Adopted adult won't eat

[atomicwave]

Hello everyone. A few months ago, I adopted an adult ball python from a guy on craigslist. He's 5 years old and I suspect he was kept in a tub in a rack setup for all of his life. He was injured during a live feed, and his eye was scratched. I suspect that is when he stopped eating and why the guy decided to sell him.

After I adopted him, he was switched to a terrarium setup. I've made sure all his humidity and temps are all correct, and he's been living in his new setup for a couple months now. He has shed since I've had him, and he got rid of the damaged skin that was over his eye after his injury, I think he can see out of it just fine. I still can't get him to eat. I've given him lots of time to get used to his new setup and have bothered him as little as possible. He seems to be very afraid of prey, and I can't blame him. He's afraid of both pre-killed and especially live prey. I keep trying live prey because I think that's what he's eaten most of his life. I've tried feeding him in side his terrarium and outside his terrarium, killed and live, rats and mice. He won't eat. He's starting to get really skinny and he needs to eat now!

Anybody know what I can do to get some food in this fella's belly?

[Daybreaker]

Try f/t: if not off tongs then see if leaving it in with him overnight does the trick. I like to leave it right outside the entrance of the hide when the snake is in the hide so they can't miss it.

He may not be eating because he's in a more open cage over the tub you think he was in with the previous owner. Really clutter up the cage and black out three sides of it and see if that helps. If not, I may set him back up into a tub.

[kc261]

If your snake went from a healthy weight to "really skinny" in only a few months, you may have issues beyond just a hunger strike. BPs can go many months without eating and only lose minimal weight. You might consider taking the snake to the vet. If you can get a fresh fecal sample, getting a fecal done to test for parasites would be good, but of course those are usually not available when a snake isn't eating.

BPs need to feel secure before they will eat. I suspect at least part of the issue is that this guy feels his new terrarium setup is too open compared to the tub he was used to. As Angelica (Daybreaker) suggested, cluttering up the enclosure and blacking out 3 sides (or even all 4 sides in the short term) may help your snake feel more secure. "Clutter" can be things like artificial foliage, or even just crumpled up newspaper. Also, you mention temps & humidity, but not hides. If the snake does not have hides that he fits in nice and snuggly, please add those immediately.

[jaded]

Can you add pictures about the snake and the setup?

There's been many changes in his life recently, so it's really kind of expected to have problems with feeding. I am guessing that the snake is not feeling secure and that the situation has now escalated. If I were you, I would place him in the tub for few months, just to get him to feed. When he feeds steadily, then you can try to put him back in to that terrarium.