Is my BP stressed and not eating?

[kath_]

Brand new BP owner here back with more newb questions. Second time feeding Buddy and it's not going very well.
I thawed the mouse in cold water for four hours, then heated it up to 104 degrees by dangling it in front of my space heater for a few seconds, wiggled it with tongs to Buddy who came to the front of the hide and seems very interested but he won't strike at all. He'll occasionally put his head closer to the mouse but then retreat back into the hide and just stare at it for a few seconds before repeating. After dangling it softly for about 20 minutes, I just laid the mouse a few inches in front of his hide and covered all sides of the tank.
Last time, he struck and coiled the f/t immediately but didn't eat right away. He finally ate a few hours later after I left the tank covered and the mouse just lying there. What should I do?
Is he too stressed to eat or not hungry?
For the past two days he's been staying in his hot hide undisturbed but he hasn't moved much. I've been handling for ten minutes every other day for the past week so maybe the stress from handling is causing him to refuse food? Sorry for all the questions but I'm really new to this.

[Mangiapane85]

The person you got him from, were they already feeding buddy f/t? How old is he? How big? What are your temps?

Actually, I just took a look at one of your other threads. Seems like the husbandry is good. So it's probably him wanting live prey or maybe a different prey altogether.?

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[cletus]

I'd give it another shot in a few days. It's not really time to worry yet. You might also try letting it thaw out on it's own and then warming it up. If you are buying the frozen mice in the bags from Petsmart or something like that, just set it on top of the enclosure for 3 hours or so until it's thawed completely. Then warm it up and feed. I think it's comes across more natural when its not wet.

[kath_]

The person you got him from, were they already feeding buddy f/t? How old is he? How big? What are your temps?

Actually, I just took a look at one of your other threads. Seems like the husbandry is good. So it's probably him wanting live prey or maybe a different prey altogether.?

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I doubled checked everything and my cool side is 80 degrees, and my hot side is 90. I have the digital thermostat probs on the bottom of the tank, so it's not measuring the air. Is this correct? My humidity is also at a constant 56% with mild fluctuations to 54% and 55%.

Buddy is 8 months old and last time he was weighed (10/17/2016) he was 355 grams. He was on live prey before I got him but he switched over to F/T without too much trouble. Struck and coiled almost immediately. Not this time unfortunately. :/

[kath_]

I'd give it another shot in a few days. It's not really time to worry yet. You might also try letting it thaw out on it's own and then warming it up. If you are buying the frozen mice in the bags from Petsmart or something like that, just set it on top of the enclosure for 3 hours or so until it's thawed completely. Then warm it up and feed. I think it's comes across more natural when its not wet.

Thats a good idea. I'll try again in a few days using this method and see if anything changes. What should I do about handling? I've been leaving him alone for the last two days but will everyday handling for 10 minutes make him less likely to eat?

[Mangiapane85]

I would just keep offering his usual f/t prey once per week. If he starts to lose any weight, then I'd try offering live or maybe a different f/t item. Patience is key in this situation id imagine. One of my BPs absolutely won't eat if he's in shed. Do you think maybe he's going in to shed?


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[anthroterra]

Yes, it does seem like too much handling. He's still getting used to his new home and you, so try limiting it to once a week for a couple months. He ate f/t for you once, he will again. They just love being stubborn about it lol. I give up after dangling only a minute or two when my mystic potion gets stubborn, but he'll almost always eat it when I leave it an hour or two. Agree with the other post about thawing in water. A lot of people do heat them up that way after thawing, though. I personally use a heat lamp.

[kath_]

Not sure. I don't know when his last shed was and he hasn't shown signs of going into a shed. Then again, I haven't handled him for a few days so I haven't seen if his belly color has changed at all. He's been keeping put in his hides so I can't see it while he's moving either.

[cchardwick]

My snakes go from feeding mode into handling mode when I pick them up. It usually takes them at least 24 hours without handling to get back into a real feeding mode again. I would not handle a day or two before the feeding. I'd also try feeding late at night, around 10 PM or so. If I try to feed in the morning or in the middle of the day hardly any of my snakes will eat. But late at night they almost all eat!

[kath_]

Thanks so much for the advice everyone. I'm definitely going to cut back on handling and warm the mouse on top of the cage and feed late at night. I hope it goes well.