Baby ball won't eat! What am I doing wrong?

[seeya205]

I got a baby ball when it was 3 weeks old. The breeder said it ate a pinkie rat 5 days ago. I left it alone for one week then tried to feed it a pinkie rat. He was not interested at all. Left him alone for 5 days then tried agian. Same reaction. Waited 5 more days and still nothing. He is now 5 and half weeks old. He seem to just want to escape all the time. I have him in a 20 gallon tank with a half log hide on cool side with temp at 82 and another little rock cave hide on the hot side with temps at 94. I heat it with a under tank heater and infred lamp both on hot side. I also have a big log with silk leaves hanging all around it in the middle back on tank and a water dish in front middle of tank. He sleeps in the cool side in the half log. What am I doing wrong? How do I get him to eat?

[kris62901]

not doing nothing wrong id lower the temp to 92 though and as for not eating ball pythons are picky eaters and it could be from stress hes not eating hes in a new place and new surroundings give it another week and try again or if u want get a mice hopper and i will bet it will take it

[FIEND_FO_LYFE]

throw that half log away, you want two identical hides, they will favor saftey over comfort anyday.
lower the hot side temps.

try live?

what kind of substrate is he on?

[BigLu]

yea like kris said give it a mouse hopper or mouse pinkie i had the same problem and that did it. some are just picky sobs

[JenEric Reptiles]

try a smaller hide.....also try putting dark construction paper around the sides and back....are you feeding pinkie mice or rats...try switching it from mice to rat vice versa......bp's are known to be picky eaters the challenge is finding your animals quirk.
I have some that will eat live some eat FT some eat FK..some eat asf,rats,etc....some wont eat certain colors i dont understand why but i like trying to try different things,
I had a rescue 50% het pied that as given to me as a 6 month non eater......i tried ft mice..nope.......ft rats.....nope,but gave him a live rat pupand he took it right away had him after 1 month and he ate......now eats anything i out infront of him
also have a baby ball that wot eat that i had for a month wont eat either....he gets assist fed and now i just touch the nose with the ft and he takes.......

just be creative and try different things and try reading other peoples post on non eaters and try wat they did also......dont panic and be patient!

[eclipsesmommy]

identical hides on the hot and cold side are better so your ball can regulate without having to part with a favorite hide. also they should be small enough so your snake can fit snugly inside they want to feel enclosed and safe. the half logs dont really do it for balls because tehres 2 openings that are huge. try cutting some round tupperware for an easy hide make sure its not see through so light stays out. 20 gallons is awful big for a baby i would suggest blocking off 1/3 or 1/4 of it with a piece of cardboard to make em feel more enclosed, if you do this make sure you adjust your under tank heater (UTH). using a lamp and a UTH isnt really necessary and can make it really hot in the tank especially if its glass so make sure you check your thermometer often. personally i use only a uth in my 20 gallon and it works fine so dont be afraid to ditch the lamp. also make sure your humidity is comfortable for the snake. im notsure of the percentage but you can find it somewhere around here.

[Kaorte]

What kind of thermometers are you using to measure temps?

Get rid of the half log and replace it with a tight fitting hide identical to the rock cave hide.

I think a 20g is a little big for such a small snake. You could try covering the back and sides with some dark paper to help with security.

Sounds like your snake is still a little stressed out.

[eclipsesmommy]

oh yeah i forgot the most important part, your ball is probably not eating cause its under stress. it could be many other reasons but juding by your entire post thats what id say

[seeya205]

I have him on a coconut fibre substrate. The humidity is about 60%. The pinkie rats I did try were live because thats what the breeder said he uses. I also forgot to mention that I put a background on the sides and back of tank for extra security. Maybe I should try a hopper mouse. How do I cut down the stress? I did everything I could think of!

[Patricia]

He seem to just want to escape all the time. I have him in a 20 gallon tank

I'm zeroing in on that "escape" part as I've just been through that with our new BP. After a month of eating fine, he refused food and went on major daytime roaming, more vertical than anything else, constantly poking around the screen cover. When he started avoiding both hides, draped instead on the AcuRite, and was cold for days along with not eating, Rabernet here came to the rescue.

Her advice of covering the bottom of the tank with crumpled newspaper worked like a charm. Our BP stopped roaming, went back into and stayed inside the warm hide, and yesterday gobbled his first meal since the newspaper was added.

Especially since your BP is younger than mine while your tank is double the size, it could be simply feeling too exposed. Try filling the space with crumpled up newspaper. 2 identical hides might help too. Cheapie bowls (3 for $1) with a doorway cut out work perfectly well and are easy to clean.

Good luck!