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  • 04-22-2021, 11:43 AM
    KL888
    Questions about age, adjustment time and eating.
    Hello everyone, Glad to be apart of the community.

    So I have had my BP (Mr. White) for two weeks now. I tried feeding at the one week mark and the two week mark. I did it all warmed the rat in water without a bag, with a bag, brained, moving it around like a live rat, leaving it in the enclosure, covering the front in addition to the already covered sides and back. The Humidity and temps are spot and as constant as possible. I have two hide, some enrichment stuff all he interacts with and seems to find interesting, and of course a water bowl of appropriate size. He is also on "schedule" he comes out of his hide about 9 pm and goes back in at around five or six am. So I was wondering if age has anything to do with it? He is almost a year old and is big . He did eat for the breeder (frozen rat pup). I am not apposed to live prey but wanted some input before taking that step. Thank you in advance.

    KL
  • 04-22-2021, 12:02 PM
    Hugsplox
    Re: Questions about age, adjustment time and eating.
    Hello and welcome to the forum!

    Can you give us a bit more information? What size enclosure do you have him in, what are your temperatures (I know you said spot on, but spot on may mean something different to you than me), have you handled him at all since he got home? The more information the better. Since he's only been with you a couple of weeks, my initial guess would be that he's still settling into his new enclosure, but again more information would help us zero in on what the issue(s) may be.

    The good news is, since he's almost a year old, a couple of weeks without food isn't going to hurt him. Still though I understand how a new snake not eating can be stressful, so shoot us some more details about your setup and we'll see what we can do. :)

    Edit: One more question as well, can you tell us how you're defrosting your feeder? I mean step by step, so we can make sure nothing's missing?
  • 04-22-2021, 02:05 PM
    KL888
    Re: Questions about age, adjustment time and eating.
    So first enclosure I have a 40 Gal glass, front opening doors,19x37x19 covered on three sides, and the top is mostly covered expect where I have CHE. I use both CHE and Heat mat (thermostat controlled of course), Aspen bedding, 1 plastic box hide and one half log one. my Temp on the high side are 5-87 with the hot spot between 91-92 and the cool side is 79-81. Humidity is 52-53 %. For the thawing part. 1.get rat out of freeze into zip lock bag.2. overnight in frig thaw. 3. heat water in microwave to about 110. 4. Place rat in water ( I've done both inside and out of bag.).5. check that rat is at least 92 to 98 degrees.6. feed. Outside of placing in the enclosure and putting him back when in got out during a feeding attempt I have not handle him. maybe three mins. total if that.


    KL
  • 04-24-2021, 11:21 PM
    KL888
    Re: Questions about age, adjustment time and eating.
    Also I am feeding rat pups.
  • 04-24-2021, 11:47 PM
    Bogertophis
    I'd suggest losing the half-log "hide" for now -they're okay as "furniture" but not actually hides of the type BPs require to feel safe- and replacing it with a hide of the same type & size as the other one, assuming that plastic hide is the right size for this BP. They want to be fairly snug inside; hides must have only one doorway, not oversized- just big enough for them to fit thru easily after a meal. Half-logs are WAY too open & too tall- BPs prefer some "back pressure" too. (the feeling of being wedged in so nothing can sneak up on them)

    The reason it's best for hides to be identical is that if one feels more secure than the other, they'll most likely choose that one whether or not it offers the right temperature. They need a warm hide for digestion, & a cool (unheated) hide for other times like when in shed. BPs evolved using thermoregulation to keep from needing to eat constantly- ie. to be efficient in harsh environments, so as captive pets, you need to offer snakes similar conditions to what they'd seek & need for survival in their natural environment.

    Apart from the hides, you might want to drop the highest & lowest temps by about 2*- might be a bit too warm, assuming temps. were accurately recorded. Aspen is okay, but not helping your humidity any.

    Other than that- if he's a year old, he's more apt to feel out of sorts by a new home than if he'd been sold as a hatchling. He came to depend on where he lived before...try to imagine how weird that is to have the world as you know it suddenly disappear & not understand how or why. For best results, a new snake (especially one as sensitive as most BPs are) do best if their new home mimics their previous one- at least for a while, & even if it was too small. Always best to ask the source exactly how the snake was kept prior to your purchase, & for a time, duplicate that until they settle in & eat regularly.

    A 40 gal. tank is pretty big (most would say TOO big) for a yearling BP- I realize your intentions were good, but BPs are ambush predators that feel safe when hiding most of the time- they're not active hunters- instead they wait for clueless prey to scamper past where they're holed up. When you offer food, do so only at night- & dim the room lighting. Don't offer food if he's cruising the cage either- he'll likely refuse, but a BP peeking out of their hide is often one that's hoping for a meal- that's the best time to offer.
  • 04-24-2021, 11:52 PM
    Bogertophis
    Re: Questions about age, adjustment time and eating.
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by KL888 View Post
    ... Outside of placing in the enclosure and putting him back when in got out during a feeding attempt I have not handle him. maybe three mins. total if that...KL

    :confusd: Are you saying you took him out of his home to put him in another container of some kind for feeding? If so, do NOT do that ever- that's a prime reason a BP will refuse to eat. You must offer them food where they live & feel safe. Handling totally distracts from their feeding instincts (the only thing that picks up a snake in the wild is usually a predator about to eat them) & I can assure you that if you got this snake from a breeder, it's unlikely he was handled much & certainly not at feeding time- & besides, you're a new person to him also. Feed on his home turf, period.

    Oh and by the way,:welcome:
  • 04-25-2021, 03:36 PM
    KL888
    Re: Questions about age, adjustment time and eating.
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Bogertophis View Post
    :confusd: Are you saying you took him out of his home to put him in another container of some kind for feeding? If so, do NOT do that ever- that's a prime reason a BP will refuse to eat. You must offer them food where they live & feel safe. Handling totally distracts from their feeding instincts (the only thing that picks up a snake in the wild is usually a predator about to eat them) & I can assure you that if you got this snake from a breeder, it's unlikely he was handled much & certainly not at feeding time- & besides, you're a new person to him also. Feed on his home turf, period.

    Oh and by the way,:welcome:



    Of course not. I was saying I had the door open and he came out of the enclosure during a feeding attempt. I did even bother to try anymore that time as I knew just that 10 second handling would be enough to cause issues. I also did mean to come off as a complete yahoo. As for the half log hide I repositioned it a before even started posting here, so it was against the tank ( which again I have covered with black tag board.) and he started going inside it more. oddly the half log is way more snug fitting then the hide he is in the most, in fact I was surprised he fit in the half log after he was inside the tank first time. I try to post a picture of the enclosure. I am sure it could use more cover but I think there is more cover the I made it out to have as well. I am also starting to think after doing more research that (although the snake was well taken care of) the breeder records might be off because if he truly is almost a year old he is big for his age. he is about 3 inches short of 3 ft. a BP from a breeder he seems very confident, I don't know if that's bad or good.
  • 04-25-2021, 05:11 PM
    Bogertophis
    Re: Questions about age, adjustment time and eating.
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by KL888 View Post
    Of course not...

    OK, good then, it just wasn't clear. For us to give you the best help & not waste either of our time, the best thing you can do is make your issues clear to us, either in writing or with photos. ;)

    When something isn't made clear, we try not to assume- it might mean giving the wrong response & we don't want the snake to suffer as a result.
  • 04-25-2021, 05:15 PM
    Bogertophis
    Re: Questions about age, adjustment time and eating.
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by KL888 View Post
    ...I am also starting to think after doing more research that (although the snake was well taken care of) the breeder records might be off because if he truly is almost a year old he is big for his age. he is about 3 inches short of 3 ft. a BP from a breeder he seems very confident, I don't know if that's bad or good.

    I agree that if your BP is nearly 3' long, he is probably at least 2 years old, not one. What I would call "well-started" :D which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it's nice to know the true age of any pet.

    BUT, the older he is, the more likely he is to be "set in his ways" so it's even more important to find out exactly what his previous owner (or breeder) fed him, to help assure that he eats well for you & transitions as quickly as possible. The good news is that at his size, he obviously DOES eat, so a week or 2 of refusing food is just a normal settling in time, & nowhere near as consequential as it would be for a new hatchling snake. In fact many new snake owners don't even offer food for at least the first week or two, knowing that the snake will likely refuse to eat anyway, until they feel more "at home".
  • 04-26-2021, 02:55 PM
    KL888
    The plan
    So here is my plan for Wednesday. Do the normal thawing process but feed him before he comes out of the hide. From all the help you have generously given me, I think I was waiting too long to fee him. I did also lowered and double checked the temps and humidity. There in the parameter we talked about. I may need to invest in a small soft light source as my normal room light is rather bright.

    Any thoughts?
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