Not recognizing food?

[capykat]

I bought my first BP a few months ago and when I bought her/him the workers at the pet store told me the snake had not eaten for 3 week, I know I shouldn't have purchased a snake with bad eating habits but the thought of being able to help the little snake really got to me. It took me almost a month to get the snake to eat on its own (I did have to resort to force feeding because the snake was so underweight). Ever since then my snake has not been a consistent feeder and will go up to 3 weeks without taking food. I know this behavior is common among BPs but my snake is underweight and needs to start putting on the pounds. When I offered a thawed large mouse to her today she flicked her tongue around like she usually does when I offer a meal but she never took it. I didn't want to have to do an assist or force feed but she hasn't eaten in 3 weeks and is very skinny. I gently head her head and as soon as I put the mouse in her mouth she bit down and coiled the mouse like she had taken it herself. She has done this before and her behavior to me seems like she isn't recognizing the mouse as food until I put it in her mouth. Is this behavior normal? And does anyone have any feeding tips I could try, I don't like having to assist her if I can avoid it. Thanks!

[chrid16371]

Have you tried live? How much does the snake weigh?

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[Stewart_Reptiles]

What is your husbandry like?

Enclosure size, temperture, type of hides (are they tight?) etc

How big is your snake, how often do you handle it etc.

In 99% of the cases of young animal not eating (500 grams or less) husbandry issues are to blame.

You do not assist or force feed a snake that knows are to eat you unless everything else has failed and the animal health is in jeopardy, this will include live feeding.

[capykat]

What is your husbandry like?

Enclosure size, temperture, type of hides (are they tight?) etc

How big is your snake, how often do you handle it etc.

In 99% of the cases of young animal not eating (500 grams or less) husbandry issues are to blame.

You do not assist or force feed a snake that knows are to eat you unless everything else has failed and the animal health is in jeopardy, this will include live feeding.

The enclosure is about a 20 gal size, temp ranges from 75-80 on cool to 85-90 on hot side, she has two hides that she both uses one on cool side one on hot. The hide on the hot side has a small UTH. The one hide is a bit tight but she seems to like using it and the other hide is larger but still small enough that she feels safe but comfortable. I have not tried live feeding only because I haven't found a pace that sells live feeder mice. Also I used to have a lamp over my tank but I found that it was getting to hot and that the light seemed to be bothering her so I removed it. I do use an infrared lamp when the temp drops to low though. I handle her about 2 to 3 times a week and she is approx 17 in long, I'm not sure about the weight I have not purchased a digital scale yet.

[PitOnTheProwl]

where are you getting your hot temperature and how are you regulating your UTH?

[capykat]

where are you getting your hot temperature and how are you regulating your UTH?

The hot temperature comes from the infrared heater which has a dial for controlling the temp. The UTH has no way of regulating but I use about an inch and a half of aspen on the tank floor so when I place my hand on the substrate over the UTH I can feel the warmth but it's not too hot. She likes to go here after she eats to digest. I use analog thermometers on both sides of my tank but I am considering moving to digital since they're more accurate.

[AbsoluteApril]

If everything is up to par (as others have stated, husbandry is the first thing to check) then make sure the f/t is really warm (if you aren't already). Sometimes a heated up feeder will get them to notice it (use a hair dryer or hold next to an incandescent light bulb to get it 'extra' hot). Sometimes it works to elicit the strike. I usually also tug on the feeder once they grab it to get them to wrap it tight since sometimes they strike/grab and then drop because it's only defensive. Once they have a hold on the 'struggling' prey, they tend to go into food mode. If you can find live, you may have to resort to that to get a few meals in and then work on getting back to f/t once it's feeding regularly.
good luck!!

[BMorrison]

The hot temperature comes from the infrared heater which has a dial for controlling the temp. The UTH has no way of regulating but I use about an inch and a half of aspen on the tank floor so when I place my hand on the substrate over the UTH I can feel the warmth but it's not too hot. She likes to go here after she eats to digest. I use analog thermometers on both sides of my tank but I am considering moving to digital since they're more accurate.

Please turn that UTH off! Ball pythons burrow they'll find under the substrate fast. I use aspen in my racks too and they all push it out of their hides to lay right on the tub my thermostats are set to 90.0 the hottest spot they touch is 91.3. It's risking burning your snake. I'm personally a fan of the Spyder Robotics Herpstats but others here have offered excellent reviews of the VE200, VE300 and if you're on a budget you can look into the inkbird itc-308 on Amazon they run $38-56$.


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[capykat]

Thanks for all of the responses everyone! I will take all of your advice into account, I really appreciate it!

Also what would be a good option if I wanted to try live feeding? I don't know of any place near me that sells live mice for the purpose of feeding snakes, would I have to buy a mouse from the pet store that's being sold as a pet? If I could keep my own mice for feeding that would be very helpful especially if she ends up liking the live rather than frozen.

[BMorrison]

How big is she? I know I went to a petco for a mouse once and had to sign a waiver about feeding it off.


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