New owner and site member, BP Dehydrated from store.

[Spoons]

Leave it in there. He's obviously hungry. Some balls will not eat with people in the room, many users here have said they have to put the mouse down and leave and it'll be gone in a few hours, and they never see them eat. Remember snakes can go a long time without eating, so even if he chooses not to eat, no need to panic. I would just heat the mouse, plop it in there and see if he goes for it. Once you have your scale it'll be easier to tell if he's losing or maintaining weight. Too, if you get really desperate, you can assist feed - though that should be a last resort only and I wouldn't do it this week, I would give him another week at the optimal temps an humidity and try offering like normal in 5 or so days before thinking about assist. (Too you should have a weight track on him to see if he NEEDS assist feeding or if he's maintaining, most people won't try an assist until there's been a long time and weight drop without feeding.)

You're on the right track either way! It's too bad the pet store can't tell you when he last ate. (I wonder if they even keep track...).

[Karokash]

They apparently don't but they'll BS you right to your face if you ask. I experimented today. Had two different associates tell me they remembered him and they fed him the day before I got him...really? Anyway I put a towel up and left it in there with him in front of his hide. I am just confused by the striking once then seemingly changing his mind. I've heard of either eating or not eating but never in the middle like this. I guess i'll just wait and see. I am getting a scale but I'm still going to worry until I see him eat especially now that I know he's obviously hungry. But yes it would help my nerves immensely if i had a point of reference.

[200xth]

So this is a new one. Finally got his enclosure set up perfectly and here we go again with the feeding. I checked the temp of the mouse and everything, his temps are fine, it's dark. there's no water bowl and i put paper down. So i'm dangling the mouse and within maybe 10-15 seconds he strikes. But the strike misses and flings the mouse behind him. I think "no problem" pick it up again with the tongs and try again, and now he wants nothing to do with it. What the $^%. I have no idea what else there is to do. This is the 3rd feeding attempt that has failed and everything is set up perfectly in his enclosure. He obviously is hungry by the strike attempt. So what is the problem.

I don't understand the connection between removing water bowls and feeding him.

If he's not striking at the food, just leave it in the enclosure with him and check back in the morning.

As far as the recommendation to assist next week, assist feedings are stressful. I wouldn't assist feed him until long after you've tried a live feeding. If he doesn't eat this week, leave him alone for a week, and next week drive and get him a live mouse.

[Karokash]

I don't understand the connection between removing water bowls and feeding him.

If he's not striking at the food, just leave it in the enclosure with him and check back in the morning.

As far as the recommendation to assist next week, assist feedings are stressful. I wouldn't assist feed him until long after you've tried a live feeding. If he doesn't eat this week, leave him alone for a week, and next week drive and get him a live mouse.

There isn't really a direct connection. It's just to keep him from dragging it through the water, which has happened for a couple people, and making a big gooey bedding/rat ball to eat.

Also, like I said he did strike. It just didn't hold. When he struck his head flung the mouse behind him so I picked it up to try again.

I don't want to attempt assist feeding unless it's necessary to his survival. I'm getting a scale to measure weight loss but even with snakes being able to go months without eating, I'm sure they have limits too and it's possible he is at his since I have no idea if or when he has ever eaten. And he is obviously hungry.

[Spoons]

I'd recommended removing the water bowl because OP was worried about his snake ingesting substrate. I gave mine a dry mouse and he dragged it through his water and then of course all the bedding stuck to it, so I suggested if he was worried to take the water dish out and offer a dry mouse.

I'd listen to the other advise about assisting, and wait. That's one area I don't know tons about. Like I said I usually see it as a true last resort option, and I don't think you're there yet

[Karokash]

I don't feel confident enough to do it anyway, and i'm not going to risk hurting him. I just wish I could get in his brain and figure out the train of thought as to why he just randomly changed his mind.

[Reed12321]

I don't feel confident enough to do it anyway, and i'm not going to risk hurting him. I just wish I could get in his brain and figure out the train of thought as to why he just randomly changed his mind.

My snake did that too! I put him in a separate feeding cube and he struck at it, but lost interest instantly. It took another 5 or so days of optimal temps and humidity to get him to eat. Just leave the mouse on a piece of newspaper overnight and see what happens.

[yellowbelly76]

So this is a new one. Finally got his enclosure set up perfectly and here we go again with the feeding. I checked the temp of the mouse and everything, his temps are fine, it's dark. there's no water bowl and i put paper down. So i'm dangling the mouse and within maybe 10-15 seconds he strikes. But the strike misses and flings the mouse behind him. I think "no problem" pick it up again with the tongs and try again, and now he wants nothing to do with it. What the $^%. I have no idea what else there is to do. This is the 3rd feeding attempt that has failed and everything is set up perfectly in his enclosure. He obviously is hungry by the strike attempt. So what is the problem.

I'm see this was an hour ago, so it may be too late for this. If you haven't tossed the food item, try dangling it in front of him again. I always move it around to appear like live prey, and it has never been turned down. The fact that he struck at it suggests that he's willing to eat, so it's not a total loss. If you have tossed it, give it a few days and try again. Now that you have temps and humidity worked out, just leave him alone for a few days, and then try feeding again.


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[Karokash]

I was dangling it when he struck and missed. Then I picked it right back up and was dangling it forever and he just lost interest. Now he's literally just been laying with his head beside it for hours. Dark, with a towel around the tank, temps and humidity are just right. Absolutely doesn't care about it anymore. I'm at the end of my thoughts on this. I don't have anything else left to try. I've done every suggestion that has been said to help. So now it's just every week i'll keep doing this until he eats or starves himself I suppose. I am not going to force feed him. And I can't afford to bring him to a vet just to have him fed every week. I'm just starting to get pretty sad about this...Solutions seem to work out for everyone so they suggest it and it makes sense but then I apply it and it's just nothing.

Just a little disheartened at the moment. I'll just keep trying every week.

[Karokash]

My snake did that too! I put him in a separate feeding cube and he struck at it, but lost interest instantly. It took another 5 or so days of optimal temps and humidity to get him to eat. Just leave the mouse on a piece of newspaper overnight and see what happens.

Thank you so much for posting this. It's nice to know i'm not just insane or that I own some self destructive snake. It's good to know the situation is heard of. So he did eat eventually? Were you as confused as I am about why he'd ignore food after clearly showing interest in it?