Is my ball python very thin?

[Expensive hobby]

Try love or pre kill. If live doesn't work than maybe worry. Also how long are you trying to feed? How long do you dangle the prey item? I have a male boa that will eat PK but you have to give him some privacy, like total darkness. After about an hour you hear him strike and 10mins later check and he's eaten.


Sent From an Enclosure

[m1n054]

Ok, so in regards to husbandry:

He has a hide. This one is new though because I thought the other one didn't make him very safe. Plus this one is heavy so helps me hold the thermometer probe in place.
Warm side around 90F.
Cool side around 80F.
Humidity around 60% (last week was a bit dry sometimes it was at 45% but I sprayed the tub a bit and it went up.)
Aspen bedding.
This is my thermometer.
Using Hydrofarm thermostat.
Using Zoo Med small UTH.
He's on a 15qt bin.

He spends all his time in the hide, and some nights he goes out and drink water and explore the tub. He does this a lot in the morning, around 6-7 a.m. He pooped something, or it would seem like poop but a very tiny thing, at first I thought it was pee on aspen but it was poop in the end. I'm also worried about my scale, I don't like it at all... I thought it might be good but I don't know now. I'm not a small person, but I do have small hands (small palms, long fingers).

In regards to feeding attempts:

Now, the first thing I offered him was a F/T hopper at night, 6 days after I got him. I dangled him a little bit in front of him and he seemed interested, he smelled it and pulled back. I left the mouse there, he didn't take it. I then offered a rat pup a week and some days later (yesterday), I thaw it and then used hair dryer to warm him up, he still didn't take it. I really don't want to feed him live but if there's no other way I'll do it.

[200xth]

You need to get an accurate weighing somehow. A snake not eating for three weeks and going from 120g to 80g is in a slightly different situation than one going from 240g to 200g.

If your weight is accurate and the snake has gone from 120g to 80g, you need to get it a live mouse hopper pretty soon. It needs food and a live mouse hopper is a good start.

If the weight is inaccurate and it actually weighs closer to 200g, you have more options and more time.

[m1n054]

He might be around 100grams instead, here's a picture I got with the scale, when I first got him:

[200xth]

Get her a live mouse hopper for now. If she is ~100g, it's close enough to correct size. If she is ~200g it's too small, but it's some food at least and it doesnt hurt her to have it. It's always good to see them eat, and it might kick start the feeding.

[Naom9Anne]

Has he been weighed on the same scale on both weighings? Scales can vary widely. I am a little concerned if he has truly gone from 125g to 80g on the same scales in three weeks :/

I hope this is a scale error and you also get him eating

I have quite small hands too.

[Crazymonkee]

I say get a live hopper and very soon. I would also test the accuracy of your scale by weighing something that you know the weight of

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk

[m1n054]

Yes this is the very same scale but like I'm said, I'm having my doubts too. Last time I weigh him was 10 days ago and he was still 125 grams. There's no way he would lose 1/3 of his weight in a week I think. I'll go get him a live hopper somewhere... see what he does.

I say get a live hopper and very soon. I would also test the accuracy of your scale by weighing something that you know the weight of

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk

Yeah, thanks for the suggestion. Looked up the specs of my phone and it's 143 grams. It measures 139 grams in my scale so I maybe the scale is working. It's different weighting a snake than a phone though. When I first got him and weigh him he was all balled up. Last time I measured him he was kind of moving around, so maybe not a very accurate reading, can't get him to sit still though :/.

[Naom9Anne]

Place your hand near his head area and cup him in his hands, it's like a forced ball up. Not great for trust unfortunately but I saw it as a way of changing the fight to flight in BP's. It is hopefully just the fact that he was moving.

Best of luck!

youtube clip, comes on half way through to get the BP to ball up:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7DQssbM0uk

[m1n054]

Place your hand near his head area and cup him in his hands, it's like a forced ball up. Not great for trust unfortunately but I saw it as a way of changing the fight to flight in BP's. It is hopefully just the fact that he was moving.

Best of luck!

youtube clip, comes on half way through to get the BP to ball up:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7DQssbM0uk

Oh I've tried him to ball up by touching his head but he's surprisingly not head timid. He doesn't really care if I stroke or tap his head. I don't want to get too rough with him either :/