Feeding help needed BADLY

[Ciaran_songs]

I feel you may be right about them not being beginner snakes I as well wish they would stop so that no one else has to go through so much stress .

[Craiga 01453]

Ok, try to relax. If you listen to us we'll get you and your snake on track.

Unfortunately, taking him out of his enclosure and force feeding may have been a step backwards.

I think what you really need to do is switch to a much smaller enclosure. Your snake likely feels scared and vulnerable in such a large enclosure.

BPs rely very heavily on feeling safe and secure. When they're small they feel extremely vulnerable since almost anything can be a predator to them. So trying to provide them with an enclosure they feel safe in is one of the most important parts of keeping snakes. If the snake doesn't feel safe and secure it will choose not to eat so that it can escape more easily if it needs to. Especially juvenile BPs. They can be extremely finicky.


There are two major reasons a snake will not eat.
1) husbandry is off.
2) they don't feel safe and secure.

I think that switching to a smaller enclosure will help you to improve husbandry as well as provide the security the snake craves.

Switching to an enclosure that provides security will also make the snake less defensive. In that large enclosure your snake likely feels like everything, including you, is a predator. So providing security should help to relax the snake.

I don't usually think it's necessary with BPs, but in your case it may be worth hook training. It may help both of you to feel more comfortable with each other and to trust one another.

[Ciaran_songs]

I have gotten him checked out no internal diseases thankfully, I don't remember if I mentioned that or not.

[Craiga 01453]

I feel you may be right about them not being beginner snakes I as well wish they would stop so that no one else has to go through so much stress .

I have to completely disagree. If enough research is done BPs are extremely easy to keep.

It's not too late to turn things around. But you're going to need to learn from the right sources.

[Ciaran_songs]

I will have to save up paycheck's for a smaller tank then should not take long though, what size should I get?

[Craiga 01453]

I will have to save up paycheck's for a smaller tank then should not take long though, what size should I get?

I forget if it was mentioned earlier...

How old is the snake and how much does it weigh?

[Ciaran_songs]

Not sure on weight but he is about 8-10 months old I know that's a big gap but they never told me when I got him but its been about 7 months since I got him I think maybe a bit more.

[Bogertophis]

Force feeding is not the same thing as "getting him to eat" and it's bad for him long-term...it adds a lot of stress to his life and does nothing to help him learn to
take food the right way. This is not the way forward, and can you blame him for trying to bite? Essentially he feels he has been "attacked" by humans (when he
was force-fed!). A snake must be relaxed and feel safe & secure in their homes, or they won't eat. A snake that is striking when you get near his cage is scared
half to death and does NOT feel secure enough to eat or thrive. And yes, they CAN hurt their jaw when they strike & hit the glass.

Your cage is way too big, which is why it's hard to keep warm enough also. His ambient temperature in cage should be higher than 80*, more like 86*...that's
another reason he may be refusing food. He may be too cold...maybe not all the time, but his cage temps. should not be fluctuating so much. Snakes naturally
refuse food when they sense (by temperatures) that the seasons are changing...this is so they don't get stuck with food spoiling in their stomach...they cannot
digest when it's too cold- it will make them sick & can even kill them. I'm not saying your cage is cold enough to do that, just trying to explain their behavior...
the reason snakes instinctively refuse food if they feel a chill in the air.

You should absolutely NOT be giving him distilled water to drink! Please give him normal tap water or bottled DRINKING water like humans drink...the distilled
water is missing essential electrolytes & that can also make him sick, or worse. Scrubbing his bowl every couple days sounds very devoted, but is probably adding
to the stress he's feeling.

So far, you've got most everything wrong that this snake needs to survive & thrive. The solution is NOT taking him to be force-fed...& if he's defensively striking
at you all the time, surely you must realize that he is miserable with you right now? All these issues need to be fixed fairly quickly, for him to stay alive & well.

[Ciaran_songs]

Many people have told me that distilled water is very healthy for the snake and that tap water is not I am confused? Thanks for the temperature advice I will get that sorted immediately. I was told when I bought the snake by someone who was apparently a "Snake professional" that the bigger the tank the better although he was probably just trying to get me to spend more now that I think about it.

[Ciaran_songs]

As for the force feeding I won't take him anymore I was stressed and I had no where to go so I went to the feed store and that's what she suggested we do after a couple of hours of trying I did not know it was really bad for them I am really sorry. Edit: He was also always trying to strike before force feeding though as well.