Feeding questions

[scubacane]

Greetings - First time newbie here- I had a BP for about 7 years in highschool and college back in 80s and seem to remember that he went off feed for a month at a time routinely in the winter eating about once a month. My son got a BP from Santa- about 20 in long , I believe a male. He ate well at the LPS prior to me picking him up - 1 to 2 live mice/ week. He ate well about three days after bringing him own and again a week later. Since then he hasnt shown an interest in past 3 weeks. he is still active at night,appears to be getting used to being handled 15 min every other day. He is in a 10 gallon tank w/ ceramic overhead lightand under tank warmer for about half the tank, astroturf substrate- 2 water bowls w/ frequent misting to keep humidity>50%. Today after another unsuccessful feed I was looking at him- his eyes appear shinier and underbelly just a hint of pink- am I headed for a shed? Would this explain lack of appetite? Is 3 weeks long for a young BP like this to go off feed? Thanks for any comments

[FatBoy]

a bp that young should be eating once a week. If he is going into a shed that can definately cause him not to eat, even though most of the time they will eat through sheds when young. Do you have a spare piece of turf to exchange weekly? My few experiences with turf has led to some belly irritation. Urine can soil the turf without being able to see it. You need spare turf to change the old one out. Cleaning the old turf is very important, I used to use 10%clorox water. I am leaning towards the shed, give him time and see what happens. It want hurt him to go without a few meals.

[Stewart_Reptiles]

Do you provide hides? If so are they tight and identical (all sides touching his body?)

What are your temps on the warm side and the cool side? What type of thermometer do you use to measure them?

How often do you or your soon handle this BP?

Is his enclosure in a low traffic area?

[FL0OD]

I agree with FatBoy and the AT and that may be a small issue with his belly being pink from irritation but it is more than likely a sign of him going into shed.