Feeding and fire

[bear24]

I'm caring for a buddies BP's. The temperature of the tall glass cage they are in is 37.3 C hot end and 26 C at the coldest portion of the cold end. The dimensions are 30" 30" 12" L*H*Depth The male and female are kept together and the female has not eaten in the week I have had them. What can I do to help stimulate her eating I already tried the paper bag at 85 F over night and this morning at 8 she had not eaten the hopper mice Thawed and left with her all night. They are both just a year old and she has not had a meal in about a month.

The sad thing is the 2 BP's were in a fire at my buddies place that is why I am caring for the snakes. Him and his girlfriend need to find a new house and fix the old enclosure for the snakes. The male ate 2 days after the fire and is fine no burns or coughing wheezing. The female has no burns or lung problems but she won't eat. My only thought is if the males presence is bothering her. This is countered by the fact they have been living together since they were inches long and never had a problem till now.

Any thoughts or hints on getting snakes to eat after extreme trauma let me know........If a single person starts an "arguement" I will find where they live because nobody talks to me the way they talk to other people on the forums I don't appreciate disrespect of anyone.....Please respect this!!!

[mykee]

First of all before I get in to the helpful part of my response, take it easy with your baseless, immature threats there Sparky. After a stupid comment like that, you should be thanking your lucky stars and ANYONE who responds to your post.
Now to the helpful part, because regardless of how silly you are, it's about the snakes.
After reading your original post, many things pop to mind as to why the snake you are taking care of is not eating.
First and foremost, those two snakes should not be living together. Period. No if's, ands or buts aboot it.
Secondly, ball pythons stop eating. All the time. Assuming the husbandry is correct (read: house them seperately) they will eat when they are good and ready.
Third, mice are not the preferred food source for ball pythons in captivity, WHEN the snake(s) start eating, try rats.
Fourth, fish cages should not be used to house ball pythons, let alone aquariums that are MUCH too small for two.
Fifth, the temps on the warm side are WAYYYYY TOO HOT, 37.3 (99) is, at the very least, 5 degrees too warm. Be a friend and buy your buddy a book on the captive husbandry of ball pythons and drop those temps unless you want to cook the two snakes.
Sixth, don't try too many methods of getting the ball to eat, aside from the;
aquarium
mice
two balls in one enclosure
TOO HOT
That poor snake (and I do mean poor snake) has more than enough stress in her life to worry about you messing around with her food every day. Stop trying different methods, try to feed her twice a week, she'll eat when her entire life is made better. Good luck, and I really mean it.
BTW, since you're already clearly a little high-strung and defensive, please understand that I'm not playing the "blame game" here. Whether these husbandry issues are caused by you or your friend, it doesn't matter. What does matter is that the issues that are outlined above change in order for these two snakes to live stress-free, healthy lives.

[TheMan]

Very well put Mykee!

[bear24]

Thanks for the info Mykee. To bad you had to call me silly and Sparky. I just wanted the answers and you gave them to me I appreciate that. Borderline on the respect but you can have a freebie. I will tell you how things come along.

[smeagel]

Your talking about not wanting others to disrespect you by the way that you interpret that they talk to others on these forums. Then you come on here making threats saying you will find where anyone lives who you deem to talk to you with disrespect. Mykee posted some helpful info, and as far as the so called "borderline respect" he only returned the same amount of respect that you showed everyone on this forum by writing that idle threat. I wish you good luck with your BPs none the less.

[beardiefan]

RESPECT IS EARNED NOT GIVEN

'NUFF SAID

[bear24]

respect is where people start with me. That means I respect all of you.

I have a new setup just waiting for temps to settle. Each enclosure is a hair under 3 feet square. Thats 14" by 20" LW. I will wire the reostat tomorrow and post my temps I have care fresh bedding and a freezer full of rats thats about all. Once again thanks Mykee and if anybody thinks I' am disrespecting them.

Once again sorry for the "Threat"/ "warning". And thanks again Mykee.

[mykee]

Your welcome, no hard feelings. As for the new enclosure, too big is just as bad as too small. I think that 22 sq. feet is somewhat overkill. I ( as well as many other breeders) keep their adult females (2000g+) in Rubbermaid #2221's (23"L X 16"W X 6" H (roughly 3 sq. feet of floor space)). Keep us posted though, and good luck. I would also take down your address before some of the freaks on this site pay you a visit for no apparant reason. LOL...

[smeagel]

No harm done bear24. i agree with Mykee on the rubbermaid. A big enclosure will stress your snake out. BP thrive in tight spaces.

[Princess Erica]

23" long provides enough space for thermoregulation? Really? Everything I've heard from "other" places says 36" is like the bare minimum for an adult. Iiiinteresting!

[Ron]

Originally posted by bear24
respect is where people start with me. That means I respect all of you.

I have a new setup just waiting for temps to settle. Each enclosure is a hair under 3 feet square. Thats 14" by 20" LW. I will wire the reostat tomorrow and post my temps I have care fresh bedding and a freezer full of rats thats about all. Once again thanks Mykee and if anybody thinks I' am disrespecting them. My address is 362 Fisher cres saskatoon SK.

Once again sorry for the "Threat"/ "warning". And thanks again Mykee.

You definitely shouldn't be posting your address especially since all boids are restricted/illegal to own in Sakatchewan without permits.

[mykee]

Erica, where did you read this, 'cause that information is flat out wrong. With that in mind, I would not pay too close attention to imformation from that source, as it's also probably dead wrong.