this snake is pissing me off...

[giaach]

here are some answers to all of your questions:
- I am using both a 50w red bulb and a UTH. How could I increase the ambient temp without making the warm side too hot? ( The UTH plus the red bulb, make the warm side hot very quickly)
- Both of those are running into the same thermostat.
- To measure temps I use a digital thermo w/ probe to measure the heat inside the hide on the warm side. I have another digital thermo/hydro measuring ambient and humidity located on the cool side.
- I am using two Exo Terra rock caves as hides. The medium size ones, they can be found their site.
- She never leaves her hide on the warm side, or at least I never see her leave it. When I said she usually curls up in the back corner I meant back corner of the hide.
- I really do not want to change to a tub because A) I have zero money right now bc of xmas shopping and B) Aesthetically speaking, I doesn't appeal to me.(Sorry?)
- I know she is not refusing food because of an upcoming shed because she shed last week.

What I find odd is that I had her at school for a week. She was in the 10gal with newspaper for substrate, a Trisket box for hiding, a water dish, and I only had a UTH with no thermostat or anything. She ate fine that week. Now I bring her home, set her up with all this nice stuff ( following the standards set by the caresheet) and now she won't eat! Its so strange. Im not a child, I dont go picking her up out of the cage every hour, and I don't blast music or do things that would frighten her. Could it just be the change in the weather, its been cold, rainy/snowy/icy the past 2 weeks...

I just don't want to throw in the towel

[Freakie_frog]

- I am using both a 50w red bulb and a UTH. How could I increase the ambient temp without making the warm side too hot? ( The UTH plus the red bulb, make the warm side hot very quickly)

Raise the temp in the room

- Both of those are running into the same thermostat.

Good deal

- To measure temps I use a digital thermo w/ probe to measure the heat inside the hide on the warm side. I have another digital thermo/hydro measuring ambient and humidity located on the cool side.

Perfect

- I am using two Exo Terra rock caves as hides. The medium size ones, they can be found their site.

These still might be to big for her and as such some what relating to her not eating

- She never leaves her hide on the warm side, or at least I never see her leave it. When I said she usually curls up in the back corner I meant back corner of the hide.

AAAA.. Ok I see what your saying.. Again smaller is better when it comes to hides my snakes take up the whole hide from the 3000+ gram ones to the 150-200 gram ones they love to cram themselves in to tight really tight places.

- I really do not want to change to a tub because A) I have zero money right now bc of xmas shopping and B) Aesthetically speaking, I doesn't appeal to me.(Sorry?)

Not a problem balls can be house in a great tank setup for their whole lives with no problem once you get them set up right.

- I know she is not refusing food because of an upcoming shed because she shed last week.

Ok so that rules that out

What I find odd is that I had her at school for a week. She was in the 10gal with newspaper for substrate, a Trisket box for hiding, a water dish, and I only had a UTH with no thermostat or anything. She ate fine that week. Now I bring her home, set her up with all this nice stuff ( following the standards set by the caresheet) and now she won't eat! Its so strange.

All of the things your describing are stress factors for your snake. starting in an improper setup, being moved, then being set up in a new home..All that is very stress full for a little snake.

Im not a child, I dont go picking her up out of the cage every hour, and I don't blast music or do things that would frighten her.

No your not a child..your new to ball pythons and as such we have no clue what your handling practices are. It is great that you care enough to have some fore thought into what might scare your new pet.. A+ for that

Could it just be the change in the weather, its been cold, rainy/snowy/icy the past 2 weeks...

Typically not more often than not animals that go off feed due to cooling weather are of breeding age and mature snakes. Babies will go off feed because of illness or stress.

I just don't want to throw in the towel

No reason to there are still many Many tricks that can be done to try and spur your baby to eat..We'll get there

[Stewart_Reptiles]

I really do not want to change to a tub because A) I have zero money right now bc of xmas shopping and B) Aesthetically speaking, I doesn't appeal to me.(Sorry?)

Well

A/ a 6 quarts tub cost about 1 dollar

B/ this is not about what appeals to YOU (No one said it was a permanent measure either), this is about what YOU NEED to do so your BP start eating again.

Until your BP eats on a regular basis and put on some weight, you need to provide him with MAXIMUM security (Tight enclosure and NO HANDLING), this is what is BEST for HIM for now

After 4 to 6 weeks (4 to 6 consecutive successful meals) you can move him back in the enclosure that appeals to you and see how it goes.

[giaach]

AAAA.. Ok I see what your saying.. Again smaller is better when it comes to hides my snakes take up the whole hide from the 3000+ gram ones to the 150-200 gram ones they love to cram themselves in to tight really tight places.

If I were to turn the hides around that way they faced against the back wall which has a nature poster would that help any or no? I have a small exo terra cave too but the opening is bigger so Im not sure if she will like it...

[Freakie_frog]

If I were to turn the hides around that way they faced against the back wall which has a nature poster would that help any or no? I have a small exo terra cave too but the opening is bigger so Im not sure if she will like it...

You can try it..

I had a Wysocki Jedi tell me once that they like to feel touched on all sides. So I would say try it but don't get discouraged if it doesn't work.

[doyle033]

- I know she is not refusing food because of an upcoming shed because she shed last week.

not really, actually it makes that more plausible. if i am reading your timeline properly then

two weeks ago you offered some food and it refused, possibly due to an impending shed.

a week later it shed

a week after the shed it wont eat, which occurs alot with mine. the week after a shed i have about a 50 percent chance of getting one to eat....

also, has it pooped since the shed? seems to me that my luck is a bit better after a shed AND a poop than between a shed and a poop. maybe just me tho.
if it ate a few times then stopped eating before, then i would give it a week with no handling, no feeding attempts, very little disturbance and try again.
IF that doesnt work THEN look at more drastic measures, but i hate to see this little girl (i know i called it a guy earlier, my bad) stressed more when she has actually fed in that enviroment.
my two cents

[giaach]

not really, actually it makes that more plausible. if i am reading your timeline properly then

two weeks ago you offered some food and it refused, possibly due to an impending shed.

a week later it shed

a week after the shed it wont eat, which occurs alot with mine. the week after a shed i have about a 50 percent chance of getting one to eat....

also, has it pooped since the shed? seems to me that my luck is a bit better after a shed AND a poop than between a shed and a poop. maybe just me tho.
if it ate a few times then stopped eating before, then i would give it a week with no handling, no feeding attempts, very little disturbance and try again.
IF that doesnt work THEN look at more drastic measures, but i hate to see this little girl (i know i called it a guy earlier, my bad) stressed more when she has actually fed in that enviroment.
my two cents

Well the whole eating thing before the shed was pretty normal I got her on a monday which was november 12. I fed her on thursday november 15 and she took that meal instantly ( live adult mouse) I went home from school the 20 and fed her on friday the 23rd (still no problems). On monday the 26 she regurgitated the mouse but barely anything was left over. After taking her to the vet because of that he concluded that it was because of her impending shed which was obvious by that day (wednesday the 28th). I did'nt feed her the rest of that week and then on monday the 3rd of december she had finished her shed. That tuesday I tried to feed her at night and she refused. On wednesday and tried to feed her a f/t fuzzy, she refused that as well. Finally yesterday I tried to feed her a live hopper which she also refused. So it has been 2 1/2 weeks with out food. She hasn't really pooped either. When I took her to the vet i brought the poo she had made over the weekend and since then all i have found are uraites. I think shes all out of poo to be honest.

[JoshJP7]

when you say you tried to feed her a live hopper... what is trying? Do you feed in the enclosure? I tried to feed my baby pewter in a separate enclosure like I do with all my other snakes and she refused... I left her alone for like 4 days... dropped a mouse hopper in her tub... 2hrs later it was gone. According to Adams website(8ball) on picky feeders It says to leave the mouse hopper in overnight... I was attempting to do that to get her to eat... and as I said within 2hrs it was gone.

Also you may be trying to feed too soon.. trying to feed them over and over everynight can be stressful.. I say you give em 4-7 days with NO disturbances and then drop a mouse hopper in and see what happens... Hopefully youll end up with the same results as I did.

[doyle033]

Well the whole eating thing before the shed was pretty normal I got her on a monday which was november 12. I fed her on thursday november 15 and she took that meal instantly ( live adult mouse) I went home from school the 20 and fed her on friday the 23rd (still no problems). On monday the 26 she regurgitated the mouse but barely anything was left over. After taking her to the vet because of that he concluded that it was because of her impending shed which was obvious by that day (wednesday the 28th). I did'nt feed her the rest of that week and then on monday the 3rd of december she had finished her shed. That tuesday I tried to feed her at night and she refused. On wednesday and tried to feed her a f/t fuzzy, she refused that as well. Finally yesterday I tried to feed her a live hopper which she also refused. So it has been 2 1/2 weeks with out food. She hasn't really pooped either. When I took her to the vet i brought the poo she had made over the weekend and since then all i have found are uraites. I think shes all out of poo to be honest.

honestly, the regurge would bother me more than the nonfeeding. but i have more experience with morelia than balls and a regurge in a GTP is usually indicative of a more serious problem AND kind of hard on the digestive tract, esophoagus, etc. i am not really sure how tough it is on a ball, or what problems this would be symptomatic of.

hopefully some of these other posts work for you. good luck

[giaach]

Well the over all message here was just leave her alone for a week, time heals all wounds... I wont even touch her unless uber necessary. If she doesn't take a meal next monday that I'm going to call my local herp vet and get her checked out.