Monty Won't Eat!!

[crazy4reptiles88]

Monty ate about 2 weeks ago and hasn't ate since I tryed frozen and live and hasn't ate either and I heard if you hold them to much which I probally do they won't eat!! Is This True? I have only had him for 2 weeks and he is shy and has snapped at me a few times and otherwise he is friendly and may shed in a few weeks and I don't know if he is shedding yet or not as I am out of town and have someone snake sitting and she thought it would be best if I waited till I got back to feed him as she is low on mice right now and he won't eat frozen only live!! I think I will have a hard time getting him to eat frozen but they are cheaper!! As I pay $2 for a live mouse and I feed him 2 a week. So $4 a week and I know that it would be only like 50 cents a mouse!! And that would be cheaper!! But it looks like I may have a harder feeder on my hands. Melissa

[GVReptiles]

How old is the BP?

Isn't it normal for some male BPs to go off eating around this time of the year?

Holding him to much may stress him out enough to where he won't eat. He may also be shedding like you said.

Also what are the temps in his tank?

[hawaiianice99]

holding them too much can lead to stressing them out more than necessary. you shouldnt handle your snake for about a week after you get it, this will allow the snake to settle into its new surroundings and if you are always reaching in and grabbing it the snake is probably getting a little tired of being picked up. snapping at you is a good sign that it is not ready to be handled and its not secure in its new home. also dont worry about it not feeding for a couple weeks, they are known not to feed during the winter/breeding months and it will be fine.

[blackcrystal22]

Woah, slow down.

2 weeks is not a long time for a snake to be off feed. First of all, describe your husbandry to us and/or take a picture for us to look at and we can tell you what to change if we need to.

Second of all, leave him be for a full week. Don't handle him or anything. Make sure he has two snug (NO LOG HIDES) tight hides on each side of his cage. Then try to feed an appropriately sized (same thickness as the thickest point on the body) live mouse/rat to the snake and see if it takes it. Right now you need it to eat, don't worry about prices or anything else, you can switch it to frozen eventually but you have to get him to eat first.

Good luck.

[crazy4reptiles88]

How old is the BP?

Isn't it normal for some male BPs to go off eating around this time of the year?

Holding him to much may stress him out enough to where he won't eat. He may also be shedding like you said.

Also what are the temps in his tank?

He was born in feb. 2008 so he is almost a year and the temps are around 80-85 degrees in there!! He has a red light that is a 60 watt bulb, he is just getting shiny and it looks like his stomach is pink also his eyes maybe getting cloudy so that maybe why and also I think I was to excited as he is my first snake and I handled him to much in the begining!! Thanks everyone, Melissa

[blackcrystal22]

He was born in feb. 2008 so he is almost a year and the temps are around 80-85 degrees in there!! He has a red light that is a 60 watt bulb, he is just getting shiny and it looks like his stomach is pink also his eyes maybe getting cloudy so that maybe why and also I think I was to excited as he is my first snake and I handled him to much in the begining!! Thanks everyone, Melissa

Alright, let's fix that. Get rid of the lamp as a pure only heat source, and get an under tank heater and a thermostat to regulate it. You need a good temperature gradient, with 80-85 cool side, and 90-95 warm side. One hide on each side.

I can see your very excited, but you don't have to overuse the exclamation marks to show that.

[GVReptiles]

I know it's hard to wait to hold a new animal.

I just got a new crested and a new gargoyle gecko on Tuesday and I want to hold them so bad

[mrmertz]

Wow. You are excited. If you actually talk like your sentences run on I would think you would be constantly passing out from lack of oxygen intake.

Congrats on the new snake and two weeks without eating is for whimps! My Burm went 3 months without eating. Our BP Humphrey (the gifted child) and our RTB are the most finicky. Humphrey hasn't eaten now for about 2 to 2-1/2 weeks and the RTB has gone for about 2 weeks. The Colombian however could eat CONSTANTLY I feel if we let him - literally. A true garbage can, but he gets fed only once per week or the occasional f/t rat that the others have no interest in. He takes jumbos but he'll actually snap down a small one that was supposed to be Hump's if he doesn't want it too.

To recap no, you shouldn't be handling at all the first week or two in order to let him settle in and yes, definately get an UTH mat and place it sticky side up under the tank. We have all our tanks with one mat under one side of the tank with the exception of the Red Tailed Boa (RTB) which has 2 low wattage mats on both sides. Make sure the mat doesn't cover the entire tank bottom or else if he feels the need to cool some he won't be able to excape the heat coming up off of the mat.

Hope this helps. So now after all of the advice everyone has given ya you can go make yourself a nice cup of hot tea, java, or whatever, sit in front of the tank and observe your new pal as you calmly chill...chill...chill...remember deep breaths...chill...chill...chill...

Jeff

[Wh00h0069]

Hi, yes it sounds like he is stressed out at the moment. You should let him get used to his new environment before you start handling him. I suggest letting him eat a few times before your try. Eventually he will get used to being handled, and it will not stress him out.

Good luck.

[Jenn]

Some great advice. Work to get the temps and humidity nailed down and let him settle in for a while. I don't even try to handle a new snake for three weeks or so. At least until I know the snake is eating regularly.