUT (or outside, like out a window) is the hot side.


After trial and error with the little ones that are singles, I've gotten smart (from ppl here) and out of the 20 snakes, I've got Acurites in all but five of the tubs and tanks....and that's only b/c I already had digital separate units (3 apiece) set up & glued in the tanks. If they ever "die" beyond repair (or simple dead batteries), then they'll get replaced w/the Acurite.

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Close but no cake;)

The probe shows the outside temperature. It is meant to be stretched out a window from inside.

Well this is the one I got.
I got two actually. One for the BP and one for the corn snake.
It's called the "Sunleaves Digital Hygro-Thermometer"
I got it at herpsupplies.com

http://www.herpsupplies.com/images//...sendbinary.jpg

Hopefully it is a good thermometer.
I guess it can measure both sides on the tank.

Hopefully this will help me figured out the temps more persisly, and in turn get my snake back to her eating ways. :hungry:

Is there a button that switches indoor to outdoor readings? i only ask cuz i only see 1 temp reading and a humid reading. also if your still haveing problems with him eating read the suggestions on the thread "My snake hasnt eatin in 3weeks" its like a couple threads down from thisone.

Ball pythins get most of the moisture from the food they eat. You may want to try removing the water a day before you feed, if your snake is not eating. Remember to put it back in though! :)

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Originally Posted by Cl@!r3

Ball pythins get most of the moisture from the food they eat. You may want to try removing the water a day before you feed, if your snake is not eating. Remember to put it back in though! :)

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:confused: Why would removing the water bowl encourage the snake to eat? :confused:

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Originally Posted by Cl@!r3

Ball pythins get most of the moisture from the food they eat. You may want to try removing the water a day before you feed, if your snake is not eating. Remember to put it back in though! :)

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And yet all of mine drink on a regular basis.

See
https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...0/DSCF1197.JPG

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Originally Posted by bonez

Is there a button that switches indoor to outdoor readings? i only ask cuz i only see 1 temp reading and a humid reading. also if your still haveing problems with him eating read the suggestions on the thread "My snake hasnt eatin in 3weeks" its like a couple threads down from thisone.

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I'm pretty sure it has an "In" and "Out" button.
They said it did anyway in the description... well it said it had a seperate probe to get a second reading.
But I can't see the words in the picture so I can really say! We will find out!

and I was looking at the thread earlier today.
One guy said his snake didn't eat for like 6 months, so maybe I'm not doing too badly!

anyway hopefully it will all work out ok... for everyone who can't get there snakes to eat!

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Originally Posted by rabernet

:confused: Why would removing the water bowl encourage the snake to eat? :confused:

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Hi,

It's one of those BAD ideas from the old days when people didn't really know why snakes wouldn't eat. The idea behind it is that the snake will get thirsty enough that it will eat the prey item merely for the moisture it contains.

Even back then however most people regarded it as a "desperation move" as the type of animal you would be frustrated enough to try this with is almost garuanteed to be in lousy condition and one of the last things an animal in that state needs is the extra stress of dehydration.

The pioneers in herpetology were incredibly inventive in terms of the modifying of equipment to serve their needs and trying to find out what their charges needed in order to thrive in captivity but not every idea turned out to be a winner.:)



dr del

Yea ive heard of pythons going for a long time without food. some guy said his went like a year (unless it was 2) without food and without looseing weight. i dont know whether or not to believe but i gues i would. there metabolisms arent the fastest things you know?

I would NOT however, suggest not feeding your snake for that long lol.

Well I moved my analog thermometers closer to the center on the tank and they now measure 100F hot and 90F cool, humidity is 30-40. Humidity changes because I'm starting to give it a spray of water now and them.
And i know it is way way way to hot for her so I've turned one of the lights off, and I will be going to get a lower watt bulb!
Earlier I thought it was too cold, now I think its too hot! Ahh. I need my digital thermometer fast.

But my question is when I get my digital thermometer, where should I put the probe??

I have a 40G tank
It looks like this:

https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...snakesetup.bmp


So should I put a probe inside the hides?? Just because she spends lots of time in them, I figured i should measure the temp in there???
What do you think??

Is that a heat rock in your enclosure?

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Originally Posted by Snakenoitallgod

Is that a heat rock in your enclosure?

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No just a rock to rub against to help shed skin.
I actually have two rocks, but they arent heat rocks.
There is a heat pad attached to the bottom on the tank on the outside of the tank, on the hot side.

Tiki did the same thing. He went on a winter fast for about 4 months and I kept trying to get him to eat. I joined this board and learned A LOT!!! Tiki just ate for the third time in a row two days ago!!!

My temps and humidity were off, so I made a trip to the pet store, moved my thermometers down to snake level, and got things where they need to be. Tiki is a very happy camper now!!!!

YEEEEAH!
She ate a rat last night! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! :carrot: :taz: :rockon:
It was her temps for sure. She was way too hot and now she is almost perfect. My hot side is a little high by 4-5F.

Thanks all for your input and help! :community What a great place!

all you need is 2 of these thermometers from walmart.. less the 7 bucks a piece....

http://img401.imageshack.us/img401/6438/buddatubgw2.jpg


we got 18 of them..lol :carrot: :carrot:

Just to everyone who said don't leave a rat in over night. I'm sorry I didn't clarify. I ment F\T rat. Otherwise never leave LIVE rodent in over night.