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  1. #21
    Bogertophis's Avatar
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    Re: Feeding help needed BADLY

    Quote Originally Posted by Ciaran_songs View Post
    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.
    Ball pythons are shy feeders...they like to ambush their prey so they have "the upper hand". Can you imagine how he feels having a rodent shoved into his mouth?
    The problem with force-feeding is that it's backwards...the prey your snake should be pouncing on now seems to be attacking him. This could make him harder to
    feed in the future, not easier...it can make him afraid of his prey & more picky about what he'll accept. (Yes, I know that some do this procedure in a pinch...but I worry
    about just how much skill the woman in the feed store had to do this correctly...& even so, it's a last resort, IMO.)
    Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength.
    Eric Hoffer (1902 - 1983)

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  3. #22
    Bogertophis's Avatar
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    Re: Feeding help needed BADLY

    Quote Originally Posted by Ciaran_songs View Post
    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.
    Distilled water belongs in a steam iron, not in a live snake. As I said, snakes (& other living creatures) need the trace minerals (electrolytes) found in normal water.

    I think some people* may be confusing other bottled water (spring water etc) with distilled water...they are misinformed. Also, tap water varies from one place to another:
    if there is a lot of chlorination in your water (or other chemicals to make it safe to drink), you might want to boil it first so the chlorine will off-gas. Just don't use distilled.
    *I think they 'meant well', maybe they were worried about how your local water is purified, & that the chemicals are bad for snakes, which is true. Another thing you can
    do if this is the case is to get a water treatment product from a tropical fish or pet store that removes the chlorine/chloramine & heavy metals in tap water. 2 products
    that I know of are Instant Ocean brand "Marine Conditioner" ("makes tap water safe" for fish) & Reptisafe "Instant terrarium water conditioner" for all snakes, turtles, etc.

    Bigger tanks are great for SOME kinds of snakes...but that's NOT the kind you've got. You have a BP & they like to live in tight rock caves in the wild. So much for that
    "expert"... (& yes, if you bought from a pet store, they were either uninformed- very common!- or trying to make a bigger sale! sadly, that's also common)

    How big is your snake? (length, age?)
    Last edited by Bogertophis; 06-28-2019 at 08:13 PM.
    Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength.
    Eric Hoffer (1902 - 1983)

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  5. #23
    BPnet Veteran pretends2bnormal's Avatar
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    Re: Feeding help needed BADLY

    Quote Originally Posted by Ciaran_songs View Post
    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.
    I can't say I've ever seen anywhere, even from poor sources, that you should used distilled water... many better sources actively discourage distilled water.

    Here is one source regarding it, it discusses fish/amphibians, but it true of snakes and lizards too.
    http://www.reptilesmagazine.com/Rept...stilled-Water/

    Are you maybe thinking of dechlorinated water and got the wrong kind? That is something I see recommended a lot and is mostly important if you live in a city that uses high amounts of chlorine to treat tap water. But this is not the same as distilled water at all.

    If you don't know you city water treatment, you can look it up, or use a product like ReptiSafe *I think that is the one* that is marketed to make tap water safe for reptiles. As far as I've seen it is mostly a dechlorinator, but since I don't use it, I am not 100% sure. My city tap water is fine, so I just use that.

    (Bogertophis beat me to it!)

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    Last edited by pretends2bnormal; 06-28-2019 at 08:19 PM.

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  7. #24
    Bogertophis's Avatar
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    The one thing that distilled water IS good for is misting a cage, as it's all those dissolved minerals in water that leaves water spots on the glass...so if you only
    use it for that, it's ok (unless you're using it for something like a gecko that drinks all those drops!). That's a good article linked above, thanks pretends2bnormal.
    Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength.
    Eric Hoffer (1902 - 1983)

  8. #25
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    Re: Feeding help needed BADLY

    Quote Originally Posted by Ciaran_songs View Post
    I will have to save up paycheck's for a smaller tank then should not take long though, what size should I get?
    Smaller tank? There’s no need. I started my hatchling in a 40 gallon and he did great. He’s about 5 years old now and almost 4’. If you have a larger tank you just need to put more stuff in it to make him feel secure. Adding some extra decor is cheaper than buying multiple enclosures throughout the growing process. Also, ball pythons are notorious for going off food. Check husbandry and don’t handle him until he eats. If you feed at night with a warm rat he should strike. Make sure the rat is warm and wiggle it in front of his hide. This may take awhile and multiple tries but eventually they’ll usually take it.


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  9. #26
    BPnet Veteran MarkL1561's Avatar
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    Re: Feeding help needed BADLY

    Quote Originally Posted by Ciaran_songs View Post
    I have not been able to reply for that I am sorry, I have gotten him to eat now the only problem is getting him to eat next time. His tempts on his basking side is at around 90 Fahrenheit at all times sometimes it may drop below that, though that's only when it's cold in my house but I always make sure it's not to cold. His ambient temperature is around 80. These are all temp's that I have been told he should be on if they are wrong please let me know thanks. he has a heating pad under his log and in his other hide there is nothing so that he can choose between heating bad and no heating pad. I have tried feeding him when in his hide he does not take it. The only reason I got him to eat was because I took him to my local feed store in a shoe box crying and there was a lady who helped me for 2 hours try to feed him in the end she ended up force feeding him which I felt bad about. I will have to take him back next time to try again. He has water constantly in a big enough bowl that he can lay in which I take out and scrub every 2-3 days he has distilled water for drinking water. He tries to puke up his mouse constantly it has now been 24 hours since he ate and is still trying to puke it up. Every time I walk by his enclosure he strikes at the glass I am pretty sure he has hurt his jaw now. All he does is try to strike at me even when I am far away. Lately I haven't been able to even open the enclosure anymore without him trying to go for my face. I have tried everything he won't calm down I broke down in tears a couple days ago my mother said that I have 5 months to get him to be tame otherwise she wants him out. There's nothing I can do since I live with her I have tried but she won't let it go she is worried he will get loose and hurt our other animals or me. even though I have clips on his cage lid, as for the size of the enclosure it's 65 gallons and is 4 foot tall with branches but is not to cluttered. I have tried feeding him in a shoe box as well as his enclosure to no avail. All he does is sit in striking position all day I am worried for his health if you need anything further let me know I want him to be happy I am hopeful that I can do it.
    Baby snakes are typically nippy but this sounds like he’s super stressed. Get him eating first then taming him down is super easy. Mine was raised in a tub setup and his only human contact at first was feeding. He too would strike at everything at first. I got leather gloves and handled him for a few minutes a day. Within a few weeks he was perfectly tame. Don’t start handling until he eats 3+ times consecutively.


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  10. #27
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    Re: Feeding help needed BADLY

    Quote Originally Posted by MarkL1561 View Post
    Smaller tank? There’s no need. I started my hatchling in a 40 gallon and he did great. He’s about 5 years old now and almost 4’. If you have a larger tank you just need to put more stuff in it to make him feel secure. Adding some extra decor is cheaper than buying multiple enclosures throughout the growing process. Also, ball pythons are notorious for going off food. Check husbandry and don’t handle him until he eats. If you feed at night with a warm rat he should strike. Make sure the rat is warm and wiggle it in front of his hide. This may take awhile and multiple tries but eventually they’ll usually take it.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    If you're talking about your one snake then yes, plenty of snakes do fine starting in larger enclosures. But when a young BP isn't eating and is extremely defensive switching to a smaller enclosure often helps.

    What works for one animal doesn't work for others. So trying to remedy the situation makes more sense than not. The current setup clearly is not working.

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  12. #28
    Bogertophis's Avatar
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    Re: Feeding help needed BADLY

    Quote Originally Posted by Craiga 01453 View Post
    If you're talking about your one snake then yes, plenty of snakes do fine starting in larger enclosures. But when a young BP isn't eating and is extremely defensive switching to a smaller enclosure often helps.

    What works for one animal doesn't work for others. So trying to remedy the situation makes more sense than not. The current setup clearly is not working.
    Also, the OP stated that maintaining the temps. has been a problem, & that is much harder in a huge (65 gal.) tank for a BP.
    Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength.
    Eric Hoffer (1902 - 1983)

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  14. #29
    BPnet Veteran MarkL1561's Avatar
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    Re: Feeding help needed BADLY

    Quote Originally Posted by Bogertophis View Post
    Also, the OP stated that maintaining the temps. has been a problem, & that is much harder in a huge (65 gal.) tank for a BP.
    True, just saying you don’t necessarily need a small tank IF you know what you’re doing. It may be easiest for the OP to use a tub setup at first. It’s easy to maintain temps/humidity and the opaque sides help comfort the snake. To me it seems like a lot of the stress is coming from the owner messing with the snake too much. I’m confident that if left alone for awhile he’ll eat. Although the temps do need to be taken care of.


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  15. #30
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    Re: Feeding help needed BADLY

    Quote Originally Posted by Bogertophis View Post
    Also, the OP stated that maintaining the temps. has been a problem, & that is much harder in a huge (65 gal.) tank for a BP.
    Quote Originally Posted by Craiga 01453 View Post

    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.
    .
    Agreed

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