My ball python won't eat? Also something in nostril? Linked?

[BPOwner99]

So I got my first ever snake back on December 27nth 2017. I got a calendar from the pet store that had the days that it did and didn't eat written on it. It hasn't eaten since the 20th of December. It is still young, not sure how young though, it is only about a foot and a half long maybe two feet at the most... I need to get a measuring tape and measure her tonight . But she hasn't eaten since the 20th, should I be worried? I've only been trying to feed her frozen fuzzy mice about once a week. Should I try live fuzzys? She also has what looks to be like a scale or dried mucus or something in her left nostril. She's had that since I got her... How should I try to get that out? She also has a slight whistle sound when she breathes, and I believe it's because of whatever is in her one nostril.

If any body could give some tips or help me out I'd greatly
appreciate it!!

I do not know whether or not she is male or female as the pet store didn't know... Looking back on it I should have gotten a snake from a breeder, but I now have her and I am not getting rid of her anytime soon

[tttaylorrr]

welcome to the forum!!! let's start here:

the #1 reason young beeps and new additions don't eat is due to poor husbandry. we're going to need to learn about your husbandry: what size enclosure? glass? tub? what are you using for heat? how are you regulating your heat source(s)? how are you measuring your temperatures and humidity? what type of hides, and are they identical? how much does the snake weigh? what size prey are you offering?

also, refer to this chart below:


knowing the weight of your snake is very, very important. i never measure how long they are, only weight. once you find out their weight, then you feed an appropriate sized feeder matching the chart above.

once you answer these husbandry questions we can have a better understanding of what's going wrong.

EDIT about her nose: pictures will help, but it's probably some stuck shed. if you feel comfortable, you can try and gently pull it off or even use tweezers (BE CAREFUL!!!).

[BPOwner99]

The enclosure is a 40 gallon glass terrarium, I am using a heating pad and a 100 Watt bulb during the day and a 100 Watt purple night light during the night hours the heating pad is always on. The heating pad and the light is on the left side of the cage and then there is nothing on the right side so that She can choose between whatever temperature she wants. I have put a thermometer and a hydrometer in the middle of the cage and then maybe once week ill use a laser temp. gun to make sure everything is warm and cool enough. There is a large half log hide on the cool side and a 3" PVC DWV Long Turn 90 degree elbow with a lid on one of the ends on the hot side...which she dosen't really use. And then I also ave a fake plant vine on the left corner and also on the right corner, which is were she normally chooses to hide or sleep during the day either on the cool or hot side. I've been meaning to get two identical hides off of Amazon, but I haven't had the chance to order them yet.
https://www.google.com/aclk?sa=L&ai=...Qww8ITA&adurl=
So the hides are not the greatest at the moment. I also have towel over the one side of the cage to keep it from being disturbed when my cat or myself walk by. The lid of the cage is a screen. I have been using tinfoil on a portion of the lid to try and trap some of the humidity.

I do not know how much the snake weighs.. I will weigh her tonight. I have been trying to feed her fuzzy mice which weigh about 5 grams each. It seems like the prey might be to small for her...I guess I will really find that out once I weigh her. I thaw out the frozen fuzzy's in warm water. When I set it down in front of her she will smell it and touch it with her snout. But never once has she opened her mouth to try and actually eat it.

I will also try and get a clear picture of her nostril tonight

Thank You for your help!

[MD_Pythons]

Fuzzy mice are too small for ball pythons, they should be on hoppers at least. Are your heating elements on thermostats? That isn't optional they could get too hot and burn your snake if they aren't. If you don't have one unplug that UTH and get a dimmer for that light ASAP.
EDIT: Here's a link to an affordable thermostat

[Stewart_Reptiles]

frozen fuzzy mice about once a week

Problem number 1 even out of the egg BP do not eat Fuzzy they eat hoppers and quickly move through sizes. Too small of a prey is often not recognized.

The enclosure is a 40 gallon glass terrarium

Problem #2 unless you BP is an adult and I would assume it is not or you would not feed him fuzzies, this is not gonna work.

Bigger is not always better especially for a shy species like BP that needs security not only from their hides but from their overall environment.

There is a large half log hide

There is a large half log hide, hides should not be large, ideally in a glass thank you want them identical and they need to be tight, just like a shell on a turtle's back.


So your issue is husbandry related and you need to start from scratch

I am curious how often have you handled that BP, what are your EXACT temps, what type of thermometer do you use, where do you measure your temps.

If your BP is an hatchling do this to a T https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...=1#post2448857 (the food size it might need to be adjusted, I won't tell you what to feed without the snake's size but obviously you need to stop attempting to feed Fuzzies)

[BPOwner99]

OK,I will get a thermostat asap. As for the heat lamp...Is a deep domed lamp good enough or do I need a dimer? The bulb is 100 watts. What temp should I set the thermostat to once I get one? Do I need to have the entire bottom of the cage on a heat pad or is it good enough to just have it on one half of the cage so then She has an option to get to a cooler place if she wants? OK, I thought maybe that the fuzzy's would be to small...I will be getting the appropriate sized mouse or rat once I weight her tonight
Thank you for your help!!

[MD_Pythons]

You need a dimmer, every heat source should be regulated. And your UTH should cover a third of your enclosure, but it sounds like you'll need to downsize your enclosure.

[BPOwner99]

Thank You! I will weigh her and then upgrade to the correct size accordingly.

You are correct my BP is a juvenile, not a hatch ling i believe, but definitely not an adult. Could I fix the issue of the enclosure being to big by adding more foliage and or hides, to kind of crowd up the cage some more? I'd like to not have to buy another terrarium if possible. But I am willing if it is absolutely necessary. What size do you recommend?

Everything I have been using came from the ZooMed 40 gallon BP starter KIT and I use the thermometer and hygrometer from this kit, which I have stuck to the middle of the wall of the center of the tank. Except for some fake vines and two plastic bamboo sticks to put in the corners, and of course the PVC hide.

I gave her a week to adjust when I first got her and now I handle her about once every two to three days. The exact temps of the hotter basking side is ranging from 95-85 and the coldest part of the cool side is exactly 68 degrees. I found those temps using a laser temperature gun.

I have been having issues with the humidity. I fluctuates from 45%- 50 on and off... I already have the water dish on top of the heating pad, which helps it stay at about 48-54. I was wondering if I can use terrarium moss from Zoo med to try and amp up the humidity? Would the moss be safe for her?

[MD_Pythons]

Yes moss is safe, I use it bump humidity up when my snakes are in shed. And please trash that stick on thermometer and get an electronic one, your snake can tear it off and get the adhesive stuck to their skin. 95 is too hot for the hot side, it shouldn't be over 92. What substrate are you using? Is it the aspen that came with it? As for your enclosure, I would defiantly downsize. Follow that guide Deborah posted earlier.

[Craiga 01453]

Hi, welcome to the forum and the wonderful world of snake keeping. It sounds to me like you would benefit from basically starting from scratch. Which of course, is where we ALL started, so no worries.

I would read over the husbandry 101 stickies on the forum as well as the stickies on how to properly set up your enclosure.

Some of the others have already pointed out some of the major issues, but to reaffirm some of them:

A) your temps are way off. Please get your temps dialed in and safe for your snake. A thermostat on each heat source will help with both.

B) your enclosure is too big. You CAN make it work, but it will be REALLY hard for a new keeper who isn't familiar with what to look for in the snakes behavior, etc...

C) your prey is too small, simply refer to the feeding chart above

In closing, new snakes will typically refuse food for 2 reasons.
#1 = husbandry is off
#2 = stress
Your snake is currently dealing with both. Do some studying, get your setup right, DO NOT HANDLE your snake until it is eating, and you'll be off to a great start getting on track to enjoying your new snake.

Good luck, we're here to help when you have more questions