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I hope someone here can give me a little help.I picked up a ch ball python on 1/17/04 at the hamburg pa reptile show.He was 127grams now he is 120grams.The vendor said he was eating f/t rat pups,I have given him f/t rat pups and f/t pinky mice with no luck.He drinks water but wont eat,he also shed last weekend.Temp in the tank are warm side 85 to 95 with a under tank heat pad cool side 70 to 80 with a heat light on in the day,humidity is kept around 60 to 80.Hide hut is on the warm side.He is alittle jumpy but seems to like being handled.Any tips anyone has sure would helpfull. Thanks

Could be a normal off-feed phase - which is okay if there's no weight loss), but you do have some husbandry issues that need to be addressed - and this may be the cause of his not eating.

Your warm side should be 90 (95 at the most), your cool side should be 80-85. Make sure you are measuring surface temps (belly heat) particularly on the warm side. At night it's okay for temps to drop, but it's not required. If they do drop there should still be a temp gradient (difference of 5-10 degrees between the 2 sides)and the cool side should not go below 75 (72 at the most).

You should have at least one hide on each side of the tank - not just on one side. Make sure the hides are the right size - nice and snug, not too big. Check out: proexotics.com/FAQ_answers_Hide_Spots.html

I think humidity of 80 might be too high when not in shed?

Incorrect husbandry can lead to going off feed, stress, illness and vet bills. I would work on fixing this right away - especially since he's already losing weight.

A few questions:
what are you using to measure temps?

I'm curious why each sides temps vary in a range of 10 degrees. Temps on one side of my tank may change, but they never change more than one or two degrees.

What size tank/cage are you using?

What kind of substrate are you also using?

Oh yeah...and what's your BPs name?


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Thanks my temp of 95 is in the hide hut belly temp 85 is out of hut on warm side on top of aspen bedding,cool side temps are 80 heat light on 70 heat light off.I use a glass aquarium thermometer to check temps.Tank is glass with lock screen top 10x20x12.and my sons named him hunter.We also have 4 corn snakes a normal,okeetee,albino and bloodred just wish this ball would eat didnt have this problem with the corns.

with that info I can offer some more advice.

The thermometer you're using is not going to measure the temps where you need to. 95 in the hide is fine, but 85 outside the hide on the warm side is too low. If temps are not high enough, they can't properly digest and won't eat without the right temps. Aspen is not good for holding humidity. It's a good substrate for corns because they are lower humidity snakes. Cypress is better for Ball Pythons if you want a lose substrate.

What are you using for heat on the warm side? I'm guessing an under the tank heater? If so, be sure you have something between the bottom glass and the aspen (newspaper, reptile carpet, astroturf, etc)- your snake could easily burrow below the aspen and find himself basically on top of the heating pad. Those pads get hot and can burn him. You need to measure temps under the aspen - since that's what your BP will feel. Your cool sides are way too low. Make sure you have a thermometer on each side of the tank to have constant measurements. I recommend the digital probe kind - that way you can stick the probe exactly where you need to measure and get an accurate measurement. Since you're measuring on top of aspen, maybe when you measure in the correct place (belly temps) you might find the temperature more where it should be - but it may be too hot without a dividing layer).

In case you weren't aware (you might be, but figured it wouldn't hurt to throw this in), with that tank size you should expect to have to get a bigger tank - probably by the time he hits 1 year of age.

As far as humidity, 50-60% is fine when not in shed. Shoot for 70 when in shed. It's really one an issue during shed. You can actually not worry about it and just add a humid hide on the warm side when in shed (or leave it in there for a nice hide all the time, since you need a hide for the other side still).

Again, if you don't have the right sized and enough hides on both sides of the tank your BP will not feel secure - leading to the stress, illness....

I hope to get an okeetee soon - they're gorgeous! I'm actually planning on buying a Boaphile cage for my Ball Python and putting an okeetee in his current 50 gallon breeder tank.
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Check Out My Albums

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"Kira"

I agree with the advice that was already posted. It is all excellent advice, but I think one thing was missed.

The single biggest factor that is keeping your snake from eating is the fact that you are holding it.

Ball Pythons are not really like corns. They are big wussies! Seriously, they're all scaredy cats....especially right after you buy one and they move into a new environment that they don't trust. You need to fine tune your husbandry a little bit, but their are 2 things you really must do before your snake will eat. Get 2 hides, one for each side. If the "hut hide" that you have is one of those half logs....ditch it. Those aren't very good places for your snake to hide are they? Buy or make something that is low profile and dark. It has to be nice and tight so your snake feels like he's got a good hiding spot where no one can get to him. He'll probably never come out of it during the day....unless he gets to hot...then he'll go over to the other one on the cool side. That is all very important. He has to be able to thermoregulate without sacrificing any sense of security. It would also be a good idea to set up his cage in a room where no one goes...like a closet, or your bedroom. People walking by the cage in a living room, etc will stress your snake even if he is in the hide and can't see them. He knows they are there. Secondly...don't hold your snake. Not yet. I would just give him hides and put him somewhere that he won't be bothered, and just leave him alone for about 10 days. After 10 days of being alone and "re-acclimating" he should be feeling pretty secure. Try feeding him a live mouse and stand back so your snake can't see you.....but keep a close eye on the mouse. DO NOT let the mouse start munching on your snake! But feeding a live mouse should trigger a stronger feeding response than a dead one. If he doesn't eat it then that's ok. Don't try again until about 5 days later. Don't hold your snake, just continue to let him be. Eventually he will eat. And after he has eaten 3 times in a row, without skipping a meal, that is how you know your snake is comfortable, and you can begin short handling sessions.

Aren't you glad Corns aren't this picky?

Good luck with Hunter!
Jeremy

thanks - you're right I did miss the handling issue. And I have to agree about the half log hides. My BP avoids it like the plague. I've seen him use it once for a bit - he prefers to crawl over it. I left it in his tank for looks, but he still has 3 other hides to choose from. They need round hides that are dark and have very low height. They need to be able to get in the hide, ball up and feel the sides and top snugly around them.

I say stop handling (aside from if absolutely necessary for cleaning,etc), fix your hide and temp situation, and leave him alone for at least a week. Then try feeding - outside the tank since you're using loose substrate.

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The advice you're giving is very sound, excellent tips. I know that you knew about the handling thing but it must have slipped your mind....lol. It happens to all of us!

Good day!

Jeremy

Thanks Tigergenesis and Eulid,im going to make some changes and not bother him for a week then try again.Thanks for your help.

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being that Ball Pythons have heat pits, temperature of prey is very important. Not only does the food need to be thawed, but it needs to warm enough to get a response. If it's warm enough, you'll really see big time interest from your BP. My little guy is really picky. I've tested and figured out that he will not take his food unless it's been warmed to 108 degrees or more on the outside. So not only do I have to thaw it, but then I have to sit it on top of his light long enough to reach the right temp (I measure with a temp gun). Then when the prey is dangled in front of his face he is extremely interested. But then, he makes me do more work. In addition to wiggling the mouse a bit, once he's attentive, I let the mouse go (I use tongs) and as soon as it hits the ground he strikes.

You may not be able to train a snake, but I think mine has me trained! LOL.
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1.0 Ball Python
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"Kira"