new snake not eating!!

[smozley93]

hi, I am a first time snake owner. I have recently fallen in love with snakes. I purchased my first ball python last Tuesday. She ate the Monday before we brought her home. I offered her a F/T fuzzy on this Monday and she will not eat, we offered again Tuesday, and she still refused. I am feeding her F/T because that's what she was being fed(pinkies) but I thought they were much to small. she is about 2 months old I believe and very sweet, and never showed any aggression towards me whatsoever. I have her tank set up as follows: humidity 60%, day hot spot 95F (with uth as well) night temp sits at 80F with uth on. she has a hide on both sides, plants to curl up in and water bowl. aspen substrate. I just am worried about her not eating because she is kind of skinny due to not eating appropriate sized meals. does anyone have any advice for a new snake owner? I really just want her to eat for me! it would be a huge breath of fresh air, and lift some weight of my shoulders for sure. Thank you so much!!

[FireStorm]

Congrats on your new addition. There are a couple things I can think of that may help. The first issue is the temps. How are you measuring them (digital or analog thermometer, where is the probe, etc)? Is your UTH on a thermostat? If not, you really need to get one. What I would do is drop the hot spot temp a bit. IMO 95 is a bit hot...90 is fine. You also need to keep the temps stable from day to night. If the temp drops at night, she may continue to refuse.

How big is the tank? Sometimes BPs get really stressed out by the openness of tanks, so it's a good idea to cover/black out at least 3 sides and make sure the tank is really cluttered up.

Once you get the husbandry issues sorted out, try offering something like a mouse hopper. Sometimes BPs won't respond to a prey item that is too small. Even brand new hatchlings can handle a mouse hopper. When you offer, feed her in her enclosure, sometimes offering at night helps too. If she doesn't eat, wait at least 4-5 days before offering again. That way you won't stress her with repeated attempts. And of course, wait to handle her until she's eating for you.

[Kaorte]

Could you tell us a little bit more about your setup? A picture would also work if you don't want to explain every little detail.

What is most important is the kind of thermometers you are using. If you are using digital probed thermometers than you are good to go. Anything analog is not going to give you an accurate reading.

How big is the enclosure? If it is too big, your baby might just be too scared to eat. What is her behavior like? Does she stay in her hides mostly? Or is she constantly cruising?

Do you move her to a separate feeding box? If so, this might also be causing some unnecessary stress.

I think even fuzzy mice are still too small for your baby. I would start with hopper mice. If you could get her weight in grams that would be helpful for determining what size mice she should be eating.

[smozley93]

hi, thanks for your reply. she is in a 10 gal tank. I am using anolog just for now. I hope to very soon get a thermostat. i was thinking that she may just still be trying to get used to her new surrondings...but i wasn't for sure.

[smozley93]

her behavior is very laid back. she lays in the open or next to something a lot of the time. or she climbs in the plants ive got hanging in the corners. she does like to scale the side of the cage a lot, and when she does this her tounge is flicking. i have her on aspen bedding, two hides one on each side, and a water dish on the cool side. i also place the bottom of an egg carton in for more climbing and hiding.

[jasonmcgilvrey83]

try to get to lowes or home depot to get thermomertors with probs. i got two for like 25 bucks. also if suing a uth or over the head heat try getting a temperature controller to help regulate temp in cage. since u just got the little one give em some time to settle in to to their new home. congrats on your new family member.

[FireStorm]

You need to get a good thermometer, like these:
http://firestormreptiles.com/weblog/...rmometers.html

And a thermostat. The Hydrofarm is probably the most inexpensive thermostat that still works:
http://firestormreptiles.com/weblog/...hermostat.html

Since you are just using the analog thermometer, your temps are probably not what you think they are. Where is the thermometer? If its stuck on the glass and reading 95, they may actually be dangerously high. I would suggest getting the thermometer and thermostat ASAP. It's probably cheaper than the vet bill for a burn, and getting the temps fixed is going to play a big part in getting the snake to eat.

[Kaorte]

her behavior is very laid back. she lays in the open or next to something a lot of the time. or she climbs in the plants ive got hanging in the corners. she does like to scale the side of the cage a lot, and when she does this her tounge is flicking. i have her on aspen bedding, two hides one on each side, and a water dish on the cool side. i also place the bottom of an egg carton in for more climbing and hiding.

Is she active at night or during the day? If she is moving around a lot during the day, she could be stressed out by her environment. Either she doesn't feel safe, or the temps aren't right. Its hard to say without knowing your actual temps. When a ball python is happy and eating regularly, the barely come out of their hides. They spend most of their time just hiding and perhaps poking their head out to see what is going on.

If she isn't using her hides yet (laying out in the open or smushed between things) she might just still be getting used to her new home. Just wait a week in between offering food and you should see her start to eat soon.

[smozley93]

Is she active at night or during the day? If she is moving around a lot during the day, she could be stressed out by her environment. Either she doesn't feel safe, or the temps aren't right. Its hard to say without knowing your actual temps. When a ball python is happy and eating regularly, the barely come out of their hides. They spend most of their time just hiding and perhaps poking their head out to see what is going on.

If she isn't using her hides yet (laying out in the open or smushed between things) she might just still be getting used to her new home. Just wait a week in between offering food and you should see her start to eat soon.

ok thanks so much. a lot of the time she is in her small hide or in her tree. every now and then she basks on the egg carton I have lying in there. most of her movent is in the evening