is he just picky? any suggestions?

[toxicvixen]

Hi guys! I posted a while back on how picky my ball python is and how he strikes and kills the hopper mouse but does not eat it. He has done this twice now. I got him on 11-13-10 and was told he was about 2 months old. He refused his first meal, and then took the next two. I am feeding him small hopper mice, about as big around as his mid section. The 2 most recent meals, he killed and left alone all night long. We feed him at night, every Sunday (except today, we will be trying to feed him tomorrow as we just got back into town from a long weekend for the holiday) and I am wondering why he may be doing this? We put the mouse in the cage, wait for him to strike it and turn the lights off and leave the room. We have him in the office so we can totally seclude him from all commotion. then in the morning, the mouse is still there. The last time we watched the whole thing, from striking to killing and then he looked like he had a hard time "finding" the head to start eating. Then he gave up and went in his hide. I had recieved some advice that his cage was too big , and too "clutter it up" and also to get him some smaller hides. So I added some logs and a second water dish which I keep crumpled up wet paper towels in to help with humidity. I have lined the outside of the cage with black foamy contact paper, and did get him smaller hides, which he uses( I used to have the large half logs that you can get at pet stores). We just got a digital scale (I got it for xmas ) so I can weigh him to make sure he doesn't start dropping weight. I have taken some pics of his set up and him for you all to see. The cage has a ceramic heat bulb on top on the middle right, an UTH on the right and i use two probe thermometers to measure the temps. one on the cool, which is currently at 80.3 and one on the warm side, which is just a wee bit to the left of the hide and is currently at 87.9 it is closer to 90 under his hide though. He usually can be found on the cool side of the cage as well. the humidity is currently at 60%, and everytime i see it drop below 50% i mist the cage and make sure he has a nice full water bowl and fresh wet paper towels. As of tonight, he wieghs 74 grams. He has had 2 very healthy bowel movements since I got him as well. Any advice?
The pics may have a bit of condensation on the tank wall, i had just misted. It is gone now and he is currently under his cool hide on the left. He does frequently roam the cage though...

[BPelizabeth]

I would highly recommend getting accurite thermometers (Walmart) as the ones you have are really not reliable. Also how are you monitoring the UTH?? It can and will spike to temps over 110 degrees. What substrate is that you are using?

I ask all this as sometimes it is a husbandry issue when they will not eat at that age.

Ask the person you bought it from what they were feeding....frozen thawed or live? That could be an issue as well.

[LeviBP]

Sometimes this just happens. One of the most frustrating parts of owning a Ball. The best advice I can give you is to wait two weeks before your next feed, this has worked on numerous occasions for me. If you feed f/t every now and again, getting the mouse a little extra warm will sometimes entice your BP. If this continues, check your snake over and be sure to look for little moving black spots on his body. This means he has mites, which often makes them lose their appetite.

[toxicvixen]

He was eating live, which is all I have ever tried to feed him. The bedding is care fresh. I only try to feed him once a week so as not to stress him out. I have looked for one of those thermometers and can't find one, what department should I look in? Do you have a picture of one so I know what to look for? I check him over very closely every time hold him and he is clean as a whistle. Curious, active, tongue flicking and clear eyes. I was thinking of trying a bit smaller mouse too as I read that they won't eat if they think it is too big? I have been trying medium hoppers, maybe I should try small hoppers or large fuzzies?

[Animals As Leaders]

He was eating live, which is all I have ever tried to feed him. The bedding is care fresh. I only try to feed him once a week so as not to stress him out. I have looked for one of those thermometers and can't find one, what department should I look in? Do you have a picture of one so I know what to look for? I check him over very closely every time hold him and he is clean as a whistle. Curious, active, tongue flicking and clear eyes. I was thinking of trying a bit smaller mouse too as I read that they won't eat if they think it is too big? I have been trying medium hoppers, maybe I should try small hoppers or large fuzzies?

The walmart I go to the thermometers are by the auto section kind of...there like 13 bucks too real cheap. http://www.partshelf.com/acu00891.html

My friend recently bought a new born off of me, and had this happen. I think its a fluke really...I don't think its caused by any kind of health issue. I mean I guess sometimes it could be something serious, but I doubt it. Maybe try a different setup? I personally am not a big fan of aquariums because people like the "grow-into" idea. This is a bad idea because large spaces usually make snakes feel vulnerable and can cause issues with eating regularly. My friends wanted to have a display so I directed them to get a 10 gallon tank at most. They covered the back and the sides with the background paper you can buy at petsmart. Looks nice and will help the snake feel less insecure. This hasn't failed them yet...But I personally use sterilite tubs, and snake rack enclosures. Only feeding issues I've ever had were due to breeding season when I cool them all. I would wait 7-14 days and feed w.e the previous owner/breeder was feeding, or something slightly smaller. For example, if he was feeding adult mice, try a hopper. Keep us all updated! Good luck!

***Also! Your setup seems to lack ample hiding spots...Keep it simple. Have a hide on both the cool side and hot side, and make sure its a small hide. They like cramped small spaces. This may sound weird but its true. I've had some escape, and even when they have the world at their fingertips they choose small crevices to take refuge. Keep in mind snakes are very secretive animals, and don't do much "exploring" in the wild. This is just a survival technique for snakes, and makes sense when you really think about it. A lot of animals prey on snakes, and this is their way of staying alive. If they don't feel secure in their environment they won't eat.

***Sorry, just looked at ur pics again...you have hides on both spots lol. Other then the fact that the tank is too big in my opinion, keep good eye on husbandry. Hot side 90-95, humidity 50%, cold side 78-82.

[toxicvixen]

Wahoo! I tried a smaller hopper mouse and he ate! Struck it before all for of the mouses feet were on the floor. I'm so excited! Like a proud mom :-)

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