Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My new baby blood has not eaten yet. I got him at the San Jose reptile show early this month. All my temps and humidity are good and I have hiding spots on the hot side and the cold side. It is in a very quiet room. I contacted the dealer and they said they would feed them small adult mice in paper bags so that’s what I have tried. I also have tried fresh killed and live rat pinkies and large fuzzy rats. When should I worry and what course of action would be the best. I’m not new to snakes but this is my first blood.

Thanks!
PS: I will post the length and weight tomorrow.

1.1 Jungle Carpet python
0.1 Irian Jaya Carpet python
1.1 Ball python
1.0 Corn
1.0 Bearded Dragon
1.0 Baby Blood

I was just in the same boat as you. My baby blood (maybe 1 ft. long) arrived 11/22. I tried feeding her last Sunday without success, but she had just eaten a week before at the breeders and was on a bi-weekly feed schedule. I tried a live mouse that night in a size that seemed right for her size (A little thinner than her girth). She had absolutely no interest in it and actually crawled away from it. Zippo luck.

Well, last night she took a pinkie rat. She had several food options in her enclosure (almost a fuzzy rat, a really small mouse and this pinkie).

I know it was too small of a meal, but at least she ate something. I did the same as you: fed her at night, shut off the tank light and other lights in the room and actually placed her in an ice cream pail with the food. I gave her an hour, watching periodically to make sure nothing in there would bother her. She took the smallest thing there was.

I was starting to get pretty concerned, because EVERYTHING seems like a variable that could be screwing things up when you have a new snake in a new enclosure. Do I handle or not? Is the temp and humidity right? Is the food too big or does it smell wrong? Is my snake sick? All those questions to consider and stress about.

Hang in there with the feeding issues--that's the way I'm looking at it. Sooner or later your snake has to eat if it's otherwise healthy. Plus, they don't want to die. Sounds stupid, I know, but it's gotta be true.

Keep posting as time goes on here, and I'll do the same. Maybe we can learn something about these little guys together and from our experiences.

I'll be happy to hear how your snake is doing. Good luck!

You have plently of time, just be patient for the time being and offer it food once a week when you feed everything else. Bloods (especially hatchlings and juvi's) are shy and need to aclimate and feel comfortable first. Leave him/her alone for awhile undisturbed, then offer it a live item and walk away eventually it will eat. good luck
-----
1.1 Suri Redtails
2.1 Chondros
1.1 Womas
1.0 Blood
1.1 Albino Bloods
1.0 Marble Borneo
0.0.1 Southern White Lip
0.1 Albino Ball
1.0 Het Albino Ball

I bought one at the show also and it ate 7 days after I got it. It has had 2 meals now, both times rat pups. Do not take it out of the tank to feed it. Simply toss in a live rat pup right before the usual time you turn off the light. Mine takes them within 30 mins. what kind of substrate are you using? I am using shredded aspen and I just mist it every other day, it works great. I think deep substrate is more important than a good hide(it is how they hide in nature). My substrate is about 3" Since you must live near me, you can email me and maybe we can talk on the phone about it.
Nick

Do you have any hiding spots or are you using just the aspen?

Everything is good now; he ate a “crawler” rat last night. I feel like such a newbee! I totally mist the fact that the snake was going to shed! I must have gotten it after it was in blue and before it shed or it went blue during the first week and a half wile I was leaving it alone to get use to its new home. Last Saturday I looked at him and it was obvious, it needed to shed. I had it on cypress mulch and misted it frequently (about 75% to80% humidity) and he still needed a good soak. I have noticed my other snakes over the years would have bad sheds if they were stressed even if they had the recommended humidity. Well, to make a long story short, he shed that night, and a last night he ate a good meal.