Young BP and new owner feeding concerns

[Craiga 01453]

I never said I had a UTH. I have a ceramic heat source above.

Nope, but you didn't specify, so I cited one example. ALL heat sources should be regulated, including CHEs. Heat spikes can be FATAL.

[Jacmiller11]

Apparently I can't edit my post...I didn't actually mean to hit "post" but I'm on a phone. Here's the whole post:

Hello!

My husband and I recently acquired an approx 6month old BP who was shown by feeding records to be a good eater. We've had him for 3 weeks and we've offered twice and he's completely uninterested in the food. We're using f/t hoppers (that's what the store said he was eating successfully). I can't figure out what I'm doing wrong. He's very active at night, literally climbing the walls. Fairly active during the day (exploring the new digs?) Anyway, he's pretty much terrified of the food and I don't know if it's the way I'm trying to feed him (I use tongs and in trying to make as little noise as possible, I've dropped the mouse a few times, plus opening and closing the top isn't exactly quiet as it's a screen top with clamps).

Our main concern is that he's young and we don't know how long it's safe for something that young to go off food. We got him October 9th and he had last eaten the week prior, so he's been off food for 4 weeks. I need to get a weight and length on him. We haven't been handling except the minimum necessary to clean the aquarium.

We're really nervous owners because we had a BP that we got earlier this year that was sick when we got him (as new owners, we had no idea...we just thought he was adjusting to the new surroundings) and died within a month. We just don't want this guy to starve on us.

Temps are good, humidity is a bit low, but we're working on that.

Can someone please answer the actual question I have which is "when should I be worried about him not eating?" He's currently 64 grams and approx 15 inches long. I appreciate all the feeding advise, but that's not my question.

[Craiga 01453]

Can someone please answer the actual question I have which is "when should I be worried about him not eating?" He's currently 64 grams and approx 15 inches long. I appreciate all the feeding advise, but that's not my question.

Sometimes solving the problems that are causing the problem in question is the best answer you can get. Getting the snake eating is your goal, I was simply trying to help you get there. But if you don't want to hear advice from years of successful experience and want to do it your way, not gonna stop you. Rather than trying to figure out when to worry, maybe try to figure out how to solve the problem...

[Jacmiller11]

Sometimes solving the problems that are causing the problem in question is the best answer you can get. Getting the snake eating is your goal, I was simply trying to help you get there. But if you don't want to hear advice from years of successful experience and want to do it your way, not gonna stop you. Rather than trying to figure out when to worry, maybe try to figure out how to solve the problem...

I'm trying to determine at what point I need to panic and take him to the vet, who is nearly and hour and a half away. There are thousands of feeding advise forums, but I have yet to find a "healthy weight" metric. I'm not saying your advise is useless, please don't think that. But I have no idea if my snake is dangerously thin. I know very little about his background.

[Craiga 01453]

I'm trying to determine at what point I need to panic and take him to the vet, who is nearly and hour and a half away. There are thousands of feeding advise forums, but I have yet to find a "healthy weight" metric. I'm not saying your advise is useless, please don't think that. But I have no idea if my snake is dangerously thin. I know very little about his background.

Ok, so in order to help you with that we will need pics. Weight and length are helpful, but actual shape and body condition will tell us if the animal is healthy, too skinny or dangerously thin.
Unfortunately, I've got to head to work in a few, so if I don't reply somebody else will be on to help soon.

[Newbie39]

Can someone please answer the actual question I have which is "when should I be worried about him not eating?" He's currently 64 grams and approx 15 inches long. I appreciate all the feeding advise, but that's not my question.

We are. Until you get temps. on point your snake will be stressed and not eat.

[SDA]

Feeding will only come if you perfectly square away your husbandry. My first contact would be with the pet store you bought it from to make sure they were feeding frozen thawed. I would also ask if they have live feed as that might be required to get this to work. I question if they had them on f/t but if they did they also most likely had them in a small rack where they felt secure enough to eat. You are not in dire straights yet with the feeding issue and you have some time before you even need to start worrying but get your snake in the ideal conditions. Wait 5-7 days before you even look in on him/her then offer food.

Don't handle your snake for at least a week while you try and get them feeding after fixing their setup. That is the worst thing you can do to a snake getting used to surroundings.

You can do it with your current setup but you need clutter and small hides and if in a glass tank you must block off the sides and back. The more clutter the better to get them to feel safe and hidden.

You need to get a UTH and thermostat to regulate their under heat on the hot side right away, an overhead CHE isn't going to cut it alone. You also need to regulate that CHE as they can get well over 300 degrees and dry out an enclosure rapidly. If you are using aspen shavings you will need to eventually move away from those as they are horrible for retaining humidity. Go Eco Earth or Forest Floor from zoo med. Your pet shop should stock these. Either will work.

2 properly sized hides, UTH, thermostat, blocked off back and sides, clutter, do not handle, wait 5 days between feed attempts no exceptions, and above all else have patience.

Get your enclosure feeling secure, your heat and humidity under control and you will get your feeding happening.

[KevinK]

I would also ask if they have live feed as that might be required to get this to work. .

That was going to be my suggestion, just for the time being at least to a get a meal into it.

[Newbie39]

I think the snake will be fine for another week if the breeder/store records are fine. I'm concerned for the snakes health if she doesn't get a UTH controlled by a thermostat. Also needs a thermostat for the CHE. The snake is likely very cold without belly heat.

[KevinK]

I think the snake will be fine for another week if the breeder/store records are fine. I'm concerned for the snakes health if she doesn't get a UTH controlled by a thermostat. Also needs a thermostat for the CHE. The snake is likely very cold without belly heat.

I agree you need a source of regulation for the CHE, but I wouldn't say I agree with the part about a UTH being necessary in every scenario.

Case in point: I don't use belly heat AT ALL, but rather only radiant heat panels for all of my animals without problems. This was the suggestion of numerous other experienced keepers as well as Bob from Pro Products. It makes sense as well, snakes don't have a source of "belly heat" in the wild to digest meals. Rather, they use a source of basking heat (which can be provided in captivity by CHE's or RHP's). Just make sure you're keeping proper temperatures directly under the bulb at substrate level.