feeding issues

[snakeys1996]

my ball python, witch ive had for two weeks i think still has not eaten. i know this is not unusual but im kindove dissapointed. i tried to feed him again today doing everything you guys told me to do and he seemed scared of the mouse. he just went under his hide spot. i read that that probably means he is stressed out and, if so, i would really like to know what it is. the temperature stays around 84 degrees farenhiet. somewhat warmer on the hot side. he likes both of his hides equally so that means hes probably regulating his body temperature. i have yet to obtain a hygrometer or whatever you call it. the humitity meter. i mist his cage about once a day. i have a vision model 211 and i have reptile bark substrate. if you guys have any infomation it would be greatly appreciated. tho i might not reply today because i gotta go to work in like ten minutes lol.

[The_Godfather]

How big is he/she?

[JLC]

Are you feeding live? Pre-killed? Frozen/thawed? Do you know what he was eating before you bought him?

You sound a little vague about the temperatures. Do you measure specifics in the hot and cool ends of the cage? What sort of thermometer are you using? The little sitck-on dials you get at the pet store are notoriously inaccurate. You can go to Wal-Mart and get a really nice digital thermometer that will measure temps in two different spots at the same time, keep track of the low and high reached each day (so you can see how cool it really gets in there at night, AND measures the humidity.....all for about $15. If you don't have one of those, I highly recommend getting one.

Making sure your husbandry is the best it can be is a big step toward getting the little guy to relax and start eating.

[Marla]

Everything they said, plus it's not surprising for a BP not to be eating yet after two weeks in a new home. It's certainly not time to start stressing about it yet. I'd worry more about getting the device Judy described so well and making sure that all the temps and humidity are right. Those buggers are great for $15. I have several.

[Eddie_Z]

In what section of wally world can I get one of those bad boys!!?? I went there to look for one & all i could find was a crappy one. The thermo I got from Flukers screwed me up too. It is an analog one. It was measuring the hot side consistantly at between 83 & 89. Well, the last day or so, Jack has been spending an alarming amount of time on the cool side of the tank. It was worryin me a bit cuz when I picked him up he was freezing. I checked the temp again & this time it said that it was like 97 degrees!!! I said no wonder he has been avoiding the hot side. So, I took the heat lamp down & I will check his temp again later tonite. Again though, what section should I look in at Walmart for that dandy little 15 dollar thermo/hygro!!??

[Wizill]

beats me eddie, i spent an hour in wal-mart last night and couldn't find one.

[JLC]

Eddie...Look in the lighting/hardware area. They have a variety of indoor/outdoor thermometers and timers and such. Don't be afraid to ask for help, searching. If they're just out of them, a salesperson should be able to let you know when they'll get more. You can probably find something similar at any decent hardware store, too.

[SatanicIntention]

Hey all, I've heard that WalMart has them in the Lawn and Garden section. I think it's supposed to be an outside thermo/hygro combo. Also I've seen the prices posted on here and other places from $10-$15. Hopefully that helped a little.

-Becky

[Marla]

Yep, I found it one aisle over from paint, with the other outdoor thermometers (like big analog ones).

[Wizill]

cool, thanks marla.