BP behavioural & feeding question.

[alilak]

Hi All

Hope everyone going into a nice weekend. It will also be my first weekend with Monty. I have been through the caresheets but had a couple of questions about 1) behaviour in general and 2) behaviour in regards to feeding.

I know he was previously being fed large mice but they were definitely too small for my 2 yr old. I got the weaner rats 40-60g which are perfect for his size. Since yesterday (where there was an incident with a defensive bite to my wife which I posted about) he hasn't come out of the cold hide. Is this normal?

I tried to feed a rat earlier this evening and he was not interested at all. Did not even come out to investigate, I dangled it around for a few minutes and then put it down and left him alone for an hour- after which he was still hiding. Is this to be expected / nothing to worry about? Shall I try tomorrow again and remove the hide and then offer the rat? I have had him for 5 days now.

Just felt anxious about the above and would appreciate some thoughts.

Cheers

[Cheesenugget]

Leave him alone. I remember reading about your post where your wife was bitten. Just let him chill and settle down on HIS terms. Five days is nothing. Some settles down faster than others but 1 week is usually recommended. Do not try to feed again. Wait another week. Spot clean his cage and let him be.

If he was eating mice before, you should stay with that for now. Your snake may not recognize it. Or, if you are feeding f/t, it needs to be warm enough. Either way, let him be for another week and try again, preferably mice until he starts eating, then make the switch later.

He may be using the warm side when you are not around. As long as your temps are fine, he will be fine. I have a king that stays on the cold side almost all the time. But I had caught her moving to the warm side now and then so they do it when they want to.

Husbandry issues may also contribute to not eating. But to me, it sounds like more than likely it is the stress of being in a new home since it did bite your wife out of fear recently.

[MissterDog]

It will be pretty normal for them to basically hide forever from the world for the first few days because they're pretty convinced everyone will eat them lol.

If he's been on mice for majority of his life then it's no surprise he didn't take the rat right away. Often it's difficult to transition so it may have to be a more gradual procedure. However it's recommended to feed them the prey they are used to for atleast the first three feedings before trying to switch prey. After he's eaten 3 meals you can try thawing both rat and mouse together to mix scents or rubbing mice bedding on the rat. Definitely DON'T remove his hide. That's like yanking his security blanket away If feeding f/t, for reference a living rat/mouse's body temp is around 98-100F so make sure it's hot enough to give an enticing heat signature, specifically around the face. The hair dryer trick/warming it with a CHE often works well after the feeder has been fully thawed in warm water.

You can actually leave the f/t feeder over night outside their hide, as long as it's not blocking the entrance. Just be sure to toss it out first thing in the morning if Monty hasn't eaten it.

If it's any comfort, my boy was a super shy eater at first and I'd leave to leave his feeder in the cage, cover his cage with a blanket then leave the room. Within 3-4 hours he'd eat it, then gradually he'd eat it within a shorter window of time. He was like this for about a mouth until I switched to rats and then he became a beast haha.

As for offering I'd hold off and wait a week or atleast 5 days. Offering food too soon could lead to more food refusals. Just let him settle and get comfy

[Craiga 01453]

All perfectly normal behavior.

They will sometimes go days without coming out of their hides, or if they do, we're asleep or not around to see it.

As for the feeding, not unusual with BPs either. Sometimes the can be tricky to switch over from mice to rays. Since you're is two years old, if he's always been on mice it may take a little time to switch him over.

I would wait a week and try again. Trying too often can stress the snake and can be counter productive. Try to leave the snake alone and refrain from any handling for now.

God luck and feel free to ask any questions you may have.

[alilak]

Thanks for the advise guys....

He still hasn't come out of his hide and I covered the front of the terrarium this morning to give him some extra privacy and put some fresh water down.

As advised I will wait another 5 days / week and get some large mice which he ate last. I hope he acclimatises to his new home soon and also hopefully he has a meal next week.

Temps seem fine and humidity is 55-56%

Will keep an eye and update this thread accordingly.

Cheers