Ball python still trying to escape

[Nephil]

Hello everyone, this thread will be some questions but also an update to my last post. My ball python has been trying to escape 2 weeks already, with no signs of hunger. The attempts have been a bit shorter, but they are a daily thing. I ordered one of these black box hides, but surprise surprise, i always have something unexpected to happen. The package should have been received on 21st of October, but it wasn't delivered by my usual mailman, and i missed the package cause i wasn't home that moment, plus who delivered the box was much earlier than usual. The next day i got a paper saying the package can be received on 26th of October, but i didn't. Basically the mailman was going around doing his job and a few days ago left to a big city afar from here, for unknown reasons. Nobody knows when and if he'll come back, and i really don't know what to do. Maybe i'll have to reorder at this point, but since trouble seemed never ending i got another log for my BP, since the last one he loved got moldy. It's a bit too big, so i should cut some sides to make it lower and smaller. I also added much more decorative plants, but he is still trying to escape. I did change up his tub about a hour ago, so is it just that the changes kinda bother him and he needs to adjust in his home again? Do snakes dislike changes so they need time to calm down? I really want some explanation to keep me a bit calmer.

[nikkubus]

Yes, changes can stress them out. Some changes are important enough that you just have to do it, but it will take him time to adjust. A brand new tub might not only look different, but all his scents are gone, he probably feels lost and is trying to find his home. As long as he isn't being too persistent to where he is rubbing his skin raw, and his temps and humidity are good, I wouldn't be too worried about it, it will pass.

Double check all your parameters. If you are having a bad delay getting the correct size hide, I agree cutting the current one is probably your best bet, or even just cutting a hole in an empty food tub like cream cheese comes in or maybe a bit bigger depending how big your little guy is.

[Nephil]

Yes, changes can stress them out. Some changes are important enough that you just have to do it, but it will take him time to adjust. A brand new tub might not only look different, but all his scents are gone, he probably feels lost and is trying to find his home. As long as he isn't being too persistent to where he is rubbing his skin raw, and his temps and humidity are good, I wouldn't be too worried about it, it will pass.

Double check all your parameters. If you are having a bad delay getting the correct size hide, I agree cutting the current one is probably your best bet, or even just cutting a hole in an empty food tub like cream cheese comes in or maybe a bit bigger depending how big your little guy is.

He does rub his nose quite alot, but surprisingly it's not damaged yet. Some of his scent should be left though, since i still use the same tub, i just added fresh new substrate, took out his waste, washed his water bowl and his cave, took out the cardboard boxes i added as temporary hides that he didn't care to use, and put the log and decorations in. I want to make the log as similar as possible to his old one, so i will have to modify it quite a bit, just need to get something that will cut it well. The thing i worry about the most is his food refusal, since he always has been a very good eater but he is still pretty thin.. I don't know if he'll end up being so hungry that he won't be able to reject the food anymore, or he'll just let himself die. I don't know how hardy BP's are, and that's why every little problem makes me hella nervous.

[nikkubus]

Ah gotcha, yeah some scent should still be left.

Sometimes they will reject food to the point of starving and you have to intervene. I don't know how well started he was when you got him, but hopefully he starts eating soon. Make sure not to offer food too often, I'd probably try weekly if he is still pretty young. Offer the same thing the breeder did if at all possible. If it's frozen/thawed, zap the head of the prey with a hair dryer for a few seconds right before offering if you haven't already tried that.

[Bogertophis]

... I ordered one of these black box hides, but surprise surprise, i always have something unexpected to happen. The package should have been received on 21st of October, but it wasn't delivered by my usual mailman, and i missed the package cause i wasn't home that moment, plus who delivered the box was much earlier than usual. The next day i got a paper saying the package can be received on 26th of October, but i didn't. Basically the mailman was going around doing his job and a few days ago left to a big city afar from here, for unknown reasons. Nobody knows when and if he'll come back, and i really don't know what to do...

Are you SURE this pkg. delivery was attempted by the mail service? If so, CONTACT (call) your local postmaster & explain this problem to them- it's for them to solve.

IF the notice was from another carrier (UPS? or FEDEX?) you'll probably have trouble contacting them, so contact the company that you ordered from, as they'll need to trace the pkg. & replace the item if it cannot be found.

I don't really follow what you're saying about your mailman disappearing to a big city (much less how you came by this information?), but again, if this was a postal service delivery, CALL your P.O. as soon as possible about this. And put in a claim for replacement from the source of your item(s) if needed. The sooner you take care of this, the better. That's what I'd do. When a pkg. is sent but NOT received for some delivery issue, you're still owed the item by the sender, & they should help to figure out what went wrong.

[Nephil]

Are you SURE this pkg. delivery was attempted by the mail service? If so, CONTACT (call) your local postmaster & explain this problem to them- it's for them to solve.

IF the notice was from another carrier (UPS? or FEDEX?) you'll probably have trouble contacting them, so contact the company that you ordered from, as they'll need to trace the pkg. & replace the item if it cannot be found.

I don't really follow what you're saying about your mailman disappearing to a big city (much less how you came by this information?), but again, if this was a postal service delivery, CALL your P.O. as soon as possible about this. And put in a claim for replacement from the source of your item(s) if needed. The sooner you take care of this, the better. That's what I'd do. When a pkg. is sent but NOT received for some delivery issue, you're still owed the item by the sender, & they should help to figure out what went wrong.

I did call the mail service and they told me the package is in the hands of this mailman, they showed me all the past trackings, where he was and how he currently (i mean in the 26th of october) was at the big city nearby but still pretty far away (not telling cause of privacy, of course). So they didn't tell me much, and the box can arrive anytime, or maybe never. It's better to reorder at this point imo, all i know is that the company that was involved in the delivering is commonly known to do a mess, a relative of mine had the same exact problem. But now i just really want to calm down my BP with anything he might like, recreate the log that kept him safe, and regularly check for mold before it starts stinking.

[Nephil]

I did call the mail service and they told me the package is in the hands of this mailman, they showed me all the past trackings, where he was and how he currently (i mean in the 26th of october) was at the big city nearby but still pretty far away (not telling cause of privacy, of course). So they didn't tell me much, and the box can arrive anytime, or maybe never. It's better to reorder at this point imo, all i know is that the company that was involved in the delivering is commonly known to do a mess, a relative of mine had the same exact problem. But now i just really want to calm down my BP with anything he might like, recreate the log that kept him safe, and regularly check for mold before it starts stinking.

Also he is actually using the log rn even if it's not that tight for a BP's liking.. It makes me happy but also i don't wanna bring my hopes up too much. Should i wait before modifying the new log so i can stop bothering him for a while, or should i quickly solve the problem so he can be as happy as possible and as soon as possible?

[Caitlin]

If he's using his log, then just let him be.

[Nephil]

Okay so i did modify the log in the end and did everything quickly with a saw, though it seems i just freaked my BP out.. If that's so, i feel really embarrassed for my mess, though i really just want to do the best for him even though he won't ever understand that. In less than 10 mins i put the log back in and he didn't seem to be interested in it anymore, he just tried to escape for some time again and then gone back to hiding in his other hide (a cave). He is now always staying on the hot side, is it normal? In fact he is always warm to the touch. He is still always alert, but he doesn't put his head out of any hide anymore like he would do with his old log, showing that he's ready to eat. He now only has his head out when i am near, when i open the tub lid to change water in his water bowl, and then he tries to escape. He does that always- i am near when he is hiding, he looks around, comes out, tries to escape and then goes back to hiding after about 20 minutes (he tries to escape without me too, but mostly when i am near he has motivation to get out). Is that okay? He has lots of corners filled with bush-like fake plants, he has even one of those on his cave, and the leaves cover up the entrance a bit making it seem like there's extra protection. I really don't want to make him nervous with my presence anymore, if i am the problem that freaks him out, so maybe i should act nonexistent for a few days at least,then i'll try to feed him