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OSMDEATHOWNER
01-30-12, 06:53 PM
So I tried last nite to feed Ice f/t and she didn't want to eat it. She seemed interested at first, then she just went pass it. I left it there over nite. Her tank was rearranged as usual but the rat was still there. I threw it out but I feel bad she hasn't ate in two weeks

alessia55
01-30-12, 06:59 PM
That's perfectly normal for a new snake in a new environment :) Wait another 10 days before trying again, and leave her alone until then. She probably just needs more time.

Did you do the "zombie rat" dance to entice her?

Wolfus_305
01-30-12, 06:59 PM
She's a ball python?

I have a ball python, I got him when he was 6 years old. He ate the week before I brought him home with his previous owner, then he didn't eat for 11 months.

And now every year he stops eating between January and September

I do not know your exact circumstances but I would say that as long as the snake isn't losing weight and as long as all your husbandry is correct I wouldn't be worried yet.

Sometimes I found it helpful to hold off feeding my snake for a long time so that when I tried to feed him he miiight take it (but of course he didn't because he's picky)

Swany
01-30-12, 07:04 PM
The truth is, that it's going to bother you way more than the snake. lol The little critters can go months without food, stresses us to the max, don't bother them one bit. Alessia knows her stuff man, listen to her and you wont go wrong ;-)

Freebody
01-30-12, 07:09 PM
i wish my snakes would take some time off eatting, would really be nice on the pocket book lol. No but really as long as its still healthy weight, he should be fine, i got an adult male upstairs that has refused the last 4 feeding at 2 weeks apart. but hes still active and same weight so im not concerned with him either. gl.

DavethePython
01-30-12, 07:26 PM
It is winter breed time ,and from what I have been reading and hearing it is not unusual for a male to give up food for a few months even. As hard as it is to think they are hungry , they will eat when it is time. Dave our young male stopped eating for 2 weeks. I gave him a bath in nice warm water yesterday , he had a rather large poop and then after a few hours I thought he may want to eat so I offered him and he took it with such ferocity it scared the bejeezus out of me. never seen him do that before .Took it right out of the tongs before I could get it to him.

OSMDEATHOWNER
01-30-12, 09:06 PM
She a female tho, but yes Alessia I tried the dance. I don't bother her, but sometimes I reach in the tank to fix the thermometers that she knocks down. And everynite all she's ever tryna do is look for a way out. I'm beginning to feel like she doesn't like me lol :( it's stressful. I his want her to live a long wonderful life, was thinking bout dumping like 200 more dollas into the tank this weekend jus too upgrade some of the stuff in there. She got me losing sleep man

Terranaut
01-30-12, 09:09 PM
Seriously shes fine. Wait a week or so and try again. Worse for you than her.

alessia55
01-30-12, 09:10 PM
If trying to get out of the cage is a sign that your snake doesn't like you, I'm sure a lot of people will tell you the same :p Relax! It's all normal behavior. She'll come around in her own time. Some snakes just take a little longer to get used to the new smells and sights in their new home. For right now, don't change her tank anymore if you don't have to. You can make it prettier later. Right now you need to give her time to adjust, settle in, and get comfortable. Wait another 10 days and then try again.

You said that sometimes you "reach in the tank to fix the thermometers that she knocks down." Are these the type that stick to the side of the tank on the inside? If so, throw them out. Not only are they not accurate, but they can also fall and then she could slither over it and it'll get stuck to her body. Removing those from a snake's body can be awful and can even pull off some scales in the process. You're much better off using a temperature probe.

Do you have a thermostat? All thermostats come with a heat probe and you can put that in your cage and not worry about your snake knocking anything over.

OSMDEATHOWNER
01-30-12, 09:29 PM
I don't have one, and they are them ones. Imma throw them away in the morning. Or now?

alessia55
01-30-12, 09:32 PM
I don't have one, and they are them ones. Imma throw them away in the morning. Or now?

Yes- throw it away ASAP. Those things can be dangerous.
This is a ball python with one of them stuck to its head:
http://i.imgur.com/TTmcP.jpg
The owner had a really rough time getting it off. She managed to soak him long enough that it eventually peeled off slowly, but she risked peeling off scales in the process and it could've been much worse.

More importantly, get a thermostat ASAP. You need to hook up your heat pad to it so that it doesn't get too hot. Also, thermostats come with a temperature probe that you can put inside your enclosure or on the heat pad to accurately measure the temperatures and monitor/regulate them. Heat pads that are not on a thermostat can easily get way too hot and can cause belly burns. It's a really good idea to get one as soon as you can to keep Ice safe :)

OSMDEATHOWNER
01-30-12, 09:42 PM
Ok imma try to get them guages off the glass asap, I jus don't want her to climbed out while I'm doin it. And I got the stupid snake starter kit months before I got ice and I was using the heat pad from dere, I doubt it gets too hot but imma get a thermostats and a digital hygrometer and thermometer Asap like Thursday. Should I get new substrate to or continue using reptile carpet

alessia55
01-30-12, 09:46 PM
Reptile carpet is fine. It may not feel too hot to the touch, but the heat pad might be getting hotter than you imagine. You can get a temperature gun for about $10 off amazon.com to test temperatures too if you want. But essentially you need a thermostat to regulate the heat pad to keep it at a safe, constant temp.

OSMDEATHOWNER
01-30-12, 10:11 PM
Ok imma look some stuff up now, I sent you a pick of ma enclosure too.

alessia55
01-30-12, 10:19 PM
Ok imma look some stuff up now, I sent you a pick of ma enclosure too.

Ok I will post the photo tomorrow for you. I can't right now because I'm using my Nintendo 3DS to access the internet from my bed :p

DavethePython
01-30-12, 10:25 PM
Would not stress out about her trying to get out of her tank at night. They are nocturnal . A lot of times I get up in the middle of the night for a drink or something and both our Pythons are roaming all over the place. It is normal behavior for them to explore . Maybe she just feels safer when the house is quiet to roam around. I am sure it has nothing to do with her not liking you. The fact remains that even captive bred , they have natural instincts to hunt and roam and go where ever they please. From what I am hearing her behavior is quite normal. As for the feeding , like someone said before they has a snake that went 11 months . Make sure she has lots of fresh water , and is drinking it. As I was told when I was concerned , as long as she is not losing weight and staying hydrated , she will be fine.After several months , then maybe some cause for concern or look at what might be wrong. Ball Pythons are easy snakes but they are finicky too. Our older female , she never turns down a meal. Our little guy is hit and miss every week . It is always a gamble if he will eat or not. Ticks me off sometimes cause I have had to throw out several mice cause he chooses not to eat them.

OSMDEATHOWNER
01-30-12, 10:43 PM
Would not stress out about her trying to get out of her tank at night. They are nocturnal . A lot of times I get up in the middle of the night for a drink or something and both our Pythons are roaming all over the place. It is normal behavior for them to explore . Maybe she just feels safer when the house is quiet to roam around. I am sure it has nothing to do with her not liking you. The fact remains that even captive bred , they have natural instincts to hunt and roam and go where ever they please. From what I am hearing her behavior is quite normal. As for the feeding , like someone said before they has a snake that went 11 months . Make sure she has lots of fresh water , and is drinking it. As I was told when I was concerned , as long as she is not losing weight and staying hydrated , she will be fine.After several months , then maybe some cause for concern or look at what might be wrong. Ball Pythons are easy snakes but they are finicky too. Our older female , she never turns down a meal. Our little guy is hit and miss every week . It is always a gamble if he will eat or not. Ticks me off sometimes cause I have had to throw out several mice cause he chooses not to eat them.

Thanks, so how do I weigh her if I should leave her alone. Like once a week?

OSMDEATHOWNER
01-30-12, 10:47 PM
And Alessia thanks, from the pick maybe others may have suggestions or stuff. I think I may owe you a present for one of these holidays. Your the sweetest person I've Eva met. It's damn near unheard of coming from where I'm from ;)

DavethePython
01-30-12, 11:02 PM
Weight lose will probably not be a factor for several weeks I would imagine. One more question that I do not think was asked , when was her last shed? Some snakes will quit feeding before a shed .

OSMDEATHOWNER
01-31-12, 12:34 AM
I actually have no idea, I've only had her for bout 7 days and when I got her, I remember asking but I don't think I was ever answered. She doesn't appear to be about to shed but then again I am a beginner

shaunyboy
01-31-12, 07:37 AM
I actually have no idea, I've only had her for bout 7 days and when I got her, I remember asking but I don't think I was ever answered. She doesn't appear to be about to shed but then again I am a beginner

first priority should be to get a thermostat,so you can set the tank up with consistant correct temperatures

then leave her to settle in

female snakes have been known to go off their food during breeding season,so i wouldn't rule it out

did you ask the previous owner what type of prey she was eating for them ?

i wouldn't worry about a few weeks or even months of not eating,if the husbandrys correct

cheers shaun

DavethePython
01-31-12, 08:48 AM
Could be she is due for a shed. Look at her eyes, if they go cloudy blue or grey color , she is getting ready to shed . Snakes will shed as soon as every 30 days . Our female shed last week , and her last shed was just around New Years . Again , do not stress out yet about her not eating , like someone said in another stream some time back, a snake missing a meal is to us like missing a biscut with breakfast . They can survive months without a meal. I was the same way when we got our first snake. I was panicky when he did not feed , and sometimes still I think I should feed him because he is roaming all around his cage . I look at it as he is hunting. But I do not feed him until it is time.She will come around, Ball Pythons are just fussy sometimes.

OSMDEATHOWNER
01-31-12, 09:00 AM
She was eating live small rats, I was tryna feed her f/t. And her eyes are his dark black. I took off the thermometers and hygrometer sticky guages off the tank and imma try to go get a thermostat as soon as tonite or tomorrow morning. Ma brother is kinda upset I'm putting this much effort into a 3 year old regular ball but it's not bout that to me feel me. It's bout her being ma pet (&friend) and me doin best for her even if she is basic. I may wanna breed later on but not her. Not at all for another 4 to 8 years

alessia55
01-31-12, 09:03 AM
Ice's enclosure:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v651/alessia55/IMAG0096-1.jpg

alessia55
01-31-12, 09:06 AM
She was eating live small rats, I was tryna feed her f/t. And her eyes are his dark black. I took off the thermometers and hygrometer sticky guages off the tank and imma try to go get a thermostat as soon as tonite or tomorrow morning. Ma brother is kinda upset I'm putting this much effort into a 3 year old regular ball but it's not bout that to me feel me. It's bout her being ma pet (&friend) and me doin best for her even if she is basic. I may wanna breed later on but not her. Not at all for another 4 to 8 years

This is what's going to make you a wonderful, dedicated snake keeper. You are doing your best for her because you really care about her and you want her to be happy & healthy. And she's not "basic"... many people would say you have the best "morph"... the wild type! Tons of people think that the "normal" morph is the best one out there, and you should feel the same way :) Be proud of your new scaly friend-- who cares what your brother thinks? ;)

DavethePython
01-31-12, 09:22 AM
That may be a big part of the problem . if she was on live and you are trying to switch her to F/T . Keep up the effort and success should be yours . It could take time but from what I have read here most everyone who has adopted a snake that was a live feeder has had success switching to F/T . Good for you for the safety of your snake.

KORBIN5895
01-31-12, 09:30 AM
Was the rat warm enough? If she was interested and didn't take it it could be that the rat was too cold.

Swany
01-31-12, 10:23 AM
A blast with a hair dryer heats them up a treat.

OSMDEATHOWNER
01-31-12, 10:46 AM
The rat was sorta at like room temp. And I apologize KORBIN for being an a$$ before, was just very frustrated and jus thought you were making fun of me, even if you was it was childish of me to get so mad.

OSMDEATHOWNER
01-31-12, 10:46 AM
But yea, the rat was kinda warm

Swany
01-31-12, 10:49 AM
The rat was sorta at like room temp. And I apologize KORBIN for being an a$$ before, was just very frustrated and jus thought you were making fun of me, even if you was it was childish of me to get so mad.

Well said man. That was a nice thing. ;-)

alessia55
01-31-12, 10:54 AM
But yea, the rat was kinda warm

It helps if you heat up the head especially hot. Ball pythons use their heat pits to sense heat, so it might be that the rat smelled good but wasn't hot enough. Stick with the battle and you'll succeed :) Good luck next week!

shaunyboy
01-31-12, 11:09 AM
She was eating live small rats, I was tryna feed her f/t. And her eyes are his dark black. I took off the thermometers and hygrometer sticky guages off the tank and imma try to go get a thermostat as soon as tonite or tomorrow morning. Ma brother is kinda upset I'm putting this much effort into a 3 year old regular ball but it's not bout that to me feel me. It's bout her being ma pet (&friend) and me doin best for her even if she is basic. I may wanna breed later on but not her. Not at all for another 4 to 8 years

i would stun a live rat then watch over her to see if she will take it

i would let it take 4 or 5 live feeds,just so i knew it was eating regular and its husbandry was spot on

then i would go about crossing it over to frozen thawed

first off i'd try and get it feeding on fresh killed

then once it ate 4 or 5 feeds of fresh killed

i'd try the frozen thawed

i hope you get her feeding

all the best shaun

KORBIN5895
01-31-12, 11:14 AM
The rat was sorta at like room temp. And I apologize KORBIN for being an a$$ before, was just very frustrated and jus thought you were making fun of me, even if you was it was childish of me to get so mad.

Just forget about it. That's what I did. Anyway my post was said out of frustration because I have been telling someone I know to stop feeding live. Anyway he sent me a pic of the snake and I noticed a bunch of little cuts. Needless to say I wasn't in a good mood.

You obviously have this snakes best interest at heart so I give you my seal of approval! :O_o:

Terranaut
01-31-12, 01:17 PM
Just for a bit of piece of mind here my boas went almost 6 weeks without food then suddenly fed again twice now and my carpets are going into the 7th week foodless. I called my males previous owner and he said Mick will typically go off food for up to 4 months during the mating season. Keep fixing your little issues with your setup and when its time he will eat. Good job so far.

Kiljosh
01-31-12, 02:52 PM
Hey buddy,

Just speaking from experience here. In November my friend Mike met my Ball Python Stubbs and decided he wanted one. So we went to an Expo and he picked up a Male Black Pastel and named it BillyBob. It was eating Live prey. A week after he brought it home he fed it a F/T Fuzzie mouse and BillyBob ate it. BillyBob went off feed for over 2 months after that. Beginning of January at some time Mike was getting worried so I went over to his house to check on his husbandry. Everything was spot on, the only thing was his hides were kind of exposed with the entrances facing the room.

I advised him to turn the hides away from the room towards more privacy and attempt again in 10 days. No luck that week so we tried dipping a F/T Fuzzie in Sodium Free(CRUCIAL) chicken broth. Still no luck. He finally ate F/T but I had to hold his head and just start the mouse's nose into his mouth. I did not JAM the mouse into it's throat. Just pushed its nose into the snake's nose and the snake took over. This was a last ditch effort because the Snake was losing weight and looked unhealthy. He was months old, this contributed to our worry. I don't recommend this unless the snake is VISIBLY looking unhealthy.

Also, my Ball went off feed from the beginning of December till 2 weeks ago. Normally I feed him in the bath tub and he seemed not interested in his rat. I tried dangling the rat into his viv in front of him while he was in his hide and it was an almost INSTANT strike and coil. Since then no problems as long as I feed him in his viv.

Try to feed him in the viv and see if he is more comfortable eating in there. You have Reptile Carpet so there's no chance of him eating anything else besides the rat. Just keep persisting every week or so, he will eat.

And if you havent gotten a thermometer yet, Wal-Mart sells one for like $15 that reads outdoor/indoor temps as well as humidity. I have one of these to measure air temps on either side of his cage. I also have two digital thermometers to measure the temperature in his hides. But I was taught to be anal about temperatures on this forum, my setup is prob a little overkill.

Good luck, sorry for the novel.

OSMDEATHOWNER
01-31-12, 07:44 PM
Thanks , so I place the digital ones inside too rite