BP not Eating

[Bogertophis]

Ok, i will work on it...what about a different tote just for feeding? I would still have to pick up the snake before feeding in the tote. That's not good either???

Nope, not if you want your snake to eat.

[Thomas S]

Ok, i didn't read your next comment. Disnreguard my last comment. Thx again

[Snagrio]

Ok, i will work on it...what about a different tote just for feeding? I would still have to pick up the snake before feeding in the tote. That's not good either???

It's best to feed snakes in their home enclosure where they feel safe and secure. Especially so for ambushing species such as ball pythons (they choose a designated spot and wait for prey to pass by instead of chasing them down). Moving them to a separate area to feed can potentially stress them out. And before you ask, no, feeding in the home enclosure doesn't cause biting, that's a misunderstood myth. As long as your hands don't smell like rodents it won't mistake you for food. You can also increase the snake's sense of ease around you further for handling by doing "tap training."

An easy way to do this is to lightly tap its hide when you want to hold it or otherwise do things other than feeding (such as maintenance). Your snake should start to understand that, when you're going into its enclosure and do the tapping, it means it's not meal time.

...And Boger already answered about that in detail. My bad.

[Bogertophis]

Ok, i didn't read your next comment. Disnreguard my last comment. Thx again

BTW, from everything you've posted about him, I don't think a vet visit would be of any help- this is very likely a husbandry issue that's entirely fixable by you. In fact, vet visits add a lot of stress, so it can actually be counter-productive for a fearful snake, which yours is.

Fix his home, & don't handle him until he has eaten at least 3 times at reasonable intervals without refusals (unless in shed- snakes normally refuse food when in shed cycle). Being handled inhibits a snake's appetite- so right now, he's in fear mode.

And since he came from a breeder, the other thing that would have helped him to make a smooth transition for you is IF you had duplicated exactly how he was kept by the breeder, instead of planting him in a 20L tank, especially one without proper 'hides'. Most likely Wilbanks kept him in a much smaller, cozier tub.

But avoid making lots of changes now- other than adding hides- he just wants to feel safe where he is & it's your job to help him do that. Snakes learn their way around, & to survive in the wild, they need to know where to hide for safety from predators & bad weather. How would YOU feel if one day you woke up in a completely alien environment with no explanation? And there was this creature that kept staring at you, & it's at least 100 times bigger than you...?

[JacksReptiles]

Ive had two ball pythons not eat for months. It is fine so long as the snake does not look too skinny. Post a pic of your snake lets have a look. Otherwise if it gets too skinny I have a few youtube videos you can watch on how to force feed

[Bogertophis]

Ive had two ball pythons not eat for months. It is fine so long as the snake does not look too skinny. Post a pic of your snake lets have a look. Otherwise if it gets too skinny I have a few youtube videos you can watch on how to force feed

When the OP is clearly doing things wrong as to easily fixed husbandry issues (Hides & trying to feed outside the snake's home- in a tote) this (force-feeding!) is not a good direction to lead them. And this is a young BP from a reputable dealer that clearly should be eating, if only the basic issues are fixed. Please read the whole thread before advising. It's neither normal nor "fine" for a young BP to skip meals for months.

[Bogertophis]

https://www.wilbanksreptiles.com/feeding-questions

I am having a feeding problem. My new Ball Python has refused a second time. What should I do?

Follow these steps EXACTLY and your snake will eat.

1. Contact our team via text by clicking the Text icon at the bottom of the page, to inform us that you are having a problem.

2. At night, after the sun has done down(not just a dark room, but at night), turn all of the lights in the room off. Snakes are nocturnal predators. They know the difference between night and dark. This is the most important of these steps.

3. Place a LIVE rat fuzzy in the enclosure and immediately leave the room. Do not watch through the glass. Leave.

4. Leave the rat fuzzy in the cage over night and do not even look in the room until morning. A quiet, undisturbed environment will make the snake feel secure and when he/she goes out to "hunt" that night they will find the rat fuzzy. A rat fuzzy still has its eyes closed and is still nursing, it is not a danger to your snake. It should have a little fur. A pinkie rat does not seem to have enough odor or move around enough to elicit a feeding response. NEVER LEAVE A LARGER PREY ITEM IN THE ENCLOSURE OVER NIGHT.

5. If it is gone, then you should be on track to a normal feeding schedule and regimen. If the fuzzy rat is still in the enclosure the next morning, remove it and wait for 5 days. Do not attempt to feed every day. Please contact us to update us that you are still having an issue.

6. This time, still in the dark room and at night, except this time place a LIVE mouse hopper in the enclosure. A mouse hopper can harm your snake, so you should also place a few small pieces of dog food in the enclosure at the same time. Given the choice between eating the dog food and eating your snake, we have never seen a mouse make the choice of the snake. Most chew incidents happen because the rodent is hungry.

7. Only wait 1 hour with the mouse hopper in the enclosure in the dark room. It is too dangerous for you to leave the mouse in overnight.

8. When you check in an hour, the mouse should be a lump in the snake. If it is not, remove the mouse immediately.

9. Contact us again via the text icon and we will make arrangements to either exchange the snake or offer one on one advice about how to proceed. We rarely ever make it to this point, so do not worry.

[Bogertophis]

To the OP, Thomas S: the point is that the breeder you got the snake from has instructions posted on their website- did you read them? He also invites buyers with difficulty to contact him for assistance. That's not something you should procrastinate on, by the way.

[dakski]

In addition to what Bogertophis said in this thread. What are you offering food wise? Is it the exact prey item that the breeder offered? If they offered a live mouse, are you? If they offered a F/T rat, you should be too, etc.

Its imperative that a) you offer the identical type of prey (mouse or rat and the same size) and b) be consistent in terms of if they offered live or frozen/thawed.

Additionally, being a your first BP, you may not know how to appropriately defrost prey (if frozen) and to warm up correctly and how to offer to entice your snake.

Please answer the above questions and if F/T we can help you with steps to properly feed.

This item should be addressed after the husbandry issues are fixed (hides, etc.).

[Thomas S]

I got a question about temperature, i got a 100w basking lamp, the thermometer half way up the back wall says between 85-90, now when i put the thermometer on the cage floor it says over 90. Which thermometer do i go by???there is No heater on bottom of tank