Young Ball Python Feeding Concerns

[Squagem]

Good Evening All,

We purchased our beautiful ball python Koa back in November of last year, and until now he has be an absolute pleasure to feed! He usually immediately jumps at his mouse (now rat) and is done in a few minutes.

Recently, however, he has been rejecting his food quite frequently and I'm hoping to discover here what the underlying cause may be (as him regularly eating was previously the best way to determine his health). In order to help you all decipher what is going on, I'll provide some specific information on the situation:

• He is almost one year old;
• His recent feeding history is as follows:
  
  • 7/14/13
  • 8/12/13
  • 8/26/13 - Rejected
  • 9/02/13 - Rejected
  • 9/09/13 - Rejected
  
  
• His most recent shed was about 1.5 months ago (didn't write down date);
• His feeding area is quite large (4 square feet);
• We usually pre-scent his feeding area;
• The rat is no wider than the widest past of his body;
• I don't have a scale, but he feels like he weighs about 2.5-3.0 lbs (very inaccurate);
• His husbandry seems to be great (going to get another hygrometer tomorrow for the other side of his enclosure);
  
  • Heat gradient: 77 - 89 degrees Fahrenheit (in basking hide);
  • Humidity: Typically around 55%;
  • Substrate: Coconut fiber;
  • Security: 2 medium hides (small enough to fit snugly);
  • Light: One light on a timer (although it sits directly on top of the cage).
  
  
• We switched to feeding him rats in May;
• His vents are clean (no signs of illness);
• We usually feed him once a week (10:00pm on Sunday);
• He is typically very active at night when his light turns off.

I have attached a picture of both our little snake, and our enclosure (sorry for the low quality, the mass of light is his water dish).

I'm essentially hoping to hear some input on BP.net regarding what could be causing this behavior? Is it normal for a snake his age? Any assistance here would be greatly appreciated, as until now, we were so proud of ourselves as parents. We are definitely willing to take him to the vet if needed, however I don't want to incur a ~$300 fee if this is normal behavior. Thank you so much for your time, and I hope that all of your balls are doing wonderfully!

[Cissin]

What are you using to measure temperature and humidity? I know you said something about buying a hygrometer. Get a thermometer instead. You just need 1 per enclosure.

Get this from Wal-Mart:
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Acu-Rite-I...mometer/896347

Measures 2 temperatures and humidity. It has a probe so the probe is placed on the hot side and the unit itself stays on the cool side.

Ball Pythons sometimes do go on hunger strikes. I'd pick up a digital scale while at Wal-Mart also. If he isn't losing any weight there's really nothing to be concerned about right now. Just keep trying every 5-7 days and eventually he will eat.

You also said something about his feeding area? Personally I'd just feed inside the enclosure if you are not already. A snake is way more comfortable where it spends 99% of his time. There's no need to move them to a separate enclosure to feed. After a snake eats the last thing it wants to happen is for you to pick him up and move him from one place to another. Stress.

[KMG]

I would try different hides. A ball likes to be snug in a hide with only one door. The half log style can leave them feeling exposed and cause stress. The white hide I suspect is allowing light through and not giving your ball a dark hiding spot. If it is thick enough to keep the light from penetrating I would add one in place of the log. If it is allowing light through I would replace them.

I would also suggest going back to the last type of pretty it was eating regularly and see what happens.

Another tip for adding to a secure feeling for your snake would be covering the back and sides with a backing of some sort. I use thick drawing paper and it actually raised my temp a tad.

Feed in the enclosure if your not. There is no reason to feed in a different one. It just adds to stress when you move them around and you increase your chances of getting tagged by moving a snake while in feed mode.

[Squagem]

Hey Guys, thanks for the quick replies!

To answer some of your concerns and questions:

• @Cissin:
  
  • I am using an infra-red laser temperature thermometer; are the probe thermometers still preferable?
  • I'll definitely pick up a scale - there's no reason I shouldn't have one at this point;
  • I currently have a dial on the right side of the enclosure to monitor humidity - I'm going to grab another for the left side. Will this be sufficient?
  • I was under the impression that feeding inside the enclosure would then associate me opening the cage with food, and lead accidental bites, am I incorrect here? (This seems to be confirmed by KMG in his post).
  
  
• @KMG:
  
  • I'm going to purchase some covering for the enclosure immediately;
  • I'll purchase a more cozy hide for the little guy - this should hopefully double as an enrichment activity for him!
  • Same question that was directed at Cissin above: is the notion of feeding in an external container to prevent unwanted behavioral associations a myth?

I also noticed that most forum users seem to have their ambient temperatures around the lower 80's. Given that mine are around 77, I'm considering purchasing some heat tape or an additional heating pad (with a separate thermostat) to raise the ambient temps a bit without ruining the temperature gradient. Does this sound like a reasonable approach?

Any other suggestions?

Thanks so much for your insight so far folks! It seems I am turning out to be a total novice contrary to my original assumptions.

[Crazymonkee]

Everyone starts somewhere
A myth I don't know... bad advice yes. There's no need to move them, only causes more stress to the snake. You are more likely to get bit trying to move it while in feeding mode.
If the ONLY time you go in it's enclosure is to feed I guess that could happen.
It's more comfortable to eat where it lives and feels safe.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 4

[Cissin]

Nope feeding inside the tank is just fine. Almost everyone on here does it and most will agree that moving it from one enclosure to another just stresses it out. I've never had an issue with feeding in tank. It's just a myth that goes around and it's something pet stores tell a lot of people to do. It's not necessary. Also the temp gun is great but if you bought the thermometer it's a lot easier to just look at the unit to tell the temps and humidity instead of pulling out the temp gun. I just walk to my rack and check the units and see if everything is okay. Takes a few seconds compared to breaking out the temp gun, opening the enclosures and checking everything. They are nice and I use a temp gun but the thermometer just makes things a little easier.

The thermometer measures humidity too. You don't need a humidity gauge for each side of the enclosure. The humidity is basically the same throughout the whole enclosure. If you are having problems with humidity cover 3/4ths of your screen lid with a wet towel or foil to keep humidity in. But yeah the probe thermometers are great. You just put them in place and that's that. Only $12 too.

[Squagem]

Thanks for the reply.

Yea, I did a little research in between posts and it appears that the probe thermometers are the way to go. Also, I'll start feeding inside the cage - this will be more convenient and less stressful for the snake!

[MrLang]

In the picture he looks like a chubby little guy. At that age it is normal to decide he doesn't want to eat. They don't burn calories the way we do. When he feels like he's got enough meat on his bones to live happily, he won't bite off more than he can chew. Drop down to offering every 2 or 3 weeks; he will be OK. I do agree about adding some security though. What is underneath the log hide also... it looks like some kind of pan or something or is it paper under the coco fiber?

[Squagem]

MrLang, thanks for the reassurance! I thought that it would be normal to reject, but after three in sequence I figured it would be worth posting on here. I learned about 12 things that I can do to increase his happiness in the process, so it was well worth it!

I think I'm going to switch to feeding him once every 10 days (I'll start back with the smaller rats at first).

Underneath the coconut fibre I have a lining of newspaper. During my initial temperature control tests, I noticed that the fibre was conducting the heat too well, and I lined the bottom with the paper - it also helps when replacing the substrate, I've found. I'll make sure to cover it back up so he doesn't try to slither his way in between the paper haha.

[KMG]

If you add the back and side covers and made a cover for most of the screen you would raise your ambient temp to 80 I bet. On my glass tank I cut cardboard to the shade I needed and then covered it with foil keeping it in place with clear packing tape. Then I just lay it on the screen.

You said coconut fiber was getting to hot. If you have a under tank heater it needs to be regulated by a thermostat. If you were talking about the lamp you can get a dimmer to dial in the bulb output to just what you need or get a Zoomed light stand from the pet store. They are in a yellow box and about $20. That would give you the ability to raise or lower the fixture which in turn will lower or raise your temp and hotspot. It also keeps you from having to move the fixture when you enter the tank so the bulbs last longer by not being banged around and the heat is steadily pumped into the tank so the temp doesn't drop as much as you work inside the tank.