Sorry for the long post, once you read, you will see why it is so long... the boy has a horrible history!

I know that everyone says not to take/buy any snake that isn't eating and healthy... but this poor boy needed someone to take better care of him. He hasn't eaten in two months and I am very very concerned. (I am new to the site but I have another BP who is happy and healthy for a very long time now and used to own a couple corn snakes, not a beginner).

First you need to know his history because I think he is a very special case for not eating.

The most recent owner reports that he was owned by one person before her. Says that the first owner had him for about 5 years and would hit him on the head with a stick in order to get him to strike and eat the dead feeders. Talk about screwing a snake up! Last owner says that he was ALWAYS very tough to feed because he always stresses, tenses and hides when he smells prey.

The last owner had him for about 10 years. Says she could only ever get him to eat about every 2weeks to 3 months. (3 months!!! on a regular basis). Oh, also, he has only every lived in a 10 gallon tank until I got him. And he was never temp/humidity regulated and never had a hide box or a big enough water bowl. He was basically kept in the poorest of conditions.

In the time that she owned him, he stopped eating for a several months, so she switched him to live prey, dangling at the lip of the tank. She says that when he would eat (med rat--i think it is too big since that is a little bigger than his girth) she would get him to eat two at a time.

So, he has had it rough, with her, he escaped and climbed into the light box above. He has a very long scar down his side to prove it. He has also had pnemonia and she said he once vomitted a rat 5 weeks after eating it.

I have had him for two months. One week after getting him he ate a med rat for me. Then I moved him to his new terrarium, 48"x18"x18". (Maybe I should move him to a smaller cage since he may be too insecure to get into a large one?)

I waited over a week to offer food (giving time for adjustment), nada. I have tried several times since. I have offered a mouse, even. I also tried making the prey den, a box with hole on top and feeder inside so that he can go at his leisure. He was so nervous from the noise of something moving that he never came out of his hide. I don't know what to do.

To top it off, last night I thought I heard a very very high pitch whistle coming from him. When he was poking his head close to the top, I got close so that I could hear better, he smelled me and his tail started twitching, sort of like the tip of a cat's tail or not quite as fast as a dog wagging it's tail. Also, his head started quivering when he smelled me. What is going on with him??

I have been keeping his habitat at prime condition and I just can't figure him out (and I haven't handled him, other than to clean his tank). Oh, his stool was pretty messed up too. A wad of hair and a few inches away the white solid waste.

Help! I am so worried about him!