snake sitll wont eat :/

[joshtt]

hey,the noob is back ^^ well your guys were really helpfull last time, so my snake still wont eat its the second week, i went out and bought another mouse because the one last time go out :/ and he still wont eat, the mouse is pretty much walking all over my snake and my snake just sits there and hides :/

i know that snakes wont eat because there humidity and stress? but any suggestions?

[Nafun]

What kind of snake is it?

Two weeks without feeding isn't uncommon at all, he could be going into shed, or he could simply not be hungry.

First off, pull that mouse immediately. If the snake is not interested (and it clearly isn't) there shouldn't be a live rodent in there with him.

It sounds like your snake is either stressed (and putting live prey in there with him is only going to stress him more) or going into a shed cycle.

[joshtt]

ignore the typo in the title,i justtt noticed that :| every one pretend thats not their :D

[joshtt]

he is a ball python,and people say its common, im just not comfortable with it because i dont want him to die or anything, and i dont know what to do with the mouse now, the last one got out, i dont want this too and have to go buy another one again,but ill put the snake back in his cage, any idea when i should try again?

[dragunov.762]

try every week if you feed weekly. i would invest in frozen rats though they are cheaper and easily stored (with no possible escape). rats are also more nutritious than mice and have a lower fat content which is important as BP are not very active.
Oh also a 4 foot BP (I think you said he was 4 ft in a previous post) can go MONTHS without eating so you are in no danger. Snakes also usually need a period to settle in before they are comfortable enough to eat an BP are finicky eaters at best to begin with

[joshtt]

yea hes bout 4-4 1/2 foot haven't actually measured yet,and i wish i could get frozen, but ma mama says there's no way in hell im getting frozen rats, i know im in no danger i just have a bad habit to over react, and think worse case scenario all the time, so im thinking hes gonna die even though im 99% sure hs not gonna die

[dragunov.762]

lol we all do that. my first snake went into shed the day after i got her and i took her back to the shop i got her from to see what was wrong. i have had snakes going on 2 years now and i just got a BCI and still have the little freak out moment, you will just learn that most of what you are worried about is something that they naturally do that you just don't know about. keep asking questions though and you will learn in no time

[joshtt]

yea,and this site is actually pretty amazing ^^
well iv had snakes all growing up, but never actually had my own snake,usually there my dads and never worried to much about them my self ^^

well just wanted thank you again for the help, i hope he eats soon, as for now i got a pet mouse -.- yay *sarcastic grunt*

[emseeKAY]

lol if your mother is worried about storage of the mouse, just buy one rat at a time instead of buying one live rat, most prefer frozen thawed over live unless the snake is picky, which BP's tend to be. It can also be a little tricky switching from live to F/T. As you probably know and have heard by know a BP can go months without eating, as long as its still alert, and does not seem to be losing weight at any sort of alarming rate. Again, not uncommon for BP's to go off of food for a while lol be patient and it will happen. :)

[Nafun]

Also, a 4.5 foot ball python should be eating much larger prey than mice.
I'm guessing you just got this snake since this is your first feeding problem and there's no way something as finicky as a bp got to 4.5 feet without refusing to feed at least once.

If you insist on feeding live, get a small kritter keeper or rubbermade tub if the snake isn't interested, put the rodent in there (with food, water, and bedding)

Ball Pythons can go up to 22 months without feeding. They are very lazy picky snakes.

If you've just gotten him, you should wait 2 weeks before attempting to feed him. Otherwise, try every week. But if the snake is refusing live prey it is because he is either too scared to eat, or isn't hungry.

Not to put to fine a point on it here, but you're getting the exact same advice you got in your last thread, which you didn't listen to.

If he refuses food, attempt to feed again in 7 days, UNLESS he's going into shed (milky blue eyes, dull color) then do not attempt to feed him.

Stop handling him until he's feeding regularly, if he stops feeding regularly, stop handling him.

Feed him frozen/thawed or freshly killed prey of appropriate size (a mouse isn't appropriate for a snake half his size).

Give him darkness, and quiet, and solitude when you offer the *dead* rodent. Don't try to watch, don't sit and watch TV in the same room.

If he is active and ignores the prey, try exposing the brain of the *dead* rodent. I know this sounds gross, but the smell will help entice him to eat.

My BP hasn't eaten in almost 3 weeks. I'm not concerned. He had a nice fat rat, and is currently in shed cycle. He'll tell me when he's hungry. Yours will tell you.

Until you are comfortable enough with your snake to recognize what signs mean he's ready to eat, and he's comfortable enough with you to give you those signs, you need to expect to have to buy a rat per week whether he eats it or not. If you cannot keep frozen rats, buy live, and kill them before giving them to your snake. Live rats are probably going to cost you $2-$5 per week. If you cannot afford that, you cannot afford the snake.

And remember, NEVER leave a live rodent with your snake unattended. The rodent can and will injure or kill your snake.

[joshtt]

i listened to it, i waited,and he doesn't have a dull color or milky blue eyes, i don't think hes gonna shed since he just finished before i last fed him, well i didn't exactly just get him iv had him about 3 months now this is the first time he is refusing to eat, i do put him in his own plastic tub in the room alone for a few minutes, then i watched as the snake didn't care for him at all :/ usually he will strike within the first seconds of me dropping the rodent in there with him, and i don't know whether this means anything but he has been alot more active recently in his "cage"

[Lankyrob]

Maybe he has realised its breeding season?? More active but off food seems to ring true?

[dragunov.762]

that is a possibility i had a colubrid that when off food in the late fall until after breeding season

[shaunyboy]

Nafun pretty much covered everything you need.
cheers shaun