How can I tell if my BP starts losing weight?

[littlebp]

I've had my ball python for about a month now. She is around 6 months old. She ate for me the first week that I had her, which was only 4 days after I brought her home (I left her alone until then, and for a week afterward). She hasn't eaten since then, so for 3 weeks, it will be 4 weeks on Sunday if she does not eat again. She has no signs of illness and her enclosure is at the proper temperature and humidity (about 83 on the warm side, 76 on the cooler side, humidity stays at around 40-60%). She is located in my bedroom where I spend most of my time, but I have her in my closet behind a closed door. Even so, I don't make much noise that she should be stressed by my presence. She is active, she's rarely balled up and doesn't often go into her hides. In fact, since I've had her, I've only seen her in there once. She is climbing at night, and definitely is not lethargic. There doesn't seem to be anything wrong but she still isn't eating. I think she may soon be going into shed, but I haven't seen that yet so I'm not quite sure how to tell. Sometimes her belly looks pinkish, sometimes it doesn't. Her skin does look a little loose at times, like it's wrinkly, but not around the neck area which I've been told is a sign of dehydration. I haven't noticed her eyes looking cloudy though, and her colors aren't really dull. I posted here before about how she isn't eating and people told me to look for signs of weight loss. Other than actually weighing her on a scale (which I don't have yet), what should I be looking for? How long can she go on without eating at only 6 months old? It has only been a month but should I be worried?

[Daybreaker]

I would start to worry when you start seeing a pronounced triangle shape to her body, but I would pick up a digital scale to be sure ($15-20 at Walmart).

She may be not eating since your temps are on the cooler side, I'd bump her hot side to ~90 and her cold side/ambient temps to ~80/82 and see how that works. If you could describe your setup, how you're measuring temps, and how you've been offering food (live, f/t, etc) we may be able to offer suggestions to get her eating again.

[littlebp]

If you could describe your setup, how you're measuring temps, and how you've been offering food (live, f/t, etc) we may be able to offer suggestions to get her eating again.

She is in a 15 gallon tank, using newspapers and paper towels for substrate, she has a warm and cool hide, and a shallow water dish that's big enough for her o bathe in. The sides and back of the tank are covered with black paper so she feels more secure. For temperature I have one of those stick on thermometers on both sides plus a hygrometer, and a temperature probe under the heat mat that covers a little more than 1/3 of the enclosure. I have a heat lamp with a night time blue bulb but so far I haven't been using it because I read that a heat mat is enough and that the lamps dry out the air. The breeder I bought her from was feeding frozen/thawed so that's what I've been doing. I'm not too keen on having to feed live or kill anything myself, I have a hard enough time as it is feeding her the dead ones. It may be preparation or something, but I think I'm doing it right. I have been placing the rat in a bag, putting it in a bowl, and filling the bowl with the hottest water I can get from the tap. When the water cools the first time I fill it again with hot water, and once the rat is soft and warm I feed it to my BP. I don't have feeding tongs so I have been dangling it by the tail. Even when she did eat for me that one time she didn't strike at the rat. She smelled it a little, kind of ignored it, but when I put it down and left it she bit right in. I tried doing that again but she shows no interest now and even avoids the rat when I'm dangling it in front of her, and ignores it completely if I put it down and leave it.

[NormanSnake]

Try bumping her sides gently with the rat and then backing off. I've gotten my picky eater to eat if I do that. I think it stimulates him more. I would do it once and give it a go she will jump back at first but then she should act more interested as you back off. if she continues to act scared, stop bumping her.

[Inarikins]

Sometimes dangling a prey item by the tail intimidates the snake. It looks a lot bigger to them and definitely appears unnatural, since no rat walks around on its front legs with its tail in the air. You can get feeding tongs at the big pet stores for I think under $10. I use a pair of 11" needle-nosed pliers and they work great and my boyfriend offers with kitchen tongs (which are no longer allowed in the kitchen, they've been sacrificed to the snakes).

How big are your hides? For a non-eating 6 month old snake anything bigger than a cereal bowl is probably too big - and smaller's better than bigger, they like being crammed in, even if it means they're wearing their hide as a hat.