Having problems... New BP owner

[Snickelfritz]

Hey everybody. I'm new to this forum and to being a proud new owner of Tobias, my new Ghost ball python. He's about two years old from what I was told, and he's a very active, very friendly calm snake. I love him to death

Anyways, I made sure to get a really nice vivarium for him, two hides on the cold and hot side, etc. I really want to make sure I am taking very good care of him. My main issue is this (and I've done a lot of research and I've been told its really common)

He simply won't eat.

The breeder told me he eats f/t no problem, and he is quite girthy and long... But it's been about a month and a half and I'm starting to get a little concerned. I was hoping some of you guys could shed some light on the whole feeding process and I would really not like to feed him live.

How much longer should I leave him be until the next time I try to feed him?
Should I feed him by taking him out of his tank, and into a different container?
Should I feed try to feed him every few days? or every few weeks?
I've tried everything and nothings working. His tank stays at 85-90 degrees all day and then i let it go down to about 75 at night. His humidity levels stay at about 55-75%.

I'm really lost guys! Hope I can get some helpful replies.

[Matthew Malone]

What temp are you warming the f/t to?
mine won't react unless the prey is above 85 degrees.

[Snickelfritz]

What temp are you warming the f/t to?
mine won't react unless the prey is above 85 degrees.

Hmmm... I generally heat up some water and let the rat soak in it for awhile to warm it up... but not boiling hot per say to cook it.

[The Serpent Merchant]

Part of your problem is that you are letting the enclosure cool down at night. Ball pythons need a hot side of the tank between 88 & 92 degrees and a cool side between 78 & 82 degrees 24/7. This allows them to thermoregulate. If your snake doesn't feel he is warm enough he won't eat. What are you using to heat the enclosure? And how are you measuring temps/humidity? Give this a read: http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...s%29-Caresheet

[PitOnTheProwl]

A couple of photos could help out too

[Snickelfritz]

I'm using an Exo-terra UTH that is under one of his hides and a ceramic heating element (that gives off no light) to keep the ambient air warm in the vivarium. I measure the humidity/temps with a hygrometer and thermometer, (they aren't digital, but the breeder said it would be all I would need.)

He goes back and forth all the time but mostly stays in his cool side hide for the entire day and sleeps, but once nighttime rolls around he comes out and basks on his branch underneath the heating element. I try to feed him at night. I just tried a few moments ago, and I heated up the f/t with really warm water and a blowdryer, then dangled it in front of him. He started to follow it and look like he was gonna strike, but then just shy's away and retreats back into his hide... I tried to take him out of his tank and put him in a cardboard box, he just runs away from it and tried to get out of the box...

I gave that a read before I started the thread, everything seemed to be in order... I don't get it :/

[The Serpent Merchant]

Does the UTH have a thermostat? The dial thermometers do not work, all they do is tell you what the temperature of the glass is. Get one of these, they cost $12 at Walmart.



Probe goes on the hot side over the UTH, and the unit sits on the cool side. It measures both temperatures and humidity.

It sounds like the UTH is too hot (needs a thermostat) and dropping the temperature at night isn't good either. Does your enclosure have a thermal gradient?

[Snickelfritz]

This is him: http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/856/img2599qi.jpg/

This is his tank, the temp is at 85 right now and humidity about 60% (right side is warm side, left side is cool side) and he's poking his head out.

http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images...icture1ff.jpg/

Sorry for the poor quality.

[Snickelfritz]

Ok, ill make sure not to drop the temps at night anymore. I'll also invest in one of those right away...

My only other question is what should I do if I make all these corrections and he still won't eat? And yes he has a thermal gradient.

[The Serpent Merchant]

Don't get a thermostat from the pet store as they are all crap. Without a thermostat a UTH can get hot enough to kill your snake.

For $30 you can get this: (works good but there are better)

http://www.amazon.com/Hydrofarm-MTPR...d_rhf_pe_p_t_1

These cost more but work better (starting at $99)

http://spyderrobotics.com/

Chances are fixing the cage temperatures will fix your feeding problem. It is hard to suggest other things to do at this point. This time of year is their breeding season so they tend to go off feed anyway. They can go a year without eating. The best way to tell if they are in trouble or not is to get a scale and weigh him. (a cheap $15 kitchen scale will do)