MY ball python won’t eat!

[Sparrow77743]

So I’ve had my ball python for a few months now, and he’s been doing great. I fed him live mice fore the first few weeks, then I switched to frozen. All was well, and she took the frozen food without any issues. A few weeks ago, he shed, so I fed him a pretty big meal right after that. Now it’s been almost four weeks without him eating. He has been lying next to his water bowl on the hot side of the cage for a while now. He is not very active durin the day. He is only a few months old and I’ve heard that tbabyys are not supposed to fast like this. Luckily, he doesn’t seem to be losing any weight. Cage husbandry has been consistant, except sometimes at night the humidity will get a little high. Please help me and my little ball python!!

[Sunnieskys]

Temp at the heat mat (without substrate, measured at the glass)
ambient temp (air temp)
hot side temp
humidity percent
substrate used
what type of enclosure

and is your UTH regulated by a thermoSTAT (not thermometer)

how are you measuring your temps and humidity?

oh and a pic of your setup. Use the tapatalk app for pics.

[Bogertophis]

Without seeing the size of your snake & the "pretty big meal" you fed him (or knowing the weights of each) it's very hard to tell you much, other than maybe
he had trouble digesting something so large & just hasn't been hungry yet. It's not really "fasting" if he's still digesting- remember, digestion DEPENDS on the
warmth provided...so what are the exact cage temps? highest & lowest?

As a general rule, it's best to not feed anything wider than the widest part of a snake's unfed body, but even then, IF the temperatures were less than ideal for
digestion, it would take longer than normal to digest. Snakes lying next to their water bowls usually do so because they aren't comfortable (FYI)...often they're
trying to cool off. Now this may sound strange but bear with me: snakes fed meals that are TOO BIG usually want to be cooler, to slow down the digestion a
little; I know this seems wrong, but if they are too warm, they cannot digest it fast enough & it also spoils, causing bloat & much discomfort. This is why we
must provide a range of temperatures they can choose from...we don't know what they're feeling but they seem to know what they need.

[Sparrow77743]

Temp at heat mat is 95
ambient temp is usually in the 80’s
the humidity is 60
i use aspen substrate
my enclosure is 40 gallons. It is glass and has a screen too which I half cover with a towel to keep the humidity the right pwrcentage

I use a thermostat

i have a heat gun to measure what certain areas are. I have a thermostat that measures humidity in the cage and also is partiially a thermostst that gives me the ambient temperature

sorry I cannot post a picture of the setup, but I am describe it. The hot side has a large water dish and a big wood hide, and also a large rock. Then there is a shoebox in the middle, then on the cold side there is a shallow water dish plus a stick to climb on

[Sparrow77743]

Temp at the heat mat (without substrate, measured at the glass)
ambient temp (air temp)
hot side temp
humidity percent
substrate used
what type of enclosure

and is your UTH regulated by a thermoSTAT (not thermometer)

how are you measuring your temps and humidity?

oh and a pic of your setup. Use the tapatalk app for pics.

Temp at heat mat is 95
ambient temp is usually in the 80’s
the humidity is 60
i use aspen substrate
my enclosure is 40 gallons. It is glass and has a screen too which I half cover with a towel to keep the humidity the right pwrcentage

I use a thermostat

i have a heat gun to measure what certain areas are. I have a thermostat that measures humidity in the cage and also is partiially a thermostst that gives me the ambient temperature

sorry I cannot post a picture of the setup, but I am describe it. The hot side has a large water dish and a big wood hide, and also a large rock. Then there is a shoebox in the middle, then on the cold side there is a shallow water dish plus a stick to climb on

[Sparrow77743]

T

Without seeing the size of your snake & the "pretty big meal" you fed him (or knowing the weights of each) it's very hard to tell you much, other than maybe
he had trouble digesting something so large & just hasn't been hungry yet. It's not really "fasting" if he's still digesting- remember, digestion DEPENDS on the
warmth provided...so what are the exact cage temps? highest & lowest?

As a general rule, it's best to not feed anything wider than the widest part of a snake's unfed body, but even then, IF the temperatures were less than ideal for
digestion, it would take longer than normal to digest. Snakes lying next to their water bowls usually do so because they aren't comfortable (FYI)...often they're
trying to cool off. Now this may sound strange but bear with me: snakes fed meals that are TOO BIG usually want to be cooler, to slow down the digestion a
little; I know this seems wrong, but if they are too warm, they cannot digest it fast enough & it also spoils, causing bloat & much discomfort. This is why we
must provide a range of temperatures they can choose from...we don't know what they're feeling but they seem to know what they need.

so is there anything I can do to him?

[Sunnieskys]

Thermostats do not measure humidity or ambient temps. A thermostat controls heat elements to a certain temp. So if your UTH is 95 that is too hot. It should be 90. A hygrometer reads humidity and a thermometer reads ambient temp. A thermoSTAT controls and maintains the temp.

So please tell me again...is your UTH plugged into a ThermoSTAT or are you just using a temp gun?

Also so you should have identical hides on the hot and cold side for thermoregulation. That way they don't choose comfort over temperature. Use your smart phone, download the tapatalk app and take a pic and upload it. It is super easy.

Im understanding a little why your baby isn't eating. All correctable.

[Sparrow77743]

Thermostats do not measure humidity or ambient temps. A thermostat controls heat elements to a certain temp. So if your UTH is 95 that is too hot. It should be 90. A hygrometer reads humidity and a thermometer reads ambient temp. A thermoSTAT controls and maintains the temp.

So please tell me again...is your UTH plugged into a ThermoSTAT or are you just using a temp gun?

Also so you should have identical hides on the hot and cold side for thermoregulation. That way they don't choose comfort over temperature. Use your smart phone, download the tapatalk app and take a pic and upload it. It is super easy.

Im understanding a little why your baby isn't eating. All correctable.

Sorry, my bad. I wasn’t explaining things correctly. I’m just tired and not thinking straight. Ok. So I use a heat lamp during the day (I know it’s not the best for Ball pythons, but I don’t have the option to switch), and then I have a small heating pad for the night time that keeps a small area of the cage at a heat of about 92.

So no I don’t have a thermostat.

I have a two in one hydrometer and thermometer that reads that stuff. Then I have a heat gun to read like the specific places in the cage. It’s a little confusing and not ideal but...

I’ll see what I can do about the hide thing though

also ill have to take a pic of the enclosure tomorrow tomorrow

[Sunnieskys]

If your heat mat is not regulated you should not use it. It can spike and burn your snake.

Get a a jumpstart on Amazon. And get a ceramic heat emitter so you can keep it on. If you turn off your lamp your temps may vary too much and cause a RI.

Not trying to to sound snotty, however you need to get proper equipment for your animal.

Spend $60 now and save $100's in vet bills. You must have a proper set up. Now I see why she isn't eating. Let's correct this and get your baby back in track.

[Sparrow77743]

Ok.

So during the day, I use the heat lamp, and at night I use the heat pad with the jumpstart?