Ball Python Cannot hold down rodent

[ballpythonluvr]

Why were you poking the poor thing? It is no wonder it won't eat for you. You have that poor snake stressed out.

[JeffJ]

Why were you poking the poor thing? It is no wonder it won't eat for you. You have that poor snake stressed out.

winner winner chicken dinner

[JeffJ]

One thing i wanted to point out is, when you grabbed your ball python. it was fine. it didn't strike at you. then you get the pool que and start poking it in the face.

you do realize it wasn't pissed off until you started messing with it. you should be teasing it like that. and its now your own fault its stressed right out.

if it was overly aggressive then it would have bitten you when you grabbed for it. your pretty much digging your own hole deeper the way your treating it.

[PythonBreeder]

One thing i wanted to point out is, when you grabbed your ball python. it was fine. it didn't strike at you. then you get the pool que and start poking it in the face.

you do realize it wasn't pissed off until you started messing with it. you should be teasing it like that. and its now your own fault its stressed right out.

if it was overly aggressive then it would have bitten you when you grabbed for it. your pretty much digging your own hole deeper the way your treating it.

I'll just save my future arthritis pains. "What he said"

[anatess]

Okay guys, he said that was 4 months ago. Let's just assume he has learned to do better and try to help him with his problem now. We are trying to help a snake out here...

My suggestion is to double-check husbandry settings to make sure it is spot on, then don't handle the snake at all except for changing his water bowl and general viv clean-up until he eats. Offer a fuzzy rat every 5 days. If he doesn't eat, then don't worry about it and offer again 5 days later. Do this until he feels secure enough to eat. When you offer a feed, keep everyone out of the room and try to keep the noise level down. Also offer a feed only at night.

Hope this helps.

Additional thought - it shouldn't be necessary to use a snake hook on a ball python. If you are worried about the snake biting you, you can use thick gloves or one of those leather motorcycle gloves until you gain confidence.

[JLC]

Alright guys....enough! He already said that was months ago and he's learned since then that that's not a good way to treat him. LET SOMEONE LEARN without condemning them repeatedly for every past wrong.

To the OP...it's entirely possible...very likely in fact, that your snake is, indeed, too stressed to eat. Your job, as its keeper, is to find out why and try to reduce all such stress as much as you can.

Try covering the sides of the glass with opaque paper to make it more dark and cave-like inside.

Except for the most necessary tasks of refreshing water and removing waste, don't even put your hands into the cage....and don't handle the snake at all....until it is eating on a regular, consistent basis.

Be sure to allow 5-7 days between feeding attempts. Constant encounters with a food source when the snake is already stressed just makes it worse.

[JLC]

Heh...we're on the same wavelength today, anatess!

[Wh00h0069]

This is to Whooh0069 he is in like a 20-29 gallon tank aquarium. He has two hides and ambient temps are usually 77-80 degrees all around with a hot spot of like 90-95 with a heat pad. Humidity all around is like 55-65% and I have been trying to feed him small adult mice.

I suggest covering the sides and back of the aquarium with something to make him feel more secure. I also suggest feeding him after lights out. I normally just drop the live prey in their enclosures after lights out, and come back in around 30 - 45 minutes to see if it their gone. Also make sure that the enclosure is not in a room that is noisy.

Keep us updated.

[anatess]

Heh...we're on the same wavelength today, anatess!

Great minds...

LOL!

But the truth of the matter is, I learned it all from you Judy!

[kc261]

I watched the video, and I will say my impression was more along the lines of a person that just didn't know better than a person that was being purposefully mean. Since the OP has stated that he is more knowledgeable now and doesn't use it anymore, maybe we all could just drop it and actually try to help this person and his snake rather than picking on something he did in the past?

The snake definitely looks stressed in the video, and that is a likely reason for refusing to eat. The first thing you should do is stop handling him except for the absolute minimum required for tank maintenance. That should help to bring his stress level down.

Your temps and humidity are pretty good, if what you are reporting is accurate. I personally wonder how the humidity could be that high in a screen top enclosure (which usually lets too much humidity escape) with a heat lamp (which usually sucks out the humidity). Are you measuring it with a digital gauge? If not, please get one and find out for sure what the humidity is, and make necessary adjustments if necessary. Also, the book you have setting on top of the enclosure will likely be ruined by being in contact with that much humidity for a long time.

To further reduce stress, you could find some hides that would be a tighter fit for the snake. They appear to really like hides that touch them on all sides. You could also just stick a wad of newspaper in the hide to take up some of the extra room.

Also, I'd highly recommend you add a lot more "clutter" to your tank. Some people (including myself with my first BP) have had great success with putting in enough crumpled newspaper to cover the bottom of the tank. This lets the snake feel hidden even when it comes out of its hide. A better looking alternative is to put in lots of fake greenery, which you can get cheaply at a dollar store or Walmart, just be sure to look it over carefully for any sharp places, protruding wires, etc.

You said in the video is it a wild caught BP. Do you know that for sure or are you just guessing? WC snakes get stressed very easily, and sometimes take a long time to adjust to life in captivity. I've heard of WCs that have taken up to a year to start eating.

After you've made the changes in his set-up, give him a week to adjust to his new surroundings and less stressful life. Then try feeding him, after dark, and make sure the room is quiet. If he doesn't eat, leave him alone for another 5-7 days and try again. Continue like that until he starts eating for you. If it goes more than a few weeks, I'd recommend weighing him once a month on a digital gram scale, so you can see if/when he starts to lose a significant amount of weight. BPs can go an amazingly long time without eating and lose very little weight, and as long as they are not losing much weight and otherwise healthy, it is not a big concern.

The stress level your snake was displaying in the video is a concern, so please address that immediately.