When to give up????

knads06 · 06-01-04, 06:13 PM

Ok everyone im at the point of almost giving up with my baby bp. I had him for about 4-5 weeks now and he still refuses to eat a thing. Ive let him settle in a for a week or two and then i offered him a pinkie when he was small and he didnt eat that, next i tried a f/t small mouse and he didnt eat that, next was a live small mouse and he didnt eat that, the mouse started to do damage to the substrate so i wacked the mouse and killed him and yet the bp still didnt eat it, and yesterday i tried to feed him a live rat fuzzy and he still didnt eat it. SO what do i do now?????? How long can a baby ball python go without eating?? I even tried putting the rat and snake in a small paper bag over night and still he didnt eat it................I need some help before i lose my lil guy, thanks for any suggestions...I'm not giving up by all means but im just starting to worry about the health of my bp

Jeff_Favelle · 06-01-04, 06:40 PM

Non-feeding behaviour from a CAPTIVE-BRED baby Ball usually stems from incorrect husbandry, NOT a stubborn snake.

knads06 · 06-01-04, 06:54 PM

MY temperatures and humidity are exactly what everyone suggests on this board. I only handle my snake the first day or two i got him and ever since ive left him alone inside his cage. He had mites about two weeks ago but i gave him the NIX treatment and there all gone now. Im just wondering how much longer he can go without eating. Even after being left alone with the rat in a paper bag over night inside his cage he still didnt eat it. What more can i do to make him eat??

crazyboy · 06-01-04, 07:02 PM

what are your temps? what are you using to measure them? humidity? what are you keeping it in?

**Andy_G** · 06-01-04, 07:15 PM

We need more info...also it sounds like you have gone a little crazy with the offering of food, which would cause the snake stress and cause it to go on a feeding strike heh. Also, even if you think mites are all gone, you should be doing more than one treatment just to make sure because there's a very hig chance they are not.

BoidKeeper · 06-01-04, 07:19 PM

Although I don't want this to sound rude I'm affraid it will anyway but please don't take it personally because it's not meant that way at all.
Get rid of the ball and get a corn. You're not ready for a ball by the sounds of things. Asking how much longer it can go with out eating is something you would already know had your reaserched your purchase more carefully.
The only other thing I can suggest if your heart is set on this snake is to take pics of you set and let us see them. That would help us to give you more detailed advice.
Cheers,
Trevor

Syco · 06-01-04, 07:54 PM

What time of day are you trying to feed him? I've found that some of mine will only eat at night. It does sound like you have been trying to hard with the feeding, you have only had him for4-5 weeks and said you gave him a couple of weeks to settle in. Since then, according to you, you have attempted to feed him at least 5 times.
When you try to feed him and he refuses the food, wait a week before you try again. What was the breeder feeding it before you purchased him, or do you know if he has ever eaten?

Artemis · 06-01-04, 08:16 PM

All I can say is, your posts have been irritating me for some time now. Everyone has told you to stop handling your ball, which you said you have been doing every day, not to mention when you intially got him you were cooking him with double heat and bad thermometers- and now you are frustrated that he wont eat!?! I HAD to take mine out today to treat him with nix for mites, and im feeling horribly guilty for stressing him out, and hoping with a little more time left alone it wont set him back too much.

If you genuinely care about this snake at all, leave it alone for petes sake, if you had done research, you would know that snakes in general are metabolic masterpieices, and so how long they can survive without food is a pretty long time, but it also depends on a number of variables that you should be keeping track of, like how much he weighed when you got them vs. now, and a number of others im not going to waste my time outlining in here. Im a new ball owner, too. and looking back through the forum at what you have said you have done with your ball, despite all the advice of others who have a TON more experience, i dont feel bad for you, i feel bad for your snake. Leave it alone for a week or two. Try feeding it. If you cant handle doing that, then the best thing you can do for your snake is to give it to someone who can.

I find it absolutely hilarious that you even had the kahunas to post about being frustrated with the snake not feeding, when the reasons why should be more than obvious to you. Time to put away the video cameras and get serious. The snake is an animal, not a toy, and you are responsible for it.

Some people might not be willing to "jump down your throat" but I am. Its not that your snake is a problem feeder. IMHO, its that you appear to be a problem owner. Stop being such a wise guy and listen to the voices of experience on this board!

IMHO-

ARTEMIS

balakoth · 06-01-04, 08:58 PM

Artemis, I cannot agree with you more. Lack of self education on a pet you are going to buy, to me is the same as animal cruelty and while it may not apply to snakes is a criminal offense.

I researched both of my reptiles for months on end before taking them on.

My first being a ball python, which since I have gotten her, following common sense has taken to her mice and rats instantly. A few times even jumping ahead of the gun and grabbing onto a towel in her feeding tub.

Your best bet is not only to study pet keeping guides but to research the animal and where it came from in a NATURAL habitat. First thing I found instantly, that many people pushing a 80 percent constant humidity rate were going a bit overboard, being the animal comes from an arid region. During her shed she gets a pete moss hide or a quick soak.

Many people who seem to have issues with their ball pythons, stem as others have said.. POOR husbandry.

Sorry for a little bit of a OT post, but these type of keepers irritate me just like they do Art.

knads06 · 06-01-04, 09:11 PM

LIke i said oringinally i havent handled my bp since the first week i got it. granted i was a little excited to finally own one so i did handle it a bit more then i should have but since that first week i have left it alone and settle into his new home. The only time ive been in there is to offer him food and he has rejected it. Ive done plenty of research and ive made his home almost exactly as others have suggested. I switched to the paper towel substrate so id be able to see if any mites are still around and they have been gone since i treated him not once but twice. I treat him exactly how all of you said i should since the first week i got him and im just wondering what more i can do to make him eat. If he can go a while without eating then so be it, ill just offer him a meal once a week like you all say and if he takes it then he takes it, if not then he'll just have to wait till next week

balakoth · 06-01-04, 09:32 PM

By your posts you made 3 attempts in 4 days. Which requires handling.

You still need to slow down, especially after the mite treatment.

Secondly, have you tried a Common MOUSE from PetCo? Not sure how large your Python is, but that is what I had started my Ball off on.

Artemis · 06-01-04, 09:59 PM

Knads- response is in the other thread. I dont mean to be mean by it, or make you feed bad, you just need to see the bigger picture here, and work from where you are at right now, which isnt pretty.

Artemis

Clay · 06-02-04, 12:06 AM

I've been keeping snakes for the better part of 20 yrs. burms, balls, retics, corns, rats, even a few venomous: my best advice would be to quit being such a bother to these people that you obviously not going to listen to and ask the advice of your two friends that have them and are not taking care of them properly either. If all else fails at least all three of you will agree on something.

Corey Woods · 06-02-04, 05:43 AM

small cage, 90F hot spot, hiding box, water dish, dark cage, no handling. If he won't eat a live hopper mouse that is a little on the big side assist feed him............hold him by the back of the head and put the mouse in his mouth.....if he drops it put it in farther. Baby balls can only go for about 6 weeks before they get too week. If you let them go 8 weeks some will die even if they start eating. I assist feed new borns after 4 weeks.

Corey

sapphire_moon · 06-02-04, 10:08 AM

we still don't know the temps and how you are measuring them? How about how big is the cage and snake? What kind of area of traffic are you keeping him in? is he in constant light? How OLD is he?

Not to be rude, but everytime someone says "my temps are exactly where everyone says they should be" usually don't even know what those temps are. And they can make a world of difference!