BP not Eating

[Thomas S]

Sigh what?

[Thomas S]

FINALLY! My BP ate for the 1st time since i got her almost 6 weeks ago. I feed her a Live Mouse as that was the last option on the Wilbanks site for feeding instructions. Obviously now i will keep her in her glass home, no temporary move to a plastic tote is needed. She loves the new cool side hide i got for her, the brown rock shaped like a dome and only 1 small entrance, she has not left it once since i put it in her cage last week. I still have a low Humidity problem, i mist every day, I ordered a medium sized bedroom Humidifier, that should solve the problem, i hope? I want to give a special thanks to "Bogertophis" and thanks to all who took the time to post suggestions on my thread...

[Bogertophis]

Glad to hear that she finally ate. I would feed the same prey for at least the next few meals, so she is consistently eating, before you try changing anything (type rodent, live or f/t, etc) other than fresh-killed. (-if you're up to it?) Most snakes switch easiest from live prey to fresh-killed, especially if you offer it the right way so they think they're still killing it, lol. And dead prey is always safer for you snake- it's not fun treating an injured snake- prevention of injuries should always be a priority.

It would be a good idea to have a second hide that matches exactly the one you just gave her. That is because snakes usually choose a sense of security OVER a hide with the right temperature (ie. a warm hide needed for good digestion), so if the hides are the same, you can be sure the snake is choosing it for the temperature it needs also. Otherwise, you may find that your snake likes the one hide so much that she only uses that one (just as you said she is doing now), & then is too cool to digest properly & ends up regurgitating- something you really need to avoid- as it's a health risk that snakes can (rarely) even die from.

Misting is not an effective solution to raising humidity, nor, I'm sorry to say, is humidifying your whole room. Misting should mostly be for a temporary boost, like when your snake is about to shed. Best ways to raise humidity are either (1) use the right substrate that holds humidity, replenish the moisture as needed, & prevent the humidity from leaving the enclosure by keeping the air exchange minimized (ie. cover most -NOT ALL- of a screen top with foil or anything air cannot go through, like plastic). OR (2) Install a third "hide"- a humid hide that you can make or buy. (Ask if you don't understand what a humid hide should look like or how to make one, ok?)

[Thomas S]

oh im up to it, beiieve me, i would like to get her on F/T asap but, i should still still feed her live at least 3 more times, that's the most important thing now, is just eating...Now im using Loose Coconut fiber substrate(looks like brown sand) on bottom of tank covered by Cypress Mulch chips, and green and brown Moss scattered along edges and corners of tank. i have most of the top screen covered with a piece of card board i cut to size so it fits good, but after misting the tank, i lose most of the humidity in about 2-3 hours..I can cover up more of the screen top with foil tape but im worried about taking to much air away from her. the only other option is those personal tank humidifiers, but they might make her nervous or make the humidity too high? 3rd hide, what is it?

[Bogertophis]

Personally I'd minimize the air-flow (with a small vent area on either side of the top- the one over the warm side will draw air up & out, while the one over the cool side will bring fresh air in).

Continue using substrate that holds humidity. AND, if her humidity is still too low, install a "humid hide" so she can get more humidity whenever she needs it. (You'll probably need to mist inside it at least weekly, but that's better, IMO, than making the whole enclosure wet, becausewith BPs, all that warmth + moisture can promote scale problems- fungal & bacterial infections etc.)

I wouldn't humidify the whole room unless YOU want it (-do you live in the desert?), since sometimes excess humidity causes problems (mold, fungus, mildew), especially in a closed-off room. Whole room = overkill, IMO.

Feels good to have a little success finally, eh? I hope it gets easier for you now...we ALL made mistakes at the beginning...which is why we share our knowledge here, so others don't have to repeat our mistakes, & so their snakes will thrive.

[Thomas S]

ok ill give those things a shot, seems like the Desert Follows me around, Lol.. my last apartment and now this new mobile home, BOTH have way low natural humidity levels...

[Bogertophis]

ok ill give those things a shot, seems like the Desert Follows me around, Lol.. my last apartment and now this new mobile home, BOTH have way low natural humidity levels...

Both heat & air conditioning* removes moisture from our indoor air. *The only kind of cooling system that doesn't is what desert-dwellers (as I used to be) call a "swamp cooler" that cools the air by drizzling water thru large pads that the air is pulled in through- for obvious reasons, they only work when the natural humidity is very low, like in the desert, & they're much cheaper to run than an actual A/C.

Sometimes I miss the desert- it rains a LOT where I live now. But it's better for growing tomatoes, I'll say that. Of course, everything else grows too. Green is nice but a lot of work.

[Thomas S]

then natural humidity should go up for me soon when its warm enough to open windows, but the outside noise could "spook" the snake? i googled the humid hides, are you talking about those hides made out of moss that look like green snowballs? will have to order from online, dont see any at pet stores...

[Hugsplox]

then natural humidity should go up for me soon when its warm enough to open windows, but the outside noise could "spook" the snake? i googled the humid hides, are you talking about those hides made out of moss that look like green snowballs? will have to order from online, dont see any at pet stores...

You can make one yourself with some moss and a Tupperware bowl big enough for your snake. Fill it with moss and cut a hold big enough for your BP to get into in the top. Google "DIY humid hides" and see what you can find. I use, and love, the ones linked below, but you don't have to buy anything, again you can just make your own.

https://www.pangeareptile.com/store/...y-hide-en.html

[Bogertophis]

...then natural humidity should go up for me soon when its warm enough to open windows, but the outside noise could "spook" the snake?

Snakes are pretty much deaf (notice, no ears- they have some remnant inner ear bones but mostly feel vibrations rather than true hearing) so no, I wouldn't worry about outside "noise" at all.

However, outside SCENTS are another matter- your snake will probably enjoy the variety though- just as long as no one near you is spraying pesticides, either at a home or if you're near a farm (?) as that would be dangerous health-wise.

As for humid hides, what hugsplox already posted. I've never bought one, I make my own as described. Big enough plastic container for damp moss + snake, cut doorway for snake to enter. Easy!