Am I doing something wrong?

[yourstruely_rachel]

I just brought home my ball python on the 25th of november. He is about 14 inches long, but i'm not sure how old that means he is. I have never owned any kind of snake before, but have some expirience handling them. The first two days went great. He was very active, and explored his new surroundings day and night. He even let me touch him a couple times. But on the third day he went into his warm-side hide, and didn't come out. Its been 5 days now and he has barely moved.

Also just moments ago i attempted to feed him. The pet store said the last time he ate was the 23rd, and he is on frozen-thawed fuzzies. He responded positivly to the food by flicking his tougne and getting in strike position. But i dangled the mouse for about 20 minuets and he never made any moves to take it. And when i tried just laying it down in front of him and walking away he became even less interested in it. I've learned that its nothing to worry about if they skip a few feedings, but he is still very young, and kind of thin because he just finished shedding about a week ago.

My setup is in accordance with all the research iv done, but I have two theories for his odd behavior. First is that the temp in the cage has been a little low the past couple days, due to a sudden cold snap and a broken window in the room. But ive made arrange ments to get it fixed asap and will be using a space heater to heat the room in the meantime. And the second one is the feeding tongs i'm using are different than the ones used by the pet store and he might be scared of them.

So if im doing something wrong, please correct me! Any advice at all is appreciated. And thanks for taking the time to read my post :]

[jackiechan]

Hello and welcome to the bp.net Im new as well but from I have been reading around.. A hiding BP is a happy BP.

As for eating goes.. You said you brought him home on the 25th and he was fed on the 23rd. This is considered power feeding. Maybe he/she doesnt feel like eating right away. Usually the feeding schedule should be every 5-7 days. Also he might not be interested in F/T. You can try live.. but don't leave the mouse unattended. Cons about live is that the mouse can bite/scratch your bp.

Dont take any of my word as true advice.. Im new and always learning but so far this is what i have learned

Before i forget PICS PICS PICS!!!

[Maixx]

How warm is the f/t when you give it? I have a female that won't touch them unless its reheated to 105-115 deg. F.

[yourstruely_rachel]

How warm is the f/t when you give it? I have a female that won't touch them unless its reheated to 105-115 deg. F.

Not sure of the exact temp, but i thawed it in steaming hot water for about 15 minuets and it was warm to the touch when I dried it.

[cmack91]

I just brought home my ball python on the 25th of november. He is about 14 inches long, but i'm not sure how old that means he is. I have never owned any kind of snake before, but have some expirience handling them. The first two days went great. He was very active, and explored his new surroundings day and night. He even let me touch him a couple times. But on the third day he went into his warm-side hide, and didn't come out. Its been 5 days now and he has barely moved.

Also just moments ago i attempted to feed him. The pet store said the last time he ate was the 23rd, and he is on frozen-thawed fuzzies. He responded positivly to the food by flicking his tougne and getting in strike position. But i dangled the mouse for about 20 minuets and he never made any moves to take it. And when i tried just laying it down in front of him and walking away he became even less interested in it. I've learned that its nothing to worry about if they skip a few feedings, but he is still very young, and kind of thin because he just finished shedding about a week ago.

My setup is in accordance with all the research iv done, but I have two theories for his odd behavior. First is that the temp in the cage has been a little low the past couple days, due to a sudden cold snap and a broken window in the room. But ive made arrange ments to get it fixed asap and will be using a space heater to heat the room in the meantime. And the second one is the feeding tongs i'm using are different than the ones used by the pet store and he might be scared of them.

So if im doing something wrong, please correct me! Any advice at all is appreciated. And thanks for taking the time to read my post :]

to the site!

a ball python in the wild hides all day, and pretty much will only come out for food and water, so your snake hiding all day is perfectly normal. do you have a way to check your temps and humidity?

feeding things like this happen alot, ball pythons can be VERY picky when they want to be. next time you offer, if your snake doesnt take it within 15 or so minutes, try leaving it in the cage with your snake overnight, and if its still not gone in the morning, take it out and do it again next week.

and theres also a good care sheet on here too: http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...s%29-Caresheet

if you have any questions, feel free to ask on here. everyone here is always happy to help

[yourstruely_rachel]

to the site!

a ball python in the wild hides all day, and pretty much will only come out for food and water, so your snake hiding all day is perfectly normal. do you have a way to check your temps and humidity?

feeding things like this happen alot, ball pythons can be VERY picky when they want to be. next time you offer, if your snake doesnt take it within 15 or so minutes, try leaving it in the cage with your snake overnight, and if its still not gone in the morning, take it out and do it again next week.

and theres also a good care sheet on here too: http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...s%29-Caresheet

if you have any questions, feel free to ask on here. everyone here is always happy to help

Thanks for the advice! And yes I do have gagues for temps and himidity.

I have found this whole site and everyone on here to be very helpful. I will def be visiting routinely and contributing as much as possible. I hope I can give Hell Boy a great home and have him in my life for many years to come

[youbeyouibei]

Hi and welcome to BP.net!

First thing would be to read the caresheet, if you haven't already and make sure your temps/humidity are where they should be. If you're using the analog gauges to measure your temps/humidity, you might want to invest in a digital thermometer/hygrometer. Quite a few people on here use Accurite thermometer/hygrometers to measure the environment; there's a salt test that can be done on these to test the accuracy but I have no clue on how that's done so I won't even venture a guess, lol! Here's the link for them, if you're interested:

http://www.amazon.com/Acu-Rite-Indoo...654783&sr=8-15

Also, what size terrarium or tub is he in? Like some of the other posters said, in the wild balls hide most of the time, either in rodent dens/burrows, anthills, etc. Basically any tight and confined area they feel secure in. Another thing you might look at is the temperature of the prey item when you're offering it. A infrared heat gun is great for taking a reading off the head of whatever prey item you're offering, whether it be a mouse or rat pup or whatever. Thawing it in warm water and then heating the head with a blow dryer for a few seconds will mimic the natural body heat/scent of a prey animal and should (hopefully!) stimulate the feeding response. A range of 105 to 115 degrees Fahrenheit is about right; no hard or fast rule to that, just somewhere in that range is good. Pro Exotics have temp guns for cheap and they're of good quality, plus Robyn and the folks at Pro Exotics are great people. Here's there link if you want to look at a temp gun through them:

http://www.proexotics.com/store/home.php?cat=248

I'm sure I'm forgetting something or multiple somethings...hopefully that helps and gives you some ideas if you haven't tried them already. If nothing else, relax and don't stress it too much, if you can help it. Enjoy your new pet and have fun here! Take care.

[Annarose15]

As for eating goes.. You said you brought him home on the 25th and he was fed on the 23rd. This is considered power feeding. Maybe he/she doesnt feel like eating right away. Usually the feeding schedule should be every 5-7 days.

The OP said she tried to feed "just moments ago," which would be six days after the last meal, not power feeding.

OP - To repeat what's already been said, make sure the prey is warm enough and thawed all the way through. Use the hot water just to heat it up AFTER it's already thawed, otherwise you could cook the outside and the inside still remain cold. Once it's warm enough, try leaving it right at his hide's entrance overnight, without checking until morning. He could just be shy.

[Family Jewels]

Having worked for both of them, if you bought it from petco or petsmart, i would not put absolute faith in the date he last fed, or that its eating f/t. I don't mean to imply they all lie and cheat, but only one manager in ten years (other than me) had a strict no-cheating policy.
Before anything else, I would make sure the thawed mouse (rat hoppers are better) is warm enough, but not cooked, or the snake will snub it. I prefer to use hot tapwater (hot as it gets) and soak the rat about 20 minutes, then refill with hottest tapwater for about 20 seconds. The first soak thaws it out, and the second warms it to the core. This warmth is only good for about 5 minutes, then you'll need to repeat the second warming if it isn't taken. I also keep a towel next to the thaw tub, so when i pull the rat, i can quickly pad it semi-dry as i bring it to the snake.

[kitedemon]

Just make sure you temps are correct about (give or take a degree or two) 90 warm area and about 80 cool with an ambient air temp between 79-85. Snakes need heat to digest (an everything else) and they need to regulate their temps by moving between warm and cool areas. If the temps are wrong they will not digest and will not eat because of that.

Prey off temp as well could be a cause or not feeling secure. You might try adding some more cover to the enclosure. Do you have 2 identical hides? If you do try adding a fake plant or ever a few balls of newspaper. They are quite vulnerable after feeding and if they do not feel secure they also will not eat.