Ball python not leaving cold hide/eating

[Bogertophis]

...We are handling him less than we used to, as we were concerned about the impact it would have on his feeding, but usually we try to handle him every other day....

I suspect it's the frequent handling that's hurting his appetite, especially since you're only feeding at a fairly long interval. Just remember that snakes are not domestic animals, even when captive-bred. They rely on their instincts to survive, & the only thing that picks them up in the wild is normally a predator about to eat them. I think you can see how that might negatively-impact one's appetite, right?

I'm not saying to never handle your pet, but try to put his needs first- try NO handling for several+ days prior to feeding. Another HUGE variable is that "handling" doesn't mean the same thing for everyone. There's a big difference between sitting down & holding a snake near you so they feel sheltered (not out in the open where they are vulnerable to predators) & mostly during evening hours when he'd normally be active, versus handling him out in the open, going from person to person, or in ways that he cannot relax or feel safe. There's also a big difference between the intuitive ways most adults handle a snake, and the way children do. If handling means watching him crawl around on the floor, that too is quite scary for a snake- try to put yourself in his height-challenged "shoes".

Also, handling should not be rushed- the most stressful times are when you first remove him from his home & when you are putting him back- I know this because that's often when snakes bite people, because they feel they're under threat. So if you only "handle" a snake for 20 minutes, let's say, he's barely recovered from the stress of being taken from his place of feeling safe, & never quite learns to relax with you.

And just to be clear- you said you "try to handle him every other day"? There's no need to "try" to handle him so often- I'm pretty sure he won't miss any skipped sessions. BPs spend most of their time hiding, not roaming around, since they're ambush predators. Remember they're most active in the evening/night hours too- meaning that handling during the day when he'd rather sleep might not be as comfortable for him either.

[Animallover3541]

For those of us who "speak Fahrenheit", the basking temperatures are 84-89.6* F, & the cool end is 77*F. Which sounds perfect to me for a BP. Humidity is a bit high for routine, but good for when your snake is in shed.

How much handling do you do? When he's not in his own "perfect world" & if your house feels cool to him, that might explain his lack of appetite & attempt to brumate.

Your snake is beautiful- he has a good body weight- but why is he soaking? Does he do that often?

The humidity fits the ARAV care guide and my veterinarian's advice. I know I used to believe that it was too high of a range but experience and research has taught me otherwise. As long as things aren't constantly moist and the air isn't stagnant it should be fine.

However, that's just my two cents, and just because there's two different ways to do something doesn't necessarily mean they are wrong

Also, I agree handling should be kept to a minimum for now. Try slowly increasing how often you hand and how, and by slowly I MEAN slowly. Getting your snake to at least "tolerate" handling means that it will be easier for you or a veterinarian to inspect for health issues.
Again, DO NOT RUSH IT!!! Just remember slow and steady wins the race

[Jdelaney]

Ah prime example of why I shouldn't be speed typing whilst at work! He was on large weaning rats but we did then move to small when he stopped eating as we wanted to see whether the size was an issue for him, but again, advice is greatly appreciated on this, he's our first snake and this is the first issue like this we've really encountered so we're not fooling ourselves into thinking we're experts!

Thank you again ☺️

[Jdelaney]

Sorry I hadn't seen the handling posts, we've been very much leaving it for quite some time now as we've not wanted to stress him, only getting him out if we need to clean the vivarium etc. Definitely noted what you've said about handling, we haven't for a while like I said but agree we need to "step back" from that for some time and then slowly reintroduce him to it - last thing we want to do is scare him or make him uncomfortable! The first year we had him was when we were handling him much more regularly, but it hasn't been as often as that for quite some time now.