I have just signed up with forum, I got my BP about 6 months ago, never had one, and a really new, learning parent. Store keeper sold me the 10 gallon tank, a small log type hide, wood chips, a light and a basking light, and night dark light. She, Chocolate, seems fine, heat side 85 to 90 and shade 70 to 75, which the store keeper said was fine, but sold me a small round, temp. gage to monitor it. Now I am reading about these special heat/humidity gages, and getting concerned. I have she soal once a week, and keep daily clean water in her cage. She has shed 4 times, grown 16" to 28". I handle her daily up to an hour depending on her mood, except after feeding. Which like the gentleman here has a problem with his BP, I have the same with Chocolate, she has stopped eating. Only 3 days now, but she has always quickly went after her small rat, and ate it. I give her live rats, little bigger then a fuzzy. Like his BP, she follows the scent, hunts it and finds it and they no go. The rat can run under her head and she lets it go.

I am trying to "catch up" knowledge I should have already had, I fear, that hindsight regret. Ready all the info here has been great.

But is there a certain age a BP starts slowing its eating? The store keeper says she should eat weekly. I returnned the larger fuzzy for 2 pups, but she shows no interest in either of them.

At this feed I tried a feed box, rather then her tank. I thought I unsettled her, and so back into her tank, waited 24 hours, no better feeding results. Waited until today, no difference. According to info here, I will back off a week on feeding and handling. I never read handling was stressful, I will have to read more. I truly love her and do handle her often, but she never has seemed bothered, and until this feeding, never a change in her habits.

But, about mid-week when I was holding her, I heard her hiss. Cold or normal? So I read on the hissing, but she never has, and until this feeding thing her habitate and our handling habits have not altered. Is hissing a maturity thing? I read it can be something unfamiliar, or scares her. But nothing changed at the hissing point. I tried the feed box days after that started.

Also the plastic hide was so small that she looked like a turtle, carried it like a shell sometimes. With the feeding thing, I went and got her a new hide, perfect fit. A plastic leaf, wood branch. Came home and put her in her tub for a soak while I fixed her new items in her tank. She went right in as if pleased to be home. She is resting now.

I will do as you have suggested and not try to feed or handle her for a week. (will be so hard!!) Should I try the feed box again then?? Oh, still no signs of a cold. So hiss is a hiss, but she has only done that once more, today during holding. I fear I have done too many changes? Need to read, read read...and collect info from all of you. Thanks to the fellow having the same problem, and posting, it helped me some to. I may have gone about this wrong on submitting for help. Sorry in advance if I did. Not wanting to step on toes, just the new kid on the block.