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i got a baby sent through the mail. there was no heat pad in his box and he was shook up. he spends all his time hiding and i almost dropped him today when i was handling him. he is huddled up in his hide box scared. he hasnt eaten since i got him.

WHAT SHOULD I DO! i dont want my snake to die. tell me what to do!

should i leave him alone?

First: Hands off for a few weeks, he needs to reduce the stress he already has. Handling him will only worsen it.
second: I'm no expert, but Bloods take a few weeks to get comfortable enough to eat. You cannot push him. How long have you had him? I bet you tried to feed too soon.
Anyway, others can offer more suggestions here, good luck!

Sincerely,
Matthew

How long ago did you get it? Does it seem healthy (you mentioned it had no heat pack during shipment)? I think that most people would tell you to wait a week or so to feed but I usually wait about 2-3 days and have not had a problem. I could not get my most recent addition to eat f/t but as soon as I dropped a live one in there she went nuts, so you may want to try live, just to get it started eating. But, remember that snakes can go for quite awhile without food, so don't worry. Also do you see it drink?...thats always a good sign.

How long have you had the baby?

I didn't try feeding my baby blood until I'd had him a week. I normally feed my snakes in a separate tub from their home tanks, but the little blood didn't eat in the feeding tub.

So I tried again a couple of days later---as quietly as possible, gently putting a smaller thawed mouse (hopper) in his home enclosure, right in front of his nose. I left him alone and he ate it. No problems since.

My little guy mostly hides too, but that's pretty normal. Some snakes are just shy. I've had a BRB for nearly 2 years, and he still prefers spending most of his time in his hides.

I have been handling my little blood fairly frequently, but mostly keeping him gently in my lap, so he feels secure. He clearly doesn't like too much stimulation or movement. (Bloods are land snakes in the wild, after all, and typically lie still, waiting for prey to wander by.)

>>i got a baby sent through the mail. there was no heat pad in his box and he was shook up. he spends all his time hiding and i almost dropped him today when i was handling him. he is huddled up in his hide box scared. he hasnt eaten since i got him.
>>
>>WHAT SHOULD I DO! i dont want my snake to die. tell me what to do!
>>
>>should i leave him alone?
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Renee
1.0 blood python (Rollo)
1.0 brazilian rainbow boa (Loki)
2.0 amel & anery corns (Foxfire & Daguerre)
1.1 Cats (Nightshade & Cuzzy)

A few things

What is he caged in?

What is his set up?

What are his temps and humidity?

When did you get him?

I rarely handle my animals. I especially do not handle until the animal has been here for several week and has eaten twice. I disturb them as little as possible and provide a tight secure hide for them. Thats kinda why I asked about the caging. An aquarium can be VERY stressful for them because things are coming from each side!

I ask about caging and temps because its important to make sure with the bad shipping things are up to par. Off temps or humidity, the snake would not really feel like eating.

Leave him be for at least a month handling wise.
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Cindy
PHFaust

Email Cindy

Land of the Outcasts!

New snakes should be left alone for at least one week to settle in and feeding should be done in their home enclosure to reduce stress.

When you indicate the snake was received in "the mail" I really hope you do not mean the US post office. This is a federal violation and has been since Benjamin Franklin founded the US post office. Sometimes shipping does not require a heat pack, if the package is sent by an appropriate overnight shipper for next day delivery with someone to accept when the package is delivered.
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www.richcrowleyreptiles.com
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Neither the PO nor UPS nor FedEx nor the soon to vanish DHL will ship snakes. Most will take small harmless reptiles but NOT snakes. Then again, they don't know what's in the box unless they open it
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1.0 Blackheaded pythons
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