New bp still won't eat! Not settling in ? Scared/shy ? Pics ...

[Smith123]

Tried feeding him again tonite but still no luck, had him 2-3 weeks tried food twice now, only handled him once since I've had him. He almost looks too scared to even move around his enclosure, he does not seem happy to move around, I've never seen him unless I lift his hide up! Are bp's really so shy and scared of things or is mine worse than usual ??
I've included pics to see if he looks healthy and not underweight ?
Many thanks





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[calmolly1]

He is beautiful and you have a great set up...BUT IMO his tank is just too large for him right now. Maybe you could divide it in half for awhile or add even more plants for cover? But I personally would temporarily move him into a small tub til he was eating and less shy? And maybe try a really small live mouse after he settles first to jump start his appetite? I also have the same hide but my girl is a whopping 450g and its stuffed with moss so she feels secure, so maybe a much smaller hide to start. They like it to be small enough that they touch the sides.
But I'm just starting out this year so maybe some more experienced keepers could suggest something.

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[Smith123]

Hi.... I did want to keep him in a tub but I just can't heat one to the required temps, it's only 18" wide so thought he would be ok. If I remove his hide he just refuses to move around even though you can see he wants to! He also looks like he is interested in the food , looks like he is about to strike but then he looks spooked and turns away looking for a place to hide his head.
Sometimes at certain angles he looks lumpy / bumpy and his spine seems a little sharp but you know I'm no expert! I'm just a bit worried about him, as he seems so scared.
The one time I handled him last week, he let me pick him up just fine and was not acting scared at all, happily explored me whilst I had him out, seemed confidant even?
thanks

[hungba]

Why can't you heat a tub? Get a heat pad and a thermostat and a tub. Done.

If you can heat that big enclosure, you can heat a little shoebox sized tub.

[Smith123]

I can't attach this 75w reptile radiator to the roof of a tub, think it will melt!
I would quite happily put him in a tub, mat and stat job done ( for the hotspot ) but my house is around 71f now correct me if I'm wrong but I've read numerous times that the ambient temp needs to be nearer 80f?

[hungba]

Well of course you can't mount the heat panel into the tub. You'll have to get a heat pad.

Maybe heat the enclosure you have now to 80f, put the shoebox inside and heat one quarter of THAT to 89f with a uth, keep the snake and water bowl and a hide in the shoebox.

If your snake is scared that will help.

[hungba]

Also you casn try getting it to start eating by cup feeding with a live rat pink or something else that is unable to hurt the snake. Make sure the delicup is opaque and has air holes, or use a breathable brown paper bag. Leave overnight. No guarantees but works great if the reason is fear.

Also don't stay there and watch it. I have snakes that won't eat anything until I gave up and left the f/t rodent there, as soon as I left the room, it ate. Came back an hour later rat was gone. This was after months of trying to get it to eat.

[Smith123]

Yeah I may have to try a tub inside the viv, I may try cluttering up the viv floor first to see if that helps before I move the snake to a tub. Can I try a smaller or different prey as I won't be feeding live.
thanks

[Fireproof]

What have you tried to feed him? And how are you doing it?

[200xth]

I can't attach this 75w reptile radiator to the roof of a tub, think it will melt!
I would quite happily put him in a tub, mat and stat job done ( for the hotspot ) but my house is around 71f now correct me if I'm wrong but I've read numerous times that the ambient temp needs to be nearer 80f?

If you have a hot spot around 90F, the ambient in your house can go down into the 70's. Mine are in a rack, the hotspots are all 87 to 89 most of the time, and my room temps are 70 (at night) to 74 or 75 during the day.