Dumeril's baby won't eat

[Cheesenugget]

I finally found a source I trust and got my last 'gotta have it' snake: a Dumeril's Boa. He was born on August 8 and at the time I got him (Sept. 28) had been taking regular meals of F/T rat pinkies. He hasn't eaten since coming home with me. A friend of mine who breeds Carpet Pythons got a pair from the same litter and hasn't been able to get his to eat yet either; we've been commiserating and brainstorming.

I know that young Dumeril's are well-known for refusing to eat, but I wanted to check in here and see if there's anything else I could/should be doing.

I have offered F/T rat pinkies and mouse hoppers so far with no results.

Before coming to me, he had been kept in a rack system in one big tub with his six male siblings, on aspen substrate. All of the babies that are still living in the rack system are currently still eating F/T regularly.

He's in a 24" long 18" high 16" deep PVC enclosure with deep aspen substrate and a deep heat projector. The enclosure also has a Shadedweller UVB but I haven't been running it as I am worried the light would be additional stress at the moment. Warm spot is 86F, with temp gradient going down to 78-80F. Ambient room temp is 75-80F. My ambient humidity is low (40%) so I put a Tupperware container in his enclosure that's filled with damp sphagnum moss. He spends much of his time there but sometimes is under the aspen substrate with just his head poking out.

The room is quiet with low activity, and I am not handling him at all. He isn't losing weight.

I hate to stress him with a move to a different enclosure, but I am thinking I should maybe move him into a small tub with a UTH, keep providing deep substrate, continue offering the humidity box, up the overall humidity to 50%, and try offering a meal in a week. OR I could keep him where he is, up the overall humidity a bit, and just wait him out.

I'd really appreciate feedback from those of you who have worked with these guys before - I know there are a few of you out there, and I'm totally open to making whatever changes I may need.

Yeap, these little guys are shy eaters. I had the same problem too.

What worked for me may work for you. Downsize that enclosure to a 6 qt or 12-16 qt tub. Humidity of around 50-60% is fine. Lots of aspen (2 inches minimum) for burrowing. Other substrate can be used as long as it allows burrowing and hiding. Small hides can be provided but they are not known for using them.

Your hot temp is fine, try not to higher than 85F. 80-85F is preferred. They look cooler temps. Cool end should be about 75-77F, see if you lower that temp to around that range.

You might have to try live rat pinkie. Attempt after a week of no handling. Leave the live prey inside and walk away. They are more likely to eat when no one is around. Feed at night. You can scent the room by placing the live rat in a box with holes next to the tub hours prior to feeding.

A lot of this is similar to ball python difficulty feeding. Husbandry needs to be right, they need to feel secure, and patience. Unlike ball pythons, these guys can go without food for much longer without issues.

If 3 more attempts have failed, go for a day old chick. For some reason, most like chicks a lot more than rodents. It can get them hook on chicks though.