this snake is pissing me off...

Like I said, my baby bp is pissing me off. She hasnt eaten in over 2 weeks and being so small, she seems to have visibly lost weight. Everything that has to do with her husbandry is correct, I just don't know what I'm doing wrong. I have tried f/t, regular adult, live hoppers,small adults... Nothing seems to work! Her first two meals she ate without hesitation, and now for some reason she wont even acknowledge the food I put in front of her. Some people suggested pre scenting the cage: did that, didnt work...others suggested holding the live feeder and letting the snake investigate it: also didnt work.... I'm just really worried that she is gonna die!

hahah no shes not gonna die .maybe she is full. some snakes go 6 months with out eating nothing to worry about if she hasent eatin in 5 months then you have to worry

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Originally Posted by bonheki

hahah no shes not gonna die .maybe she is full. some snakes go 6 months with out eating nothing to worry about if she hasent eatin in 5 months then you have to worry

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She is only about 18" and around 100grams... should I still be not be worried

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Originally Posted by bonheki

hahah no shes not gonna die .maybe she is full. some snakes go 6 months with out eating nothing to worry about if she hasent eatin in 5 months then you have to worry

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Yea, She could die. And yes he should worry!

Try Assist feeding her...

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hahah no shes not gonna die .maybe she is full. some snakes go 6 months with out eating nothing to worry about if she hasent eatin in 5 months then you have to worry

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If it's a baby and it's visably losing weight I would worry way before 5 months. As long as the temps and husbandry are right on, keep trying a hopper mouse or a small pup rat once a week. Just drop it in at about 8:00 once the lights are off and leave it alone over night. Other than feeding and cleaning it, leave it alone so it settles in and gets comfortable. On feeding day put the hot spot at 95 for the entire day and night, drop the food in and leave it alone. If it doesn't eat, leave it alone for a week and try again. If it's eaten before, just be patient and keep trying small live prey.

how old id she if around 3 months or more nothing to worry about .cuz juviniles sometimes dont know the smell or rat's to much and they get confuzed . put the rat inside for 1 hour if not eaten then tease her with the rat and if nothing just try again tommorw and try to put the heat up a little more

[QUOTE=PythonWallace;678429]If it's a baby and it's visably losing weight I would worry way before 5 months.

i dont think it would be loseing much weight in 2 weeks maybe in a month or 2 it will lose some weight

should I call my herp vet just in case? I took her in about 2 weeks after I got her just to make sure she was healthy, he did a fecal float test and nothing showed up...

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i dont think it would be loseing much weight in 2 weeks maybe in a month or 2 it will lose some weight

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He said it's a baby and that it's visably lost weight. It could very well starv in 1-2 months, and if another try or two of feeding small live prey doesn't work, an assist feed is in order.

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Originally Posted by PythonWallace

He said it's a baby and that it's visably lost weight. It could very well starv in 1-2 months, and if another try or two of feeding small live prey doesn't work, an assist feed is in order.

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I agree...Trax would not eat when I first brought him home after a couple times of refusing his meal I decided it was best to assist feed. I had to do it twice...after that he got the hang of it and has not skipped a meal since!

:)

do u know how to assist feed?

Ok i know this sounds weird and all but it worked for me. try this. its not force feeding is semi force feeding.(ONLY DO THIS IF YOU ARE FEEDING WITH F/T) just open up the bps mouth a little, and use the mouse to open it up more. put the head of the mouse in the snakes mouth. don't shove it down the throat. just put it half way into his mouth. when i did this with my albino she got the idea and decided to constrict it. i guess she tasted the blood or something. it worked on her but not on my adult male who is being a pain in the ass too and not eating.

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Originally Posted by PythonWallace

He said it's a baby and that it's visably lost weight. It could very well starv in 1-2 months, and if another try or two of feeding small live prey doesn't work, an assist feed is in order.

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Okay, maybe I exaggerated when I said she has visibly lost weight, but she does look thiner. I tried feeding her tonight with the smallest adult mouse I could find. I mean really small, this thing looked like a hoppers' older twin....she showed no interest in it. I'll try again next monday and if she doesn't eat, should I contact my vet and let him decide if an assist feed in necessary?(I definitely don't have the experience needed to do one myself)

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Originally Posted by giaach

Okay, maybe I exaggerated when I said she has visibly lost weight, but she does look thiner. I tried feeding her tonight with the smallest adult mouse I could find. I mean really small, this thing looked like a hoppers' older twin....she showed no interest in it. I'll try again next monday and if she doesn't eat, should I contact my vet and let him decide if an assist feed in necessary?(I definitely don't have the experience needed to do one myself)

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It's pretty easy to do, but if you aren't comfortable and you think it's neccesary, than set up a vet appointment to show you how to do it. It might only take that one time for the snake to catch on.

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Originally Posted by giaach

Okay, maybe I exaggerated when I said she has visibly lost weight, but she does look thiner. I tried feeding her tonight with the smallest adult mouse I could find. I mean really small, this thing looked like a hoppers' older twin....she showed no interest in it. I'll try again next monday and if she doesn't eat, should I contact my vet and let him decide if an assist feed in necessary?(I definitely don't have the experience needed to do one myself)

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oh i have no expirience assist feeding either. just use the head of the mouse and your fingers to open the mouth of it. you pesonaly can open his/her mouth by putting your thumb on top of the head of the snake, and your index finger on the middle of the lower jaw. and gently apply pressure on the lower jaw with your index finger. then roll your index finger down the the jaw twards the snakes body. (kind of like the popping method)(sexing) this will open the snakes mouth just a little. but remember to be gentle. then us the moues head to push down on the lower jaw and allow it to hinge onto the snakes teeth. its a lot easyer than it sounds. trust me!:gj: good luck. you can switch the way you do this if it makes it easyer. (thumb on top index on bottom) what ever works for you.

anybody made a How To for assist feeding?

I will warn you...if you do try to assist feed...and I am not so sure at this point it is necessary since you said he may not actually be losing weight...

But..if you do it just keep in mind that if your snake does latch onto the prey he will probably try to constrict it...and it will startle you. Don't drop your snake! Make sure you aren't far from a secure surface so you can put him down without harming him.

:)

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Originally Posted by jeffnme

I will warn you...if you do try to assist feed...and I am not so sure at this point it is necessary since you said he may not actually be losing weight...

But..if you do it just keep in mind that if your snake does latch onto the prey he will probably try to constrict it...and it will startle you. Don't drop your snake! Make sure you aren't far from a secure surface so you can put him down without harming him.

:)

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Alright, I'll keep that in mind. I would assume that with an assist feed there is the chance of a regurge. Of course I probably will talk to my vet before I even think of doing it.

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Originally Posted by giaach

I would assume that with an assist feed there is the chance of a regurge.

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yes there is.

:)

The thing is if your BP has ate successfully for you in the past I don't see any reason why he does not now.

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Everything that has to do with her husbandry is correct

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Can you elaborate?

What type of enclosure do you use?
How big is your enclosure?
Is your enclosure in a low traffic area?
What are your temps (cool & warm side)?
What is your humidity?
What type of thermometer/hygrometer do you use (dial,stick,or digital)?
What kind of hides do you provide (log, homemade, cubbyholes etc) and how many do you have?
Are your hides tight (all side touching your BP's body) and identical?
How often do you offer food?
How often do you handle your BP?
Has you BP had any health problem?

this is how to assist feed:D

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Originally Posted by pythontricker

Ok i know this sounds weird and all but it worked for me. try this. its not force feeding is semi force feeding.(ONLY DO THIS IF YOU ARE FEEDING WITH F/T) just open up the bps mouth a little, and use the mouse to open it up more. put the head of the mouse in the snakes mouth. don't shove it down the throat. just put it half way into his mouth. when i did this with my albino she got the idea and decided to constrict it. i guess she tasted the blood or something. it worked on her but not on my adult male who is being a pain in the ass too and not eating.

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Here is an answer to each of your questions:
What type of enclosure do you use? 10 gal glass aquarium
How big is your enclosure? standard 10 gal
Is your enclosure in a low traffic area? yes, my bedroom, no one is around to make loud noises, bumps, thuds, ect
What are your temps (cool & warm side)? cool ambient 77-80, warm side 90-93
What is your humidity? 55-65%
What type of thermometer/hygrometer do you use (dial,stick,or digital)? Flukers digital
What kind of hides do you provide (log, homemade, cubbyholes etc) and how many do you have? identical rock caves.
Are your hides tight (all side touching your BP's body) and identical? while not super tight, she likes to curl up against the back corner
How often do you offer food? once every 5-7 days
How often do you handle your BP? maybe once every other day
Has you BP had any health problem? no problems in the past

Raise your cool side temps to nothing below 80. 82 to 84 seem to be the magic numbers. Also the AMBIENT temps inside the 10 gal should be around that too.
Warm side is ok. Maybe 1 degree low for my liking. Especially because your probably measuring temps under the substrate. And the heat has to be able to pass through whatever your using.

Try handling a little less often. Just for now. Till regular feeding resumes. Just my 2 pennies. Good luck!!

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Originally Posted by 2kdime

Raise your cool side temps to nothing below 80. 82 to 84 seem to be the magic numbers. Also the AMBIENT temps inside the 10 gal should be around that too.
Warm side is ok. Maybe 1 degree low for my liking. Especially because your probably measuring temps under the substrate. And the heat has to be able to pass through whatever your using.

Try handling a little less often. Just for now. Till regular feeding resumes. Just my 2 pennies. Good luck!!

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Alright I'll try and get those ambient temps up. Im using a 50w red bulb and a UTH. The bulb is right in the middle and both are hooked into a thermostat. How could I increase the ambient heat without making the warm side too hot. ( The UTH plus the red bulb, make the warm side hot very quickly)

Before assisting feeding here is what I would recommend

Move your BP in a 6 quarts tub (while some BP do great in glass tank some are more shy than other)

Provide very tight hides at this point 6 inches flowerpot dish will work great.

Bump the temp on the cool side (80-84)

Once all set in a new enclosure do not handle your BP for a week and offer food.

Even if you were successful after this I would recommend you handle your BP less often, every other day for such a small BP is a lot especially if you have a shy individual.

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Originally Posted by giaach

Alright I'll try and get those ambient temps up. Im using a 50w red bulb and a UTH. The bulb is right in the middle and both are hooked into a thermostat. How could I increase the ambient heat without making the warm side too hot. ( The UTH plus the red bulb, make the warm side hot very quickly)

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What kind of thermostats are you using? How many? Like both on the same one? Or one thermostat for each one?

im going though the same thing its about patience which is what im learning im going this is week 6 or the 7 weeks ive had him

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Originally Posted by GA_Ball_Pythons

Before assisting feeding here is what I would recommend

Move your BP in a 6 quarts tub (while some BP do great in glass tank some are more shy than other)

Provide very tight hides at this point 6 inches flowerpot dish will work great.

Bump the temp on the cool side (80-84)

Once all set in a new enclosure do not handle your BP for a week and offer food.

Even if you were successful after this I would recommend you handle your BP less often, every other day for such a small BP is a lot especially if you have a shy individual.

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I agree 100%. Security is a BP's #1 concern and larger or glass enclosures stress many BP's and cause them to go off feed. If you don't go to a smaller tub (which is what I reccommend) I would fill the enclosure with crumpled newspaper so she can hide in her hide without any view of her and leave her for a week. This will make her feel more secure. BP's are most vulnerable when feeding and if they feel vulnerable already they wont eat.

Also try rat pups instead of mice, some BP's may prefer one over the other.

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Originally Posted by GA_Ball_Pythons

Once all set in a new enclosure do not handle your BP for a week and offer food.

Even if you were successful after this I would recommend you handle your BP less often, every other day for such a small BP is a lot especially if you have a shy individual.

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Hi,

Just thought it was worth highlighting this bit as it's the one everyone seems to forget or ignore.:rolleyes:


dr del

Assist feeding is a great way to get a young BP eating but after you have tried a few husbandry and feeding adjustments and the animal is visibly loosing weight. Force feeding has a high chance of regurg but with assist feeding the snake swallows it down on it's own.Y ou want to wet a prekilled hopper, gently open the snakes mouth with the head of mouse and put the head of mouse in past it's ears. Genlty put the snake back in it tub(I do it right in the tub) and let it swallow it on it's own. This usually kicks in the feeding response. i keep my hatchlings in real small hatchling tubs until they are well past 100 grams and they all eat good.

go ahead and cover all but one of the sides of the tank.

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Originally Posted by bonheki

hahah no shes not gonna die .maybe she is full. some snakes go 6 months with out eating nothing to worry about if she hasent eatin in 5 months then you have to worry

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I'd avoid this advice. It seems to be a bit of advice from someone who does not really understand. She is small and very young. Yes you should worry a little if you can visibly see a change in size/hydration. I'm no expert, but some EXPERT on the forum will help you out. My only advice is to not consider the above referenced quote as reasonable.

Maybe a full grown snake can go 5 months but not a baby. Come on man. Dont give advise if you don't know the answer, the outcome could be tragic.

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Originally Posted by giaach

Like I said, my baby bp is pissing me off. She hasnt eaten in over 2 weeks and being so small, she seems to have visibly lost weight. Everything that has to do with her husbandry is correct, I just don't know what I'm doing wrong. I have tried f/t, regular adult, live hoppers,small adults... Nothing seems to work! Her first two meals she ate without hesitation, and now for some reason she wont even acknowledge the food I put in front of her. Some people suggested pre scenting the cage: did that, didnt work...others suggested holding the live feeder and letting the snake investigate it: also didnt work.... I'm just really worried that she is gonna die!

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All those things you've tried, you tried them all in a two week period of time? My guess is that the little one is extremely stressed out by all your attempts to feed. Do the other recommended changes, leave her alone, don't even touch her for a week, then drop in a live hopper mouse after that full week.

Giaach, I've had to deal with non-eating CH babies this year and did end up having to help them or they would simply not have survived.

Having said that it's NOT the first line of defense so to speak. It's a serious decision for a newcomer to either assist or force feed a hatchling (assist isn't the same as force feeding btw). You need to look at other things first...handling, husbandry, stressors on the snake, caging, prey, health of the little snake before you make a serious decision to assist/force feed. Experienced keepers may make this determination and do this much quicker but they know what to do and when the time is to do it.

Before you go to assist feed I'd caution you to step back and really look at your husbandry and every aspect of the care this snake gets. Is there anything else you can adjust first before you rush to assist feed? Adding in newspaper, smaller enclosure, quieter room, feeding at night after dark, leaving in a rat fuzzy overnight perhaps (fuzzy mind you, not a prey with erupted teeth type thing), stopping all but absolutely necessary handling. That would be my first steps before I'd go to assist feeding any snake.

are you using a uth or light? i was using just a light and my bp started fasting for about 5-6 months off and on. a herpetologists friend told me that she might have had trouble digesting her last meal, and he made me an uth (to boost belly heat). it worked wonders. i waited about a week and a half/two weeks to feed and she constricted in less then one minute and ate in less then three. if there are any other options try them, force feeding should be a last resort. and if you do have to force feed, talk to a herp vet as this method of feeding is obviously very stressful to both animal and owner. all the best, there are a lot of experienced people here who are more than happy to help.

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Originally Posted by rabernet

All those things you've tried, you tried them all in a two week period of time? My guess is that the little one is extremely stressed out by all your attempts to feed. Do the other recommended changes, leave her alone, don't even touch her for a week, then drop in a live hopper mouse after that full week.

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This I suspect is the correct advice for you (see above). And make sure that she has a nice dark hide to be left alone in.

I also agree with everyone. Handling your BP is the least of your concerns until she is feeding consistently. I had also said that in your last post about this snake. :/

You've only had this animal for a month. I agree that she is a very stressed out little snake!

Everyone here (esp. Deb) has given excellent advice! You should consider the move to a 6 quart just like she said. ;)

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What type of enclosure do you use? 10 gal glass aquarium
How big is your enclosure? standard 10 gal

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Many people start out with them in this size no problems here

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Is your enclosure in a low traffic area? yes, my bedroom, no one is around to make loud noises, bumps, thuds, ect

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Good this is often an over looked area of keeping these animals

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What are your temps (cool & warm side)? cool ambient 77-80, warm side 90-93

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Cools side is a little cool but you have already addressed that

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What is your humidity? 55-65%

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Good job there

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What type of thermometer/hygrometer do you use (dial,stick,or digital)? Flukers digital

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Is this on both sides of the tank or does it have a probe. I am not familiar with these

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What kind of hides do you provide (log, homemade, cubbyholes etc) and how many do you have? identical rock caves.

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Good

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Are your hides tight (all side touching your BP's body) and identical? while not super tight, she likes to curl up against the back corner

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AAAA red flag for you right there. The reason she is not using her hides is she doesn't feel secure in them. Try smaller hides... you will be surprised how small a ball python really likes to have. If your animal is spending its time out of its hide and not eating this tells me that it is stressed. Get some smaller cave or even the Terra Cotta flower pot bottoms and make a small tight hide.

Check this out
http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/s...543688#p543688

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How often do you offer food? once every 5-7 days

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Sounds good

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How often do you handle your BP? maybe once every other day

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As has already been covered might want to not handle until you get a couple of good meals in your little buddy.

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Has you BP had any health problem? no problems in the past

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:gj:

I have found luck with dwarf rat pups for troubled eaters. They are a little smaller and the snakes seem to like them better than mouse pinkies.

Good luck.

just two quick notes,

are you weighing this your self or did the vet give you the 100g weight. if you are not sure that the snake is really visibly loosing weight, i would suggest a small scale, just to make sure. i know that the stress of a non eater can cause the owner to "see" weight loss that really isnt happening. this would give you a true measure of how to plan your next move.
ALSO,
when was the last time this guy shed? if it was going into a shed, perhaps it doesnt want to eat till it finishes. i have a smaller male who gets somewhat darker, but really doesnt "go into blue" as noticeably as my other snakes, and wont eat for about two weeks of the whole process.
relax, dont get pissed, it will all work out
good luck

here are some answers to all of your questions:
- I am using both a 50w red bulb and a UTH. How could I increase the ambient temp without making the warm side too hot? ( The UTH plus the red bulb, make the warm side hot very quickly)
- Both of those are running into the same thermostat.
- To measure temps I use a digital thermo w/ probe to measure the heat inside the hide on the warm side. I have another digital thermo/hydro measuring ambient and humidity located on the cool side.
- I am using two Exo Terra rock caves as hides. The medium size ones, they can be found their site.
- She never leaves her hide on the warm side, or at least I never see her leave it. When I said she usually curls up in the back corner I meant back corner of the hide.
- I really do not want to change to a tub because A) I have zero money right now bc of xmas shopping and B) Aesthetically speaking, I doesn't appeal to me.(Sorry?)
- I know she is not refusing food because of an upcoming shed because she shed last week.

What I find odd is that I had her at school for a week. She was in the 10gal with newspaper for substrate, a Trisket box for hiding, a water dish, and I only had a UTH with no thermostat or anything. She ate fine that week. Now I bring her home, set her up with all this nice stuff ( following the standards set by the caresheet) and now she won't eat! Its so strange. Im not a child, I dont go picking her up out of the cage every hour, and I don't blast music or do things that would frighten her. Could it just be the change in the weather, its been cold, rainy/snowy/icy the past 2 weeks...

I just don't want to throw in the towel

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- I am using both a 50w red bulb and a UTH. How could I increase the ambient temp without making the warm side too hot? ( The UTH plus the red bulb, make the warm side hot very quickly)

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Raise the temp in the room

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- Both of those are running into the same thermostat.

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Good deal

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- To measure temps I use a digital thermo w/ probe to measure the heat inside the hide on the warm side. I have another digital thermo/hydro measuring ambient and humidity located on the cool side.

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Perfect

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- I am using two Exo Terra rock caves as hides. The medium size ones, they can be found their site.

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These still might be to big for her and as such some what relating to her not eating

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- She never leaves her hide on the warm side, or at least I never see her leave it. When I said she usually curls up in the back corner I meant back corner of the hide.

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AAAA.. Ok I see what your saying.. Again smaller is better when it comes to hides my snakes take up the whole hide from the 3000+ gram ones to the 150-200 gram ones they love to cram themselves in to tight really tight places.

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- I really do not want to change to a tub because A) I have zero money right now bc of xmas shopping and B) Aesthetically speaking, I doesn't appeal to me.(Sorry?)

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Not a problem balls can be house in a great tank setup for their whole lives with no problem once you get them set up right.

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- I know she is not refusing food because of an upcoming shed because she shed last week.

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Ok so that rules that out

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What I find odd is that I had her at school for a week. She was in the 10gal with newspaper for substrate, a Trisket box for hiding, a water dish, and I only had a UTH with no thermostat or anything. She ate fine that week. Now I bring her home, set her up with all this nice stuff ( following the standards set by the caresheet) and now she won't eat! Its so strange.

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All of the things your describing are stress factors for your snake. starting in an improper setup, being moved, then being set up in a new home..All that is very stress full for a little snake.

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Im not a child, I dont go picking her up out of the cage every hour, and I don't blast music or do things that would frighten her.

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No your not a child..your new to ball pythons and as such we have no clue what your handling practices are. It is great that you care enough to have some fore thought into what might scare your new pet.. A+ for that

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Could it just be the change in the weather, its been cold, rainy/snowy/icy the past 2 weeks...

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Typically not more often than not animals that go off feed due to cooling weather are of breeding age and mature snakes. Babies will go off feed because of illness or stress.

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I just don't want to throw in the towel

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No reason to there are still many Many tricks that can be done to try and spur your baby to eat..We'll get there

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I really do not want to change to a tub because A) I have zero money right now bc of xmas shopping and B) Aesthetically speaking, I doesn't appeal to me.(Sorry?)

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Well

A/ a 6 quarts tub cost about 1 dollar

B/ this is not about what appeals to YOU (No one said it was a permanent measure either), this is about what YOU NEED to do so your BP start eating again.

Until your BP eats on a regular basis and put on some weight, you need to provide him with MAXIMUM security (Tight enclosure and NO HANDLING), this is what is BEST for HIM for now

After 4 to 6 weeks (4 to 6 consecutive successful meals) you can move him back in the enclosure that appeals to you and see how it goes.

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Originally Posted by Freakie_frog

AAAA.. Ok I see what your saying.. Again smaller is better when it comes to hides my snakes take up the whole hide from the 3000+ gram ones to the 150-200 gram ones they love to cram themselves in to tight really tight places.

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If I were to turn the hides around that way they faced against the back wall which has a nature poster would that help any or no? I have a small exo terra cave too but the opening is bigger so Im not sure if she will like it...

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Originally Posted by giaach

If I were to turn the hides around that way they faced against the back wall which has a nature poster would that help any or no? I have a small exo terra cave too but the opening is bigger so Im not sure if she will like it...

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You can try it..

I had a Wysocki Jedi ;) tell me once that they like to feel touched on all sides. So I would say try it but don't get discouraged if it doesn't work. :D

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Originally Posted by giaach

- I know she is not refusing food because of an upcoming shed because she shed last week.

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not really, actually it makes that more plausible. if i am reading your timeline properly then

two weeks ago you offered some food and it refused, possibly due to an impending shed.

a week later it shed

a week after the shed it wont eat, which occurs alot with mine. the week after a shed i have about a 50 percent chance of getting one to eat....

also, has it pooped since the shed? seems to me that my luck is a bit better after a shed AND a poop than between a shed and a poop. maybe just me tho.
if it ate a few times then stopped eating before, then i would give it a week with no handling, no feeding attempts, very little disturbance and try again.
IF that doesnt work THEN look at more drastic measures, but i hate to see this little girl (i know i called it a guy earlier, my bad) stressed more when she has actually fed in that enviroment.
my two cents

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Originally Posted by doyle033

not really, actually it makes that more plausible. if i am reading your timeline properly then

two weeks ago you offered some food and it refused, possibly due to an impending shed.

a week later it shed

a week after the shed it wont eat, which occurs alot with mine. the week after a shed i have about a 50 percent chance of getting one to eat....

also, has it pooped since the shed? seems to me that my luck is a bit better after a shed AND a poop than between a shed and a poop. maybe just me tho.
if it ate a few times then stopped eating before, then i would give it a week with no handling, no feeding attempts, very little disturbance and try again.
IF that doesnt work THEN look at more drastic measures, but i hate to see this little girl (i know i called it a guy earlier, my bad) stressed more when she has actually fed in that enviroment.
my two cents

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Well the whole eating thing before the shed was pretty normal I got her on a monday which was november 12. I fed her on thursday november 15 and she took that meal instantly ( live adult mouse) I went home from school the 20 and fed her on friday the 23rd (still no problems). On monday the 26 she regurgitated the mouse but barely anything was left over. After taking her to the vet because of that he concluded that it was because of her impending shed which was obvious by that day (wednesday the 28th). I did'nt feed her the rest of that week and then on monday the 3rd of december she had finished her shed. That tuesday I tried to feed her at night and she refused. On wednesday and tried to feed her a f/t fuzzy, she refused that as well. Finally yesterday I tried to feed her a live hopper which she also refused. So it has been 2 1/2 weeks with out food. She hasn't really pooped either. When I took her to the vet i brought the poo she had made over the weekend and since then all i have found are uraites. I think shes all out of poo to be honest.

when you say you tried to feed her a live hopper... what is trying? Do you feed in the enclosure? I tried to feed my baby pewter in a separate enclosure like I do with all my other snakes and she refused... I left her alone for like 4 days... dropped a mouse hopper in her tub... 2hrs later it was gone. According to Adams website(8ball) on picky feeders It says to leave the mouse hopper in overnight... I was attempting to do that to get her to eat... and as I said within 2hrs it was gone.

Also you may be trying to feed too soon.. trying to feed them over and over everynight can be stressful.. I say you give em 4-7 days with NO disturbances and then drop a mouse hopper in and see what happens... Hopefully youll end up with the same results as I did.

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Originally Posted by giaach

Well the whole eating thing before the shed was pretty normal I got her on a monday which was november 12. I fed her on thursday november 15 and she took that meal instantly ( live adult mouse) I went home from school the 20 and fed her on friday the 23rd (still no problems). On monday the 26 she regurgitated the mouse but barely anything was left over. After taking her to the vet because of that he concluded that it was because of her impending shed which was obvious by that day (wednesday the 28th). I did'nt feed her the rest of that week and then on monday the 3rd of december she had finished her shed. That tuesday I tried to feed her at night and she refused. On wednesday and tried to feed her a f/t fuzzy, she refused that as well. Finally yesterday I tried to feed her a live hopper which she also refused. So it has been 2 1/2 weeks with out food. She hasn't really pooped either. When I took her to the vet i brought the poo she had made over the weekend and since then all i have found are uraites. I think shes all out of poo to be honest.

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honestly, the regurge would bother me more than the nonfeeding. but i have more experience with morelia than balls and a regurge in a GTP is usually indicative of a more serious problem AND kind of hard on the digestive tract, esophoagus, etc. i am not really sure how tough it is on a ball, or what problems this would be symptomatic of.

hopefully some of these other posts work for you. good luck

Well the over all message here was just leave her alone for a week, time heals all wounds... I wont even touch her unless uber necessary. If she doesn't take a meal next monday that I'm going to call my local herp vet and get her checked out.