Not eating

[Dumdum333]

So last night I was super excited because I thought my bp had eaten for the first time- turns out he bit, constricted, and then left the dead mouse in his hide for the night
Is this normal? Does it mean anything? Or is it just stress. I gave him a week to settle in, but am now quite worried because I think its been 2 weeks since he's eaten and he's only 3 months old

[silverbill]

From my experience, sometimes they'll strike the prey from a bad angle and catch it on the side or something. They can't fit it in their mouth that way and eventually give up if they aren't able to adjust it.

That's why I always watch my BP eat if his initial strike misses the rat's head. He once tried to swallow the rat from the shoulder area for a good hour before just abandoning the rat. I just picked it up, dangled it again and he managed to catch it on the head the second time and ate it right away.

Did you feed him while he was in the hide? It might have been hard to get a good angle in there. I always make sure my snake is completely out to feed.

[Dumdum333]

yeah he seems really nervous so didn't want to lift the hide out. It did look a bit like he caught it at a bad angle. Should I wait another week or can I just feed him tonight again?

[silverbill]

Is he always in the hide? I would wait for a time he comes out on his own. If not, maybe give him a few days and then lift up the hide to feed. If you have long tongs, try holding the prey horizontally from the back with the head facing him so it's easier to get a good bite.

[Dumdum333]

no he comes out at night, quite late though. i'll wait tonight and if he ony comes out once im asleep i'll just give him a few days. this ball python thing is so much more stressful than i anticipated

thanks for the help though! i'm just glad it's not a disease thing or something

[Hannahshissyfix]

I would give him a couple days before offering again. I don't think it's necessary to have them out of their hide as 90% of the time mine are in their hides and just bolt their heads out to strike. Ive had a few that would occasionally constrict and then leave it and I've found this trick to work in getting them to swallow- after they've struck and coiled the ft and you get your tongs back, use the tongs to wiggle the rat a little more while it's in their grip. It seems to really get them excited and more into kill/eat mode. I don't believe a poor strike is the issue since they seldom grab their head and it's instinct to find the head to start swallowing after the feel they've killed it enough.

[Stewart_Reptiles]

Need more details

How much does he weight

How big is the enclosure

What are your temps? Where do you measure them? What type of thermometer do you use?

What type of prey was offered? What type of prey was it previously eating?

Have you handle your snake during that week? If so how often?

Are your hides tight?

etc

[Dumdum333]

Hey deborah

weight- not sure, dont have a scale and not interested in breeding so wasnt too concerned
enclosure size- he's in a plastic container- about 10"x5"x5" which is inside the larger vivarium i want to move him into eventually- which is 30"x15"x15
temps- 82 median, 90 hot zone, 78 cold zone- two thermometers and a thermostat- temps haven't fluctuated so think that's fine
offered mice, had been eating mice- not sure about size
haven't handled snake because i wanted him to eat first
hides arent tight, but only because he rejected the smaller hide and only went into the bigger one

[Stewart_Reptiles]

Since your husbandry seems fine my guess he was spooked by something and changed his mind, sometimes it takes very little for them to just freak out and give up.

The good news he constricted the prey so he is more than showing interest, you will just need to try again give it 5 to 7 days.

If it still fails next time there are a few things that can be done if your BP is one of those tricky ones but chances are it was just a freak thing.