How big should he be?

[rebeccabecca]

I found out my BP is oct/nov 08' he's about 1.6 feet. Is that big or small? the store I got him from told me that they can get him to feed if need be but he's still looking good. And if I leave him in a small tupperware box over night with a young rat pup ould that get him to eat?

[Jenn]

Sounds small to me. How long has it been since he ate?

[rebeccabecca]

It's been about 3 weeks or so. I've just got a digital themometer as the dile kind was off by 10 degrees lower in his hotspot(80 not 90 like it read). I put newspaper in the tank to see if that will help. The reptile store is willing to get him to feed for me if he doesn't eat in a week

[c.nash]

Small rat pup?

I feed mine Small Rats, and soon to move to Medium Rats and he was born in September/October. He is almost 3' Long...

[Stewart_Reptiles]

First they all grow at different rate, there are many factor to take in consideration which is why you should not compare your BP to another or think there is something wrong because someone as a bigger BP even though it hatched at the same date (it depends on weight out of the egg, how fast they got started, feeding frequency, prey size etc)

If you have feeding issue I would not suggest to take your animal to a pet store (I would not jeopardize one of my snake by doing that if I were you)

If you have not done so already get a 15 quarts tub with 2 tight and identical hides

Something like this

Provide 80-84 on the cool side and 90-94 on the warm side with 50% humidity

Once moved DO NOT handle your BP once a week has passed try to offer a live rat pup (pre-scent the room and put the rat pup in your snake enclosure)

If you have a refusal wait a week before offering again.

Also get a cheap kitchen scale to monitor your BP's weight.

[hoo-t]

...he's about 1.6 feet. ...

Small rat pup?

I feed mine Small Rats, and soon to move to Medium Rats and he was born in September/October. He is almost 3' Long...

This snake is far too small for a small rat. A small rat pup sounds about right. In fact, when a snake hasn't eaten in an extended period of time, a small meal is preferable to a larger one. It helps to rebuild lost gut flora. In fact a large meal can kill a snake that hasn't eaten in a long time (but we're talking about a much longer period of time than 3 weeks).

There are several people on this forum who would argue that no ball python ever needs anything larger than a small rat. I lean towards that point of view, though not strictly. Some of my larger snakes (over 2000 grams) will occasionally get a medium rat. The rule of thumb that I use is roughly 10% of the snake's body weight.

Finally, to the op - if you can't get it to take a rat pup, try a mouse. I don't really like feeding mice, because many times its difficult to switch them over to rats, but I'd rather have a mouse eater than a snake that won't eat.

Steve

[c.nash]

There are several people on this forum who would argue that no ball python ever needs anything larger than a small rat. I lean towards that point of view, though not strictly. Some of my larger snakes (over 2000 grams) will occasionally get a medium rat. The rule of thumb that I use is roughly 10% of the snake's body weight.

Steve

I was always taught never to feed bigger than the largest part of the body. My 500g BP is about 1 1/2 the size of a small rat on empty.

[rebeccabecca]

I just put him in a rubbermaid bin though it's clear I put it in an empty dresser as I have cats and would be afraid of them knocking it over,it's cracked open bit and will help reduce noise. I have a cobra brand heat mat in the tank as well as a tank liner (didn't want the paper to bunch up) He has 2 hid hides and a water dish and a rock. Hopefully this will get him to eat.