New snake lost 10g in 5 days

[pinaf413]

I am a bit concerned about my Lavender Het Pied (F).
I received her on Tuesday and when she arrived I checked her over and weighed her and she was 105g. I put her in quarantine and kept an eye on her. She is pretty active at night and likes to hang off the artificial branch in her enclosure. I offered her a frozen thawed pup rat last night and she didn't take it so I left in her enclosure figuring she might eat it later (her brother lol is a shy eater who won't eat from tongs so I just leave the frozen thawed rat in the enclosure and an hour later it's gone.) I checked this morning and the rat was still there, so I checked on her and she just looked a bit thin to me, so I weighed her again and she was now 95g, so she has lost 10g since Tuesday.
My question is should I be concerned?
I have read that Ball Python's can take time to eat and it's ok as long as they are not losing weight.
She is in a 36x18x18 Exo terra enclosure with 3 sides covered, a focus PVC top, temp are 90 hot, 85 middle and 80ish cool side.
The humidly is 60-65.

[Bogertophis]

Sounds to me like she expelled some waste (urates, fecal or both) someplace in her home. But you're right to keep an eye on things. She needs some "TLC" now.

I think that was too soon after arrival to be offering her food- too soon to expect her to eat it, anyway. What works for her brother may not work at all for her.

Her activity suggests she is stressed and still settling in- as you should expect. While it's very reassuring when a new snake eats for you, & all of us can "hardly wait" for that to happen, you need to be patient- a new home is extremely confusing for a snake & some take longer than others.

You didn't mention handling her, so I hope you know that's not what you should be doing until after she's feeding regularly (at least 3 times at normal intervals without refusals).

How you offer prey to a snake, and when, are both very important. BPs are nocturnal ambush predators, not active hunters, so they're more likely to eat after dark (in a quiet room with dim lights) when they're peeking out of a hide, and NOT when they're active in the enclosure. Remember that in the wild, when they're busy swallowing a meal, they're defenseless from predators who want THEM for a meal- those that have survived have instincts to avoid making the mistake of eating out in the open, & they're far too slow for "active pursuit".

They wait to ambush prey that gets close enough to where they're hiding: they recognize that prey by their body heat, so did you warm the f/t prey right before offering it? Many find that warming it quickly with a blow-dryer (AFTER it's thawed & right before offering from tongs) will elicit a strike from the snake, & then hopefully they'll go on to gulp it down if they're undisturbed by your presence- so hold very still- try not to let your startle-reflex drop the tongs when the snake strikes, & wait quietly for the snake to finish swallowing before you even close the cage- the vibration & any movement from you can make them drop the f/t & lose interest- & don't resume activity or brighter lights in the room until the snake has eaten. OK?

If the snake does refuse or drops it after a strike, it's fine to try leaving it overnight to see if they'll eat it anyway, later. Some will, but many won't. It may help to cover their enclosure to reduce outside distractions.

Just one thing to keep in mind: I know that most of you here love to weigh your snakes to know for sure what's going on, BUT keep in mind that weighing counts as "handling" that snake. It's something I NEVER do with a new snake that's not eating. It's okay to weigh a new arrival right when you have to handle them anyway to look them over, but after that, avoid doing so until they're eating regularly for you. Weighing is "handling".

[pinaf413]

Thanks for getting back to me.
Yes she did poop and urate.
it's interesting that you and other people say that BP don't move around a lot. I got my first BP 5 weeks ago and he also seams to like to hang off his branch and the sides of his enclosure (Universal rocks background). He is doing very well and immediately switched from live pup rats that the breeder was feeding to FT rats. He is 5 for 5 eating though he won't eat from tongs so I leave it in the enclosure and an hour later it's gone., He also had a perfect shed. He is steadily gaining weight and has gone from 146g to 205g. Even after I moved him into his permanent home (4x2x18) PVC enclosure he ate on schedule. Yes I know that people will say that he is to young for a enclosure that size. But this is his schedule: after eating he will spend 2 days in his warm hide, the 3rd night he will move to the cool hide and the 4-6 days he is more active and spends time outside of his hides climbing resting on branches and ledges in the enclosure.
Maybe my BP is an oddball one.

[Bogertophis]

What you can successfully get away with on one snake doesn't always succeed with others. Just saying. And I don't necessarily fault anyone for providing larger homes for snakes- it all depends on other factors, such as overall privacy, how it's furnished, & the individual snake's own personality. We try to share the best methods for success.

[pinaf413]

Don't get me wrong, I wasn't trying to challenge you. I have gotten tons of useful information from this forums before I got my snake.
And also was the reason that I posted my question here in the first place is that I trust what people on here say. You and others on here have tons more experience then me.
Thanks again for answering my first question. I feel less stressed now.

[Bogertophis]

Don't get me wrong, I wasn't trying to challenge you. I have gotten tons of useful information from this forums before I got my snake.
And also was the reason that I posted my question here in the first place is that I trust what people on here say. You and others on here have tons more experience then me.
Thanks again for answering my first question. I feel less stressed now.

If snakes would only read their instructions, it would be a lot easier for us. But it would also be boring if they all did the same thing, right? Be patient, some just take do longer.

As it is, snakes are like playing tennis- you never know where the ball is coming over the net, you have to remain loose & ready to respond to wherever it is. With you're dealing with a live creature with it's own mind & personality- we know what things generally work, but for best results, we still pay attention to their subtle behavior differences & adjust accordingly.