Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I purchased a CB baby White Lipped python and can't get it to eat. I believe I have the heat and humidity requirements right. It has killed several hoppers but just leaves them. I've tried split brain pinkies to no avail. Ive had it for three weeks. It seems to be healthy. It shed the day after I received it. It is a bit nippy, psychotic even but settles down once out of the cage. I tried a tall enclosure with branches' I read that at this age they are more arboreal. Any suggestions on when I should start to force feed? It still has good body weight and muscle tone.

Thanks,

Eric

There are a few fixes or possible annodotes for this. Alittle more info would help. What type of set up are you using? Was the snake feeding prior to you aquiring it? WLP's are very secretive, shy, and from what i ve experienced...teritorial. Most baby snake always do better in a smaller enclosure compared to something bigger which can be overwhelming. WLP's whether young or adult need a hide. From what i understand according to your post, then snake is striking, constricting and killing its prey which is always a good thing. I have a yearling that a raised from a baby and to this day he will strike, coil(i feed frozen thawed), but if im around and some how catch his attention she will lose intrest in the prey and strike at me, once i leave he begins to swallow it. Try to feed it in the dark and walk out of the room for a while. If you havent tried this either, leave the prey infront of the hide spot over night. Bottom line is they dont like attention, if i walk in the room and hes cruising around he will either go into his den or the water bowl. If all else fails contact the breeder,dealer,seller and ask how he went about feeding. If you have any pics of the little guy post them. Good luck

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1.1 suri redtails
2.1 chondros
1.1 womas
1.0 blood
1.0 albino blood
0.0.1 Southern White Lip

Thanks for the advice. She, I think, is housed in a Boaphile cage 1' wide 2' deep and 11" high. I cantacted the seller who told me she was feeding on fuzzies weekly. They told me to try the brained pinkie which I have left overnight along with a live pinkie. I don't have a hide but she spends her days under the paper towl substrate or in the bowl of damp moss. I will add a hide and see if it helps.

Thanks again,

Eric

Have you tried offering prekilled off of tongs? If she is striking and constricting im assuming its a matter of time before she eats. How long have you had her?

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1.1 suri redtails
2.1 chondros
1.1 womas
1.0 blood
1.0 albino blood
0.0.1 Southern White Lip

I've only had her for three weeks. I have used tongs and she does bite and wraps, once for several minutes (a frozen thawed fuzzy) but has never eaten. I added a hide to her lair nd will continue to offer ft fuzzies every few days. Fortunately I have some juvenile Bredl's that will eat what she leaves.

Thanks,

Eric

Mabey try feeding at nite, i have had most luck with my WLP's at nite. They don't tend to like the cage changed that much when they are young so it may require just waiting for alittle longer. I would be very carefull of what is called captive born, most all WLP's are hatched from W/C females that were captured while gravid. hence why when W/C WLP's come into the US they are mostly males. They keep the females till they lay thier eggs and then hatch them. From fresh out of the egg to when we get them there is a very high mortality rate as well as being pretty well infested with parasites. problem is by the time you get the parasites under control the snake is too far gone. Just wondering where did you buy this WLP from?
Rob

Thanks for the information. I bought this one from "Bay Area Reptiles" a staple in the Kingsnake classifieds. They said they got it started eating on split brain pinkies and then it was taking fuzzies of of tongs. The owner of the local herp shop here in Fresno, CA said he'd never heard of a "cative bred" WLP so I specifically asked before I bought and was assured it was cb and not captive hatched. When I received it it still had the slit (I don't know the vet term) on its belly where the yolk sac was attatched.

Thanks again,

Eric

There are CB WLP's out there, usually not many though. The slit your reffering to is the umbilical scar which is what every snake hatched will have whether it be CB,CH or wild caught so that wont help determine its origin. The only real way to prove it is ask the person that bred them for pictures of the parents, pic of the clutch or the WLP's hatching which isnt uncommon for a breeder to do. Other than that its trusting that the person who sold it to you was being honest, and that can obviously go either way. Did the seller tell you he bred them? If not ask who did.

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1.1 suri redtails
2.1 chondros
1.1 womas
1.0 blood
1.0 albino blood
0.0.1 Southern White Lip

I couldn't help but notice you posted a pic of a black WLP. How old is it and what is the sex? I have a large male and I would love to get a female to pair him up with. Where did you get yours?

Thanks

This isn't a good pic, I never take good pics. enjoy.

How many WLP's do you have?
I have 4 right now. one male large black WLP, subadult male black WLP and two goldphase male and female subadult.

I only have 3 WLPs now, 1.1 gold, and 1.0 black. My gold pair i got in 1997 as "adults", I am guessing they were at least 2 or 3 years old. In 1998 they bread and she layed 9 eggs, 8 hatched and the 9th died in the egg full term. I have not been able to get them to breed since. This season the male did seem interested, the female was not and she chased him off. I am looking for a female black to go with my male.

I would suggest a smaller cage for now. If it is a new baby a shoe box size cage should work. For my babies (hatchling size) I use small Rubbermaid shoe boxes. A large open cage may be to stressfull for a small snake. For a hid I use 16oz butter or sour cream containers with some sphagnium moss inside. Feed at night and use tongs. If you dont want to move the snake to a smaller cage you could try adding some fake plants to the cage for a more natural hide. I would recomend taking it or a fecal sample to your vet. Even if they don't know a lot about herps they can tell you if you are dealing with a parasite. If it is a wc animal that may be the problem, that could be the problem even if it is CB. Did you buy it from a "DEALER" or a "BREEDER"? Every D'alberts i have ever worked with has had a different personality, as far as snakes go, you just have to know what each one likes and doesn't like. Don't give up.

Good Luck