Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have my spider ball for 3 days now and it will not eat. the air temperature is 82 and the UTH is at 90. I was told that she will eat rat fuzzies so that is what I threw in. She goes up to it, flicks her tongue at it, then ignores it. She is in a 20 gallon long and she is has eatten 3 or 4 times already (that is what I was told). Any help is appreciated.

If you have only had her for 3 days you should let her settle in for at least 5-7 days and maybe then try feeding her. If you just tried right after you got her then it makes sense that she didn't eat. I would try it after she settles in and if after a few offerings she still doesn't take it try the same prey item just live the next time. That will probably do the trick.

She was probably kept in a nice secure shoebox before coming to your house and being put on display in an aquarium. A nice quiet dark box will do wonders.

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Charles Glaspie

First feeding guidelines!

1) wait at least a week after bringing it home before you try to feed your snake the first time.

2) feed appropriate sized prey items. After the first meal or two, most balls can take regular adult mice.

3) If the snake doesn't eat the first time you offer food, wait a WEEK and then offer the food again. Do not leave the rodent in for more than 10-20 minutes, and keep an eye on them. Live prey can seriously harm your snake.

4) Do NOT handle your snake at all until it has eaten at least twice (preferably 3-4 times) for you in a row! Handling the snake causes stress and thus makes them take longer to settle in.

5) Make sure there's at least two hiding places (1 on the hot side, 1 on the cool) to make the snake feel secure.

I hope that helps! Just be patient, the snake will eat eventually

~jenny
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"The python has, and I fib no fibs,
318 pairs of ribs.
In stating this I place reliance
On a seance with one who died for science
This figure is sworn to and attested,
He counted them while being digested."
~Ogden Nash

jenny.thegreenes.org

"If you're happy and you know it,
Bomb Iraq!
If you cannot find Osama,
Bomb Iraq!
If the terrorists are frisky,
Pakistan is looking shifty,
North Korea is too risky,
Bomb Iraq!

Usually it is recommended that you allow at least a week before attempting feeding.

Understand that BP are very easily subject to stress and they need time to adjust to their new environment

Also if your Spider is a hatchling 20 gallons is too big, know that BP do better in smaller enclosure even more so when they are so young

Ideally you would want to house her in a 10 gallons glass tank to which you can add crumble newspaper offer added security, or you can house your BP in a 12/15 quarts tub.

Since you have attempted feeding you should wait another week with no handling before attempting feeding again.

Offering too soon will only cause stress, which will lead to more refusals

Meanwhile

Check your temperature and make sure they are 80-84 on the cool side, 90-94 on the warm side, of course this mean you need to have an accurate reading provided by a digital thermometer/hygrometer.

Check your humidity and make sure it is between 50%-60%

Make sure the enclosure is in a low traffic area.

Make sure your enclosure is the appropriated size, an enclosure that is too big can be overwhelming, and can cause stress overtime.

Make sure your hides are tight enough so your BP can snug in, all sides must be touching your BP's body (Avoid log hides as they do not really provide enough security for a BP).
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Deborah
GA Ball Pythons Merchandise
www.myspace.com/gaballpythons

damn I am 0 for 2. the tank is a 20 long, which is obviously too big, and I have the logs in there for hides. Big logs too. I will buy a small tuperware quart tub thing. I do have a digital therma gun from pro exotics. I will not handle her at all. My only concern with the tub is how do I heat it? I only have one UTH and I stuck it under the tank so I am guessing its permenatly on there. Whatcha think?

What you can do is to get her a little tub and a small tight hide small water dish and put that tub inside your 20 gal tank with the "warm end" over the heat pad. Double check to make sure that temperature and humidity are good inside the tub and then give her some alone time to settle in - bout a week - just change water but don't bug her too much. Check with the breeder you got her from and find out exactly what and how she was being fed - and start feeding her like that. Once she gets established you can start handling her and you can even try removing the lid from the top of her tub and letting her roam her cage. With 20 gallons you can put a bunch of small hides around it, some things for her to climb on and some plants for cover will help her feel secure. Eventually you can work towards making the tank her permanent home.

Congrats on the new addition and good luck!
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Tosha
JET Pythons

You heat the tub the same way you do the glass tank UTH + thermostat to provide proper temps and avoid overheating.

The UTH might be stuck or might not this is why I don't really recommend the sticky kind you are better off with Flexwatt Heat tape or UTH such as Ultratherm Heat Pads, T Rex Cobra Pads.

Log hides while good for lizzard make poor hides for BP, you can make hides out of plastic flower pot saucers, plastic bowls or you can get something like this which are my favorite
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Deborah
GA Ball Pythons Merchandise
www.myspace.com/gaballpythons

I totally understand and agree with what you are saying about the tank being too large. But, believe it or not when it gets dark, and the room is pitch black, she will come out from under that log and explore. I found her tonight moving around and finally settling on top of the log. Is this a good sign? Could it be that the large tank does not bother her and she just needs to settle in? Just thinking out loud. Thanks for all your help so far.

Sometimes snakes will take a bit to acclimate before they eat. I just got a spider Saturday. I drove him home on a 6 hour trip. He ate two hoppers today. I call it luck. I thought I would try, but didn't expect it to eat.

Is she a hatchling also? What size enclosure do you have her in? Did you get her at the fire expo orlando show? Thats where I got mine and she is beautiful, but I have read some pretty bad stuff about the dude I bought her from.