Quote Originally Posted by Inknsteel View Post
Since you mentioned getting a reptile starter kit from the pet store, I'll make some assumptions about your setup. Please correct me if I'm wrong...

In those reptile kits, they generally have those cheap dial-type guages. Those can be highly inaccurate, so most opinions here would be to ditch them and go with a digital thermometer/hygrometer combo. You can find one at Walmart for $12 that measures hot side and cool side temps and humidity, all in one device. Another question regarding your existing thermometers, where in the tank do you have them mounted? I see most people sticking them high up on the wall of the tank, which isn't measuring the temps your snake will be exposed to. With the digital one I'm referring to, you put the probe for the hot side under the hide so you know the real temps your bp is feeling...

Also, in those reptile starter kits, they include a lamp for heating the enclosure. The problem with lamps is that they will dry out the air quicker than anything. Also, they don't provide anything to regulate the lamp (thermostat, rheostat or dimmer) so I'm going to assume the lamp is running at 100% while it's on... It is possible that it's getting TOO hot for your snake... You should be providing a warm side and a cool side. The warm side should be 90-92 and the cooler side should be 80-82...

Definitely have a read through the caresheet LGray posted. Good luck with your little one!
^^^ Totally agree with all this!

1) If you ARE using those dial temp/humidity gages, and your tank has a screen top, I can pretty much garuantee that your humidity is no where near 70 or even 60%. Your snake should have a perfect shed if the humidity was around 70%. In these setups, 40-50% is more realistic. You can achieve the higher humidity, but its going to take a little work and some slight modification. First, get rid of the lamps as has already been suggested. Then you'll need to cover about 80% of the screen lid with foil or wax paper (I use painters tape to seal it along the plastic edges and leave about a 1" gap for ventilation along the back). A towel is not enough. Here is a pick of my adult BP's tank to give you an idea:

You'll also need to mist every day for about a week when you see your snake go blue as he's getting ready to shed up until the day he sheds. You'll have perfect sheds in no time.

2) Your temps are a bit too warm if the ambient is at 85. Are your heating elements on a thermostat??? If not, get one at once! Do NOT guess with temps and do NOT take the chance of not using a good t-stat. A rheostat will suffice if necessary for a little while. The Accurite thermometer is a good choice for measuring the temps (about $12 at WalMart) and I recommend the Herpstat or the Vivarium Electronics VE-100 (or a higher model if you can afford it) for a thermostat (Reptile Basics or Pro Products has these).

3) You need 2 identical hides - one on the cool side and one on the warm side. BPs will often choose security over temps and therefore won't properly thermoregulate. Pick a nice snug fitting hide that has only 1 opening and get 2 of them. You can clutter up the rest of the cage with various other choices and logs.

4) BPs will often go off feed if they feel insecure or if temps aren't right so fixing the above items may be all it'll take for your guy to eat. But in the meantime, I wouldn't use gerbil scent for your mice! Once a BP gets "imprinted" on a scent, it can be difficult to get them off of it. I would try to do live. PetSmart doesn't sell live mice, but there are other sources. Where are you located? We might be able to point out a reptile expo near you where you can go. And smaller local pet stores might have them too. Once you try and he refuses, wait at least 5 days before trying again. Don't handle him at all unless absolutely necessary during this time. Give him time to relax and settle down. Picky eaters are not uncommon, but they are a pain in the butt....

5) A vet can sex your snake, but there are often nice breeders and other experts at area reptile expos who may be willing to help you with this. DO NOT TRY TO DO THIS YOURSELF!!! You can seriously injure your snake by either popping or probing if you are not sure what you're doing. But let's get him eating first and fix the other issues and then worry about sexing him. Taking him off to a rept expo will cause some stress so we want to be sure he's eating regularly first.

6) Keep us posted!