Male BP stopped eating week 4

[jaepaige]

Some background info:
I'm new to bp keeping (coming up on a year now) and I have 2 bp one male (candino) and one female (fire pastel). They are in bio active 55L enclosures with live plants, multiple hides and climbing opportunities, yes I am aware of the controversy on tank size. Hot hides run between 88-90, humidity is 50-60%. I did add some moss to the hot sides recently and that bumped up the humidity a bit up to 75%. Until recently both ate regularly (7-10 days) with no hesitations. Female just shed all (all in one) and is about 300g now, she's been eating like a champ.

The issue:
The male last shed about a month ago (all in one w/ eye caps) but has refused to eat since. Last time I weighed him he was about 775g, but I think he lost some weight since then. I was told by a vet he was actually on the chonky side for his age (hatched 5/20) so I lengthened the time in between feedings and downgraded the size of f/t prey. Previously he was getting the medium rats from petsmart (the artic mice brand) which was smaller than the other sizes of feeders I've gotten at local pet stores, and I switched him over to the large mice (same brand) which he refused 2 weeks in a row. I went to a reptile expo and spoke to some of the feeders/breeders there and they suggested the smell of the mice vs rat could've been the issue so I switched back to rats ("pups" bought from the expo about 45-50g) still no success. He'll peek his head out of the hide, smell the rat and then hold himself a couple inches away, after about 5 mins or so goes back into his hide but continues to watch where I'm holding the prey. Tonight when I tried to feed, he did the smell and wait thing again. I left the rat in his tank to see if he would take it, but he just kept looking around the enclosure and eventually moved to the cold hide. It almost seems like he's scared of it? He's never had live nor do I want to switch over too it. The last couple of times he did eat he missed on the first and second strikes. As a candino I didn't think he could have the neurological problems like spider mixes but I'm not sure what the issue is. Ik that he might be at that age where they go on strike, but is there anything else I could be trying.

[KMG]

I wouldn't change what he's eating if it's overweight. Just the period between feedings. Going from rats to mice cute certainly be the issuse. As could then going to a pup.

I would go back to what it was eating and go from there.

Either way 4 weeks is nothing for a healthy snake.... Even more so for an overweight snake. Might even be best. That of course it's just going of of what your said since I'm not there.

[jaepaige]

Thanks for the advice, the feeder told me they were "pups" -that's what they were labeled as but they're more the size of small rats- bigger than weaned I think but I'm no expert.

[KMG]

Thanks for the advice, the feeder told me they were "pups" -that's what they were labeled as but they're more the size of small rats- bigger than weaned I think but I'm no expert.

So you did offer what he was eating.... And he didn't eat it?


I still wouldn't be worried. If your husbandry is right then it's probably just a snake being a snake.

[jaepaige]

No he had 2 meals of medium rats I think they were about 85g (I didn't weigh them but the width of them matched his body width) but i was told they were too big for his size so thats why I down graded in the first place. The store was out of the small rats which is why I switched to the large mice (2pk).

Side note I just checked on his tank and he was climbing to the top trying to escape and now he's currently chilling on my shoulders. He's not trying to escape me but he was trying to escape the cage while the rat was in there which makes me think hes avoiding the rat itself for some reason. One of the times he stuck and missed his jaw hit the glass of the tank, is it possible that he has some sort of ptsd from that, I'm not sure what else you would call it. I don't think it's stress related since he's fine being handled and mostly spends all his time in the hides.

[KMG]

Hitting the glass shouldn't be the issue.

When you feed next I would just offer what he was last eating. If he ate it fine and it matched his width the size is fine. But if he needs to be on a diet extend the period between feedings.

I would weigh him just so you know where you're at now.

[jaepaige]

okay i'll have to do that in the am cause the batteries in the scale died , thanks for the help though

[KMG]

okay i'll have to do that in the am cause the batteries in the scale died , thanks for the help though

That's cool. Just so you have a base line.

My Ball has a few times refused to eat a month or two. Once almost six months with only a small rat over that time. Why? Nobody knows. Just a Ball being a Ball.

I have snakes I would be worried about if they refused a meal but my Ball is not one.