Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i purchased a young blood about 8 to 10 inches was told that it was feeding but have yet to see this take place. i've had her 4 approx. 9 days and all it does is hide in it's cave ornament. it will come out and mingle if i mist the repti-bark and place a towel over the enclosure and turn off the light but still won't eat could someone give me some insight and tell me what i have done wrong i have supplied:

a spacious 30 gal. wide tank
50 watt heat light (nocturnal)
repti-bark (signifigantly made 4 humidity loving herps)
a water bowl large enough 2 soak in (which isn't being used)
a hiding spot (cave ornament)
a nice sized under-tank heater which heats one half of the tank

could someone please help me 2 save my specimen that i have become very fond of in a short time any good info will be greatly appreciated and taken well into cosideration.

thank u

Yeah,sounds like you have evrything.EXCEPT that his/her tank is too large.Wide open spaces intimidate baby blood pythons.You might have to just buy a cheap rubbermaid container and poke some airholes in it and place the heat pad on one end.Place a couple hides in the enclosure.One on the hot side,One on the cool side and one right in the middle.Try deeper substrate.The key to a happy,healthy blood is....SECURITY,HUMIDITY and HEAT ambiant temps 80* / 85*.After you achive that.They should start eating regularly.Good Luck. Ash Lopez
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Ashley Lopez's Black Forest Constrictors.
blackforestconstrictors@gmail.com
website

When and if you do add a heat spot, be sure to use some kind of heat controller to regulate that heat, or else you will have a cooked snake in no time. Especially in a small container like a 6 quart. I use them too, but I have them plugged into a Helix thermostat basic controller. Check out Helix or Big Apple Herps, or Herpstat (Spyderobotics) etc.
-Angel
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In life you can fall many times, but you're only a failure, if you don't try to get back up!
Evil Canevil

thanx 4 all the good info it's worth more 2 me than u may think.i will do what u guys advise me 2do, but i have a few more questions. i really like this species and will try anything so that this little guy will survive, but if i am not sucessful with getting him/her 2 eat what should i do?, because i hate force feeding. as 4 the plastic container how big should i go and do i keep the lid off 4 the heat lamp? and how do i keep the enclosure humid?

once again thanx

You shouldn't need a heat lamp in the smaller container. Just make sure the ambient temp is in the mid to low 80's with a hot spot of high 80 to low 90's. As for the size of the rubbermaid. It the blood is really little use a 6 qt. but I think a 12 qt. would work out for anything a year old or younger
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1.1 Borneo short tail
1.1 Sumatran short tail
1.1 Marble borneo
1.1 Sarawaks
0.1 Sumatran Blood
1.0 leopard gecko
0.3 ball pythons
0.0.1 red tail boa
0.0.1 jungle X coastal carpet python

what's a hot spot?

I once got one that wouldn't eat for seven weeks. It was totally bumming me out, but I didn't have to force feed. I just had to keep trying with baby rats and eventually she ate one overnight.

good luck
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Owen, who loves his snakes a lot.

I wouldnt worry about it not eating yet...my first blood didnt eat for 3 weeks, try soaking the food in chicken broth and putting it inside the snake's favorite hide, also my one blood will eat anything but the other will only eat rats, so you may want to try rats pups if you havent already
kim