Help, new skinny snake

[SatanicIntention]

He's from Petco, he's not CB. He's CH. Being CH doesn't necessarily mean he has internal parasites, but being near other snakes ups his chance of having them. It never hurts to take a fecal sample to the vet and have them run the test. Better safe than sorry.

I would move him into something smaller(6-12qt tub), 1-2 hides, get all of your temperatures and humidity correct, and leave him completely alone for a week. He may just be dehydrated, and stress can easily strip the weight off of them quickly. A stressed animal uses ALOT more calories than a relaxed animal does. If they aren't eating(because of the stress and the co-housing/improper temps/poor hides/huge cage at Petco), then obviously they will lose more weight.

[Bruce Whitehead]

I would agree on the tub and getting his husbandry on track. The enclosure you have him in, is great for gheckos, not for bps. Especailly a baby bp... too much height, very stressful.

And if they are feeding him once a week, that is not near often enough for a baby bp, esp (as SI noted) if he is coming from a pet store environment.

And your vet can do a fecal float to check for parasites without seeing him if you are concerned. But that thin butt end... can also mean he has no food in him, same with the stretched skin. Very common on thin babes, not "stetch marks"... just loose skin.

[YvesA]

It's not Petco, we don't have Petco here in Quebec... I got him from a small family owned pet store. For what it's worth.

He was housed with another same sized BP. Stress, as you mentioned, could be playing a big part in it too.
Some things that I know we're wrong with his enclosure at the store was:
- 2 snakes in the same cage
- 1 hide for 2 snakes
- (Pretty sure) the temps we're wrong
- Low humidity
- Almost empty water bowl

Right now I have him in a 7 gallon tank. I'll go pickup a tub tomorrow.

Should I try feeding him 2 fuzzies instead of a hopper?

Thanks again for your help

[SatanicIntention]

I would stick with the hopper. They seem to fixate on that jerky movement and it intices them to strike. I like that my babies get all riled up at feeding time.

And don't worry about leaving the hopper in overnight. Once that smell of the mouse permeates the tub, and the mouse is in such close proximity to the snake, they generally can't stand it and strike/coil/eat. Like us at a buffet.. we really can't help ourselves, LOL.

[YvesA]

I would stick with the hopper. They seem to fixate on that jerky movement and it intices them to strike. I like that my babies get all riled up at feeding time.

And don't worry about leaving the hopper in overnight. Once that smell of the mouse permeates the tub, and the mouse is in such close proximity to the snake, they generally can't stand it and strike/coil/eat. Like us at a buffet.. we really can't help ourselves, LOL.

I never fed live before though. Can hoppers do damage to a sick snake?

[SatanicIntention]

He's not sick, just underweight and possibly dehydrated. Both are easy to fix with the proper environment and a few good meals.

After you get the proper set up, wait a week, no handling, keep him in a dim, no-traffic area, and then try to feed a live hopper mouse at night. Just pre-scent the area(mouse in secure carrier placed next to the snake's tub for 20-30 minutes), then open the tub, drop the mouse in next to the water bowl, close the lid, and walk away. A hopper mouse will not hurt the snake.

If he doesn't eat, remove the mouse, wait a week, and try again. Avoid any handling or excessive bothering of the tub/snake.