mojave ball python wont eat

[RRivera]

Hello everyone, RRivera here. I bought a 4 month old mojave ball python on the 28th of january and have set him up on a 10 gallon tank with a couple things in it. I fed him a week later and he ate a regular sized mouse which was on feb 5th. Now its been 2 weeks since he has eaten and im starting to get a little worried. I attempted to feed him on the 12th but to no luck. He wrapped himself round the mouse (which was dead) then slowly tried to eat the mouse. It seemed like he was having trouble as he only got about half the mouse in his mouth before just letting it go and leaving it to rot for like 2 days. I am a new snake owner and i want to make sure I am taking good care of it so I just wanted to know if anyone here may help me out with this. it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[c0r3yr0s3]

Where to start... do you have any pics of the enclosure and the way it's set up?

[Virago]

don't be too worried they can go months without feeding.
check your husbandry, need the hotspot at 88-93° and cool side around 77-82° never lower than 75°
also need 2 hides that aren't too small or too large, they need to feel secure an safe.
i dont keep my bp in a tank because i find it to be more difficult to keep humidity an temps up, an it my feel less secure because tanks are see through on all sides.

[MD_Pythons]

You're going to want to follow this to a T, and remember no handling until you get it eating reliably again.

[c0r3yr0s3]

You're going to want to follow this to a T, and remember no handling until you get it eating reliably again.

Thank you! It would've taken me hours to write all that out

Op: the main thing that is getting to me about your post is where you stated that you left a dead mouse in the enclosure for 2 days. If it doesn't eat it after an hour, it ain't gonna happen unless you reheat it. plus I would think it would be dangerous due to bacteria growth

[MissterDog]

Thank you! It would've taken me hours to write all that out

Op: the main thing that is getting to me about your post is where you stated that you left a dead mouse in the enclosure for 2 days. If it doesn't eat it after an hour, it ain't gonna happen unless you reheat it. plus I would think it would be dangerous due to bacteria growth

I was concerned about that too. OP at most you can leave a feeder overnight but it absolutely must be thrown out first thing in the morning. No re-freezing either.

I had to feed my bp this way for the first month because he was such a shy eater and refused to eat unless I left the room and covered his cage with a blanket. Usually he ate 2-4 hours later until he gradually started to eat within the hour. Now he's a savage hunter lol.

Edit: Either way I agree with the others and double check your husbandry. Another question is have you been handling him at all since you got him? Stress and overhandling can contribute to the problem. You generally don't want to handle hatchlings until they've eaten three consecutive meals with you.

[redshepherd]

Just wanted to add on top of the great link and advice given here that a 4 month old, likely hatchling sized ball python, can not go months without eating. Not eating for months is not at all normal for any ball python under ~300g. It will simply die.

For hatchlings not eating, it is 99.9% of the time a husbandry issue/incorrect setup.

[RRivera]

wow ok I actually have handled it about 3-4 times since getting it thinking that the more i would handle the more it would get used to it. It can be that my husbandry isnt setup right. I cant post attachments but i can try to explain it. I have a bonsai tree type thing on the right side of the tank as its home with the thermomat for heat since i cant keep the temp high enough. The left side has a tree stump for cover with a palm tree. I also have aspen for bedding with a bit of green moss to keep some humidity. Temerature is at 73-75 and humidity is about 60.

[c0r3yr0s3]

Do you have a smartphone?

[Slicercrush]

wow ok I actually have handled it about 3-4 times since getting it thinking that the more i would handle the more it would get used to it. It can be that my husbandry isnt setup right. I cant post attachments but i can try to explain it. I have a bonsai tree type thing on the right side of the tank as its home with the thermomat for heat since i cant keep the temp high enough. The left side has a tree stump for cover with a palm tree. I also have aspen for bedding with a bit of green moss to keep some humidity. Temerature is at 73-75 and humidity is about 60.

Too much handling in the beginning can cause the snake to stress and not want to eat, leaving him alone for a while is a good practice. From what i can tell with most people they leave their python for atleast 2-3 consistant feedings before even starting to handle the python for short periods. Also, is that the ambient temp, or just the cool side or...? Getting a proper temp for both the hot, cold, and ambient would help a lot.