ball wont eat

Hey guys...i just got my ball python like a month ago, hes a baby, about 3-4months old...basically wut happened was i fed it once f/t...and it ate pretty much no proble, however mehaving had no experince, i handled it too much and it threw up...NOW it hasnt ate since than, and i tried live/frozen, it kinda smeels the frozen, looks at it, but never takes it...i thawe the rat in water for like 45 min, in warm water..than give it to the snake...any suggestions, and after it hasnt eaten, i give it 2 weeks everytime i just leave it alone

He probably hasn't built up enough acid since the regurge, that's terrible for a snake. I only handle Furio when I put him in his feeding container and 45 minutes after he eats I move him back into his tank. Hopefully he'll start eating for you. Good luck!

yeah but hes a baby its been like 5 weeks since hes eaten, i am worried

have you tried pre killed and leaving it in for about half an hour also i have had a snake that wouldn't eat and you could thaw a frozen and then refreeze and thaw again and would eat like a champ just give it time hopefully he will start eating again and if worse comes to worse you can always force feed but only do it as a last resort and make sure you know what your doing i hope this helps and good luck

try a baby girble they have a stronger cent and have a higher feeding reaction for snakes because thats what they eat in there natural habitat

Did you do the rat zombie dance when you offered the prey item?

Why don't you tell us more about your set-up? Not eating is usually the symptom of a husbandry problem. Size of enclosure, the temps on both side, how many hides you're offering, how snug are they, what do you use to measure temps, what do you use for heating?

A picture would be even better.

rabernet makes a good point some pics would be nice

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Originally Posted by rabernet

Why don't you tell us more about your set-up? Not eating is usually the symptom of a husbandry problem. Size of enclosure, the temps on both side, how many hides you're offering, how snug are they, what do you use to measure temps, what do you use for heating?

A picture would be even better.

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You're so good at this Robin! :bow:

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Originally Posted by COLDBLOODED262

try a baby girble they have a stronger cent and have a higher feeding reaction for snakes because thats what they eat in there natural habitat

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Actually, gerbils in our pet trade are from Mongolia and not Africa. They are part of the jerboa family, but not "exactly" what they eat in their natural habitat.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerboa

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerbil

This is likely more of a husbandry issue than a prey issue.

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Originally Posted by starmom

You're so good at this Robin! :bow:

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:oops: I just know what has worked for countless others before me, and what's been successful for me. If someone's not eating - they likely are unhappy with their environment. Find out what's "bugging" them, and they relax and get back to the business of eating! :D

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Originally Posted by COLDBLOODED262

try a baby girble they have a stronger cent and have a higher feeding reaction for snakes because thats what they eat in there natural habitat

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In addition to what Robin stated offering a different type of prey is not necessary.

In the majority of cases, when a new owner is experiencing with a non-feeding BP, it is husbandry related.

Offering a different type of prey is taking the risk that the animal will imprint on them and will not switch back, which could cause problems.

The first thing to do is to examine the husbandry.

oki will post some pics up very shortly to let you see...but just to brief you...i have two hide spots...one on the cold side, one on the hot side...i use an UTH in the spot oh one of the hiding spots...while the other side ikeep cool...now i use a 50 watt bulb that is infrared to keep it at 30 degrees celcius in the hot zone....

pics are up...in my gallery...hopefully u guys can see em, first time using this forum i dunno if u can actually post pics in here?

The pictures are too large for us to post as they are larger than 800 pixels wide - or I would post them for you. But - a few ideas.

What you are using to measure temps, unfortunately has a reputation for being horribly inaccurate. While it may seem your temps are correct, they may in fact not be. Go to Walmart, in the hardware section with the indoor/outdoor thermometers and pick up one of these:

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e9...mageloader.gif

The hides look to be a smidge too big for him - but not terribly so, I think that you can still use them.

The main thing right now is make sure you're measuring those temps correctly. Then try to maintain temps of 90-94 on the warm side, 80-84 on the cool side - 24 hours a day.

Where is this enclosure located? In a high or low traffic area? There's still a lot of open space that could be stressing your little buddy out. Try covering three side of the enclosure with construction paper or aquarium background.

Also, I'd recommend filling the enclosure with loosely crumpled newspaper for now to give your little guy a sense of security as he moves through the enclosure - he'll feel something touching him on all side. Then after a week, drop in a LIVE hopper mouse (eyes just opened) and walk away. Check back in 1/2 an hour and it should be gone. If not, have an enclosure to keep it in for another week, or see if you can take it back for credit.

Also, another option is to temporarily house him in something like this. I know new keepers want a "pretty" tank, but your first priority right now is to get him settled and eating consistently for you - you can always move him back to a tank later. Here's how I set up babies.

I use a UTH on a thermostat to heat, no supplemental lighting. This is a 15 quart tub. Smaller is better for babies.

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e9...b/BabyRack.jpg

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e9...ub/BabyTub.jpg

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e9...b/BabyTub2.jpg

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e9...b/PretzelA.jpg

This is the same snake today:
http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e9...ocPretzel3.jpg

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Originally Posted by V1L3 DiaL3cT

He probably hasn't built up enough acid since the regurge, that's terrible for a snake. I only handle Furio when I put him in his feeding container and 45 minutes after he eats I move him back into his tank. Hopefully he'll start eating for you. Good luck!

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Couldnt he also have an aggitated throat, throwing up a mouse, the teeth and claws can really do some damage to the inside of the mouth and throat. No first hand experience, just what i've heard.

ok wow i appreciate the info a lot...now how much is too much crumpled paper? should it be covering much of the ground or just sparasely loose paper?

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Originally Posted by Igor

ok wow i appreciate the info a lot...now how much is too much crumpled paper? should it be covering much of the ground or just sparasely loose paper?

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Fill it up so the snake feels totally hidden and safe!

well when he threw up the rat...it was literally like 70% digested, so not much was left of it

another thing...i am going to put construction paper on the aquarium right now...but uhh, i used to change his lights every day/night cycle to a day ligt durin the dya, and infrared during the night...is this the propwer way to do it? or should i just leave the infrared and thats it? cause hes right beside a window which emits a lotof light...

You only need the red light... you can get rid of the other one. After looking at your set up I dont think you need to add the paper in just yet. More importantly you need temps/humidity to be correct first. The red light is going to kill your humidity so you will need to find a way to keep temps up without the red light. I used these when I first started out and realized they were 1/2 the problem. Your best bet would be to pick up a 66qt lock top rubbermaid tub (10$) and work on getting the temps/humidity correct in that. I spent about 2 months and close to 100$ trying to get my glass tank to work and eventually waived the white flag and got a tub. Check out my gallery and I have pics of my 66qt set up. If you need any help shoot me a PM.

well right now what i did is i put crumpled newspaper everywhere cause that seemed to work for a few people...and i am going to try the construction paper...my humidty is between 60-80% but i been told my gauges arent accruate...if this does not work, i'll move him ot a rubbermaid tank and work from there, BUT i am worried tha the is a baby and hasnt eaten in uhh 5 weeks now

Yea your number 1 priority needs to be getting a digital thermometer/hygrometer so you can see where you stand. Unless you live somewhere that naturally has a high humidity the probability that your humidity reading is correct is pretty low. I'm almost willing to bet ya 100$ that your going to switch to a tub in the end so if your that concered with your snake not eating in awhile why not just make the switch now? Your going to end up prolonging the inevitable which wont help out your snake at all. I keep all my snakes in cages larger than probably 99% of the people on this site and I have had no issues so I dont think the newspaper trick is going to solve your problem. If you have perfect temps/humidity with a digitial probe and you cant get your snake to eat a live mouse/rat then I would think about adding the paper in. 99% of the time the issue is heat/humidity related when people use glass tanks and the remaining 1% is a mixture of wierd things such as cage size, hides being too big, etc.

hmm i see....see thats where everyone has diffrent opinions...and i mean everyone, some ppl say theres no way it will eat if theres a security issue, while the temps and humitidy levels we should be keeping it at varies...so i dunno, i'll buy the digital thermoetor and hygrometer...and see what the actual levels i am at, thanks a lot for the info

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Originally Posted by JoshJP7

Yea your number 1 priority needs to be getting a digital thermometer/hygrometer so you can see where you stand. Unless you live somewhere that naturally has a high humidity the probability that your humidity reading is correct is pretty low. I'm almost willing to bet ya 100$ that your going to switch to a tub in the end so if your that concered with your snake not eating in awhile why not just make the switch now? Your going to end up prolonging the inevitable which wont help out your snake at all. I keep all my snakes in cages larger than probably 99% of the people on this site and I have had no issues so I dont think the newspaper trick is going to solve your problem. If you have perfect temps/humidity with a digitial probe and you cant get your snake to eat a live mouse/rat then I would think about adding the paper in. 99% of the time the issue is heat/humidity related when people use glass tanks and the remaining 1% is a mixture of wierd things such as cage size, hides being too big, etc.

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Josh, if you've never tried the newspaper trick (which was a trick of Kevin's of NERD, and works for him - recommended to me with my first ball by Adam of 8ball because it works for him and it also worked for me), how can you say that you don't think it will solve his problem? Kevin and Adam swear by it, I swear by it, I know Joanna swears by it. It WILL help to settle an insecure snake.

And while the larger enclosures work for you - it's best to recommend to new users more simple enclosures - then when they're eating if they want to try your method with more experience under their belts - then by all means!

hey guys he finally ate....i bought him a live fuzzy rat...and i put it inside and it ditn even notice it....and so i left it there and he didnt eat it....so i took both out and put them on my towl...held the mouse infront of the snake...took a few seconds and than BOOm he got him...lol i am happy....it was wierd, first time i seen a rat get killed like that, but happy...thanks for all the suggestions

Congratulations! Was that after you put newspaper in her enclosure?

He fed the snake outside the enclosure so I dont know why the paper being in the tank would make much of a difference?? I didnt say that the paper trick didnt work... I said that with his particular situation it sounds like he had more important issues that needed to be taken care of first

I know this has been posted before but ill put it up here again... MY TUBS ARE NOT LARGE!!!! a 66qt tub is 24x17x13 ... I will always reccomend people use these tubs bc they worked for me and they will work for any noobie. Its so frustrating and hard for me to bite my tongue when you keep saying "large tubs work for you they arnt good for everyone"... Just out of curiosity what do I do that is so special that this would only work for me?? I gave my buddy the same advice when he was getting into snakes and he went with 66qt snap top... hes got 5 snakes now all in 66qt... Does it just work for him bc he knows me and I got the special touch??? I dont want this turing into an arguement but I will take some pictures of my "large" tubs tonight so you can see how massive they are.

yea it was after i put the newspaper in...but it still didnt eat in the enclosure...i'll see what happenes with the tubs...i still gotta measure humidity and temps see how those are, if i cant regulate them than i will switch to tubs cause i know most who breed or have lots of snakes use tubs...but like i said, i appreciate all the advice

"Large" 66qt set up...

http://www.ball-pythons.net/gallery/...3/dsc00112.jpg

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Originally Posted by JoshJP7

99% of the time the issue is heat/humidity related when people use glass tanks and the remaining 1% is a mixture of wierd things such as cage size, hides being too big, etc.

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That's another pretty authoritative statement Josh. How long have you had your BP's? Good to know I can count on you to get to the real issues. Never mind what the guys with decades of experience have passed on to us. :rolleyes:

Dont worry I'm here for ya :) Its been about a yr and 1/2 since I got my first little one... I made a couple mistakes with my first set up but I have setting up tubs mastered. Dont fool yourself... it doesnt take decades of experience to know what balls need and how to meet those needs.

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Originally Posted by JoshJP7

Dont worry I'm here for ya :) Its been about a yr and 1/2 since I got my first little one... I made a couple mistakes with my first set up but I have setting up tubs mastered. Dont fool yourself... it doesnt take decades of experience to know what balls need and how to meet those needs.

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LOL, ok man, I hear ya. :gj: