Not eating.

[cweimer4]

I got a ball python for Christmas. The pet store said they fed their snakes every Monday. So the following monday after Christmas came around and he didnt eat which is understandable cuz he was getting used to the new habitat still. Its the Tuesday 2 weeks after the last time he's been fed. He hasnt eaten yet. Everytime we try he curls up and lets the mouse crawl all over him. No intention in feeding at all. Im learning the whole snake pet process from a breeder locally. She is also a wildlife officer locally so she knows her stuff she said he may not eat as much in the winter (im in ohio, crappy winters) Is this true? Has anyone else had this problem? Should I be worried? Any insight is greatly appreciated. Thanks to all!!


Corey

[dr del]

Hi,

to the forum.

The first things to check out are the husbandry and the way the food is offered to see if there is anything we think might work better.

Can you give us the low down on your enclosure with the temps (and the place and method of taking them ) and run us through how you prepare for the feeding and how/ where you offer it?

Hopefully there will be a few simple things we can suggest that might help.


dr del

[cweimer4]

Hes fairly new I havent gotten all the temperature things yet. I have a heated rock with winter bedding, a water dish and a log he can hide underneath (where he spends most of his time). Before i feed him i take him out and let him uncurl and move out and wake up before i put him into a seperate cardboard box then put the mouse in there. Max (the snake) just crawls around tried to find a way out then curls up and doesnt eat. about a half hour later we give up and seperate the two. But if he doesnt eat by this friday the breeder I talked about in the original post is going to come out and check him out.

[singingtothewheat]

Hot rocks are a very bad idea, they are too hot. What you end up with is one totally hot area, which can seriously burn an animal and ambient temps that are way to low.

If your talking about one of the half logs, they are not what you want either. Ball pythons need more cover than that. They need a hide.

Be sure you have an under tank heater, radiant heater or a room temp about 82. You then need a warm side of around 90 (this will be the under tank heater).

Have it set up so that your pet has a cool side hide and a warm side hide. Water bowls on each side.

I think fixing these things will greatly improve your snakes desire to feed. Once it's living needs are met and it has a place to hide ( ball pythons really need this) he should do ton's better

[iCandiBallPythons]

Most feeding probs especially with young bp's is not feeling secure within their enclosure. This can be from wrong temps, wrong hides, etc. Winter should make no difference with a young snake. Feed the bp in it's enclosure, there's no reason to take him/her out and place in some sort of "feeding" container.

[Kaorte]

If it makes you feel better, your snake not eating is probably easily changeable by fixing your husbandry.

If you haven't already, please check out this care-sheet: http://www.ball-pythons.net/modules/...warticle&id=59

It sounds like you did in fact get some bad husbandry advice from this "wildlife officer/breeder". Hot rocks are never ok for reptiles. They have only been known to cause burns and even deaths.

There are so many important items that you need when keeping a ball python, but I would say proper hides are up there fighting for #1. If your snake doesn't have two identical tight fitting hides with small entrances, you are going to be dealing with a stressed snake who probably has no interest in eating.

[WingedWolfPsion]

Sounds like husbandry is wrong, yep. First, ambient temps should be about 80, with a 90F warm spot on one side of the tank. Hot rocks are very hazardous and should never be used. The manufacturers actually state that they are not to be used for snakes at all. Remove the hot rock immediately, and replace it with an undertank heater or radiant heat panel.

The humidity inside the cage should be 60% to 80% at all times. Lower humidity can cause respiratory infections. Bedding should be completely dry. Damp bedding or wet conditions can cause skin infections. If you have a screen top, covering most of it with plastic can help trap humidity inside.

Make sure the snake has a small, tight hide. A log is usually too open, though some ball pythons will tolerate them.

Do not handle the snake the day you are going to feed it. Leave it alone entirely. Place the food item in its cage without disturbing it.
In many cases, just lifting the log and handling the snake will be enough to prevent it from eating that day! Ball pythons are very shy animals, and they find handling stressful. Handle them no less than 2 days after they eat, and stop handling the day they are due to eat. This way you will get them used to handling without interfering with their feeding or digestion.

[BPelizabeth]

ditto to what everyone said....once you get that right....it will be better. I am not sure what winter bedding is but when you read the care sheet it will let you know what you can use.

Also there is no reason to feed outside the cage. Sometimes there are ppl that suggest it....and I have to say I fell into that when I first got mine. It was a huge pain in the bootey and it stressed out the snake. Also when you feed I personally DO NOT leave a live feeder with a snake and walk away. They can bite the snake...hey I've had mice bite me. You can choose to kill the mouse prior to feeding it or try Frozen/thawed. Or I have read that you can hold the mouse with tongs in front of the snake by the back of the neck. BP's are a shy snake by nature and like to eat when it is quite and you can also try to feed them when it is dark.

But first things first...get the husbandry down...

[cweimer4]

I was told that having a heated blanket or pad underneath it is more succeptible to start a fire?... idk how true that is but whatever but i was also told that if you keep the heated rock covered (which i do) with the bedding it wont bother the snake. my snake never goes on it anyways. he's always under the half log.

[dr del]

Hi,

Well any heat source unregulated can be a major hazard.

We always recommend having a thermostat on the UTH or at the very least a dimmer.

But hotrocks are notorious for developing hot spots on the surface and burning the animals.


dr del