Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi, I don't know if I'm just an anxious new parent of my blood python or not, but here goes. I bought him August 30 from a reptile show in NC. The breeder said that he eats every Tuesday (when they get their mice) and they fed him f/t. Anyways, I got him home and didn't follow the week for adjustment rule at first. I tried to feed him like the guy said on the following Tuesday, but he didn't eat. I tried first to give him a live hopper (I was too much of a wimp to knock it out) and i think it scared him. I then "knocked the mouse out" and he still wasn't interested. Needless to say, I have tried several times since then to no avail (knocking em' out first). Oh yeah, and I haven't picked him up since the initial try at feeding. Some other factors I feel I should bring up is that he is in a 25"x13"x13" aspen bedding enclosure with a big water dish, hiding cave, heat pad, and a baby Ba;l python as well. Both of them are about 18" long. I know, I know, I shouldn't have them together but I haven't had the extra money to make another enclosure. Another nasty but important fact is that he defecated only a day before I was going to feed him. My question then is, should I be worried? If not, when should I get worried. i am planning on trying again on Wednesday and if he doesn't seem interested, doing the whole paper bag thing. Am I on the right track? Thanks in advance for reading/responding.

Hello, in my limited experience with my blood (I've had her for one year) she is very timid and would never go for a live mouse. Most importantly though, (and I think you already know), you have to get that ball python out of his cage. I'm sure he's totally stressed out from having another snake in there (especially not the same kind). You can pick up a rubbermaid box pretty cheaply for your ball (or your blood) and just use things around the house for a hide (empty butter dishes, etc.) Any plastic bowl would do for a water bowl and is the heating pad big enough to put it half and half on two cages? I doubt you'll get him to eat until he is alone and settled in for a while. Mine wasn't too eager to start feeding either. What I did was completely surround her cage with paper so she couldn't see any movements. I left her alone for a couple of week and tried a f/t hamster (because she refused rats and mice.) She eagerly took the hamster and has since switch over easily to rats and is eating like crazy now. Basically, get him set up by himself and leave him be, except to change water for a couple of weeks and I'm sure he'll come around. Just leave the rat or mouse (or hamster) just outside of the opening to his hide and let him be in darkness and alone for the night. Hopefully when you wake up, you'll have a blood that ate. Good luck, Scott.
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Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.
Martin Luther King, Jr.

"In any civilized society, it is every citizen's responsibility to obey just laws.
But at the same time, it is every citizen's responsibility to disobey unjust laws."
—Martin Luther King Jr

Dude!! What are you going out and buying two snakes if you cant afford separate them? They require very different husbandry practices. That much humidity could eventually lead to a ball pythons demise or vise versa (if your keeping the cage dry for that ball). Respiritory problems are bound to happen anyway-so id sell the snake soon or scrape the money together (selling stuff, borrowing cash). Going to the goodwill and picking up a second hand tank is not that damn expensive. This is pretty sad. I know you asked for help-but I can tell you that the blood probably isnt eating due to stressing. You need to separate them-then maybe the blood will feel more comfortable. Jesus!

>> My question then is, should I be worried? If not, when should I get worried....

Yes, you should be worried right now. But not because your blood python has not fed in the 10 days since you bought it. Your first concern should be to correct your lack of any quarantine. Are these the only two reptiles you own? You didn’t give any information about the ball python. A new python should be in a separate cage, in a separate room, for at least three months. As it stands right now, your two snakes could be sharing not just a hiding cave, but viruses, bacteria, and internal and external parasites Why don’t you use the search function on these forums to read up on quarantine? You sound as if you are concerned about these animals. Why not educate yourself on this topic?

>> I know, I know, I shouldn't have them together but I haven't had the extra money to make another enclosure.

Do you have enough money to buy a plastic sweater box?

After you get that baby blood python set up in its own cage, then you can follow all the helpful feeding tips that these nice people will politely give you.

-Joan

Sorry to say this, but it is practices like this that give us good practioners a bad rep'. Listen to what these good folk here have to say, and separate the two forwith. Man alive!

I'm pretty new to blood pythons, but I've read everything I could find, including all of this forum, and you've got to leave him alone! Go to Wal-Mart and spend $3.00 to get a rubbermaid box, then raid the kitchen for a water dish and small hides, the put him in the box and don't let him see you for at least a week. Then one night, with the room dark, quietly slip a pre killed rat in there and if it doesn't work, wait a few days and try again. Oh, and if you can't spare $3.00 to separate your snakes you need to sell one, because it's almost certain your blood is not going to eat if you don't!
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"You have insulted my footwear; my sandals do not like to be laughed at." --Samauri Jack

I apologize for instantly freaking out. But you should just learn all your pretty little mind can before you buy a specialized python like a blood. Im sure the ball python could care less-but the blood is probably pissed off. Its nothing too major, but when pythons are young like that, they need to be eating and as stress free as possible.
-John
"Future times will stand and clearly see Of the course of innocence"
Yes, Tormato 1978

This Message is to all that have responded...... I appreciate all of the good information, but I assure you that I don't need all of the negative comments I have received. I do not claim to know everything about snakes or anything of the sort, but the negativity I am feeling is quite unjustified. If I am not mistaken, these forums are set up to be educated, not to be downgraded. I understood before I even posted this question that I was probably making a mistake by housing the two snakes together, and if I am not mistaken, I stated something to that effect that in my initial post. Also, In lieu of what I stated concerning my finances, I am estimating the cost of the other cage based on the time, effort,and money I have put into the one which the blood & ball are currently in. All in all, I want to thank you again for the positive encouragement, but I think that responders should be a little more empathetic to the feelings of the ones who post questions.

I'll admit that it was a pretty negative response(s) you got from most of us. But you really need to understand that financial throwbacks shouldn't come into play here. Owning pythons is a privilage; they cost money all the way around-heating, caging, feeding, water, substrate, hides-the whole 9 yards. You seem to think we were negative for no reason; I can forgive you if you would just understand that if you didn't have two cages already set up, you shouldnt have got another python. Now- just think. If these happened to be cannabalistic pythons, one might be dead becasue of impulse spending. Just get them separated ASAP-like they said, 3 bucks for a rubbermaid tub. You dont have to make anything special again; stupid snakes dont really know the difference between cheap rubbermaid and a neat planned out cage. Get the blood in another cage and we can forget this ever happend- thats all.

I've gone back and read through all the posts, and I've got to say that I'm surprised at the obvious restraint that everyone has shown. I personally thought when I saw your post that you would be flamed so hard your eyebrows would be singed! I want to commend the people of this forum for their obvious kindness. All anyone has done is re-inforce what you said you already "knew". If you keep your snakes in a manner that endangers their health, don't expect the rest of us to smile, and pat you on the back. We're not trying to be mean, we're just telling you the truth.
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"You have insulted my footwear; my sandals do not like to be laughed at." --Samauri Jack

There is a good reason these people, and I myself had I read this earlier, are trying to make a point to you. There is nothing personal here what-so-ever. I don't know you, none of them know you. The point-in-fact is veeryone here loves their animals and cannot stand to see an animal "mistreated".
Yes my friend there is a good reason everyone here is freaking, it is called a LIFE! That animal is the only reason you are on this forum. This forum is about bloods, not balls and not people. These folks are just trying to help you. There are a few "no no's" that are not very well tolerated here. One of them is the life of your animal. You may have just killed your animal by not quaranteening it.

they were a bit mean with the responsis but they are right.
when i started keeping herps i got a ball python,then another ball,then i got a blood,and a rainbow boa. i had them all in a 90gal tank.i didn't know any better. then i started to talk to people because the balls and the rainbow were eatting but the blood would not. then i moved the blood in to a 10gat tank the next week he took a sm rat pup. he would only eat in his cage not out of it like everyone else. after about 4or5 months i tried to feed him out of the cage again and he ate just fine. he wont touch a live rat but eats f/k or f/t witchever is aval. at that time

i now have
4 ball pythons in a 90gal
2 bloods(sm.one in a 20gal)(lg one in a 50gal)
2 corns each in there own 10gal
3 redtails (2 in a 220gal)(1 in a 50gal)
1 greentree boa

all seem to be happy and healty.

the rainbo somehow got out and was found 2monthes later dead i was very sad.

so these people do know what they are talking about so listen to them. but dont take it as being mean.