Finiky Blood

[BigRed01]

My wife and are currently caring for a blood python that wont eat. We're
doing this as a favor for the lps. My wife and i used to breed corn snakes
and have had experience with snakes that dont want to eat. Heres my delema,
the lps said they got the snake sometime in late October or early November.
The snake ate once right when he got him. The snake didnt eat for a few
weeks, then was sold as a non-eating snake to a customer. The customer
brought it back when they couldnt get it to eat (about a month or so). So
now it's going on February 1st with no food. His setup that the pet shop had
was astro turf, plus no hideaway, i know - way bad. Thats what i told him.
Well we have the snake at our house so we can keep a better eye on him, also
less traffic here than the shop. I couldndt give an age for the snake but
he's young (hes about 18" long). His current setup is cypress mulch, a nice
sized hidehole, for heat we run a heating pad on low and are using a ceramic
bulb to heat the air (tank temp on the warm side is 86). We also mist the
tank to help with humidity. I really dont want to see this snake die, here
or at the the pet shop. We've been trying to feed him pinks, no luck. Any
help would be appreciated.

[CHRISANDBOIDS14]

My opinion, Leave it for at least a week. Dont try to feed it and only bother it to mist and replenish water. Check out this thread too:

Blood/Short-Tailed Python FAQ (http://www.ssnakess.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=49367)

HTH.

C.

[BigRed01]

We did leave it for a week just to let it aclimate to its new surroundings.

[biggworm]

Sorry to hear that.The only thing I can think of is to seal the screen top so that no humidity excapes.I used thick clear tape and always leave a two inch gap for air flow.My main concern is HUMIDITY,constant humidity,about 80 %.Spraying sometimes is'nt enough, the tank dries out.Put a LARGE WATER BOWL.Even IF IT COVERS 40/45 % OF THE CAGE.It will add to the humidity.YOUNG bloods won't thrive without it. and have been known to turn around quickly in a very humid enviorment with a good hide or deep substrate.Try using a rack system or rubbermaid box as a cage.GOOD LUCK!!!

[dave68]

Rubbermaid, deep sphagnum moss, like fill rubbermaid half full with it, water bowl, and hopper or full size mice for food, most bloods are ready for full size adult mice for their first meal. Just keep the moss moist and if the proper depth is used you don't need a hide as the snake will just burrow under the moss and feel very secure. Oh yeah one more thingput the heating pad under one side of rubbermaid and turn up to medium. They need very warm hot side temps 90-95 and ambiant temps no lower than 80 farenheight of course. Also I wouldn't use the ceramic heat lamp, dries everything out too quickly! Did I mention they like it MOIST and HOT!!

Dave

[BigRed01]

Whats the best way to heat the tank then? I live up in Minnesota so the air is extremely dry this time of year. Its hard to keep the house a comfortable humidity.

[CHRISANDBOIDS14]

Get a humidifyer. Like was said, also, use a heatpat for tank heating. Also, in my opinion and experience 95 is too hot for a hot spot. I would lean closer to 90

C.

[BigRed01]

We do have a humidifier in the room, the air is so dry it wont go past 55%. We are using a heating pad. The tank temp on the warm side is 92 and 78 on the cool side. Now we have the ceramic heater set on a timer to run for 12hr days, should we run it 24?

[CHRISANDBOIDS14]

Leave the heating pad on all night and I say yeah leave the ceramic heater running.

As for the humidity, cover the cage top(leave some small holes for ventilation), and mist as often as you can remember. Put a waterdish over the heat pad. Damp the cycpress mulch, it should hold some humidity aswell. But IME if you dont keep humidity high you will have problems. HTH.

C.

[BigRed01]

Its been about a week since we tried feeding him. Humidity and heat i think are at good levels. 85 degrees, 65% humidity. What is the best way to present the food item to the snake?

[Linds]

I would change the temps. As suggested, they do best with a gradient of around 80-90 degrees. Are you measuring the surface temp or just the air temp? Measuring the air temp will not give you a reading of the actual basking spot. 85 is too cool for these boids.

I'd also like to suggest also offering larger prey. At a foot and a half your blood should be taking something larger than a pink IMHO. (Assuming you are offering rats) you may also want to try offering mice. Sometimes stubborn snakes prefer mice to rats. You can try offering it from tongs, and if that fails, try leaving it overnight with the snake in front of its hide.

Good luck getting the little one up and feeding! :flick:

[CHRISANDBOIDS14]

IMO bring your humidity up more, to at least 70%. Also I agree with Linds about the feeding.

C.

[BigRed01]

Thanks for all the help, we're going to try and feed again tonight and see what happens.

[CHRISANDBOIDS14]

Fingers crossed!

C.

[BigRed01]

Good news! He ate last night! I just decided to leave the hopper in his hideaway cave, it was gone the next morning. Nice full belly :D . I want to get this guys strength back up, when should i try to feed him again? I was planning on Saturday or Sunday. I still am having problems with the humidity, the air is just to dry in the house. There is some condesation at the bottom of the tank where the substrate is, just from daily mistings. Thanks again for the help!

[CHRISANDBOIDS14]

Great!

Well, keep trying to keep up the humidity.

I would wait at least another week before trying again. Just to make sure he regains his appetite and has had time to relax a little after eating.

C.

[Borneoblood151]

Hey,
Every 7 days is a good starting point for a good feeding regimen or schedule. Also, if you haven't already done so, you should get your self a 2222 Rubbermaid plastic sweater box, or something in similar size, and switch it over to it. Sweater boxes hold humidity much better than glass aquariums, anytime with no needed modification.
-Angel

[BigRed01]

I tired feeding him again last week (02/16/05), no luck. Left the mouse in his cage over night and no luck. Tried feeding him again lst night, well he ate! He was very aggressive in his feeding :grab: . What really concerns me is that hes not very active, Is that a common trait of the bloods? The sweater box thing, it doesnt need air holes?

[Borneoblood151]

Hey,
Bloods are ambush predators, and so they do not actively prowl or hunt for food, like other pythons or even colubrids. But, you will know when they are hungry if you have a hide or something for it to hide under or in, because you will see their nose sticking out when hungry or on the alert for a meal. As for holes in the box, the answer to that is yes! you should have plenty of holes in the sweater box for air exchange and to prevent other problems associated with too much moisture and lack of appropriate air exchange.
-Angel

[CHRISANDBOIDS14]

Originally posted by Borneoblood151
you should have plenty of holes in the sweater box for air exchange and to prevent other problems associated with too much moisture and lack of appropriate air exchange.

I agree, however not too many holes. 10-15 quarter inch holes would do it.

C.