Lets beat a dead horse! My BP won't eat! - Page 2

sapphire_moon · 12-11-03, 10:57 PM

what are they under her hide? And again, size of enclosure is always a personal preferance, as long as you have enough hides then you should be fine. I'm not saying it's the only way to go. It's just personal preferance. Just as long as your not throwing a hatchling into a 2ft and up enclossure, it should be fine. Just a personal preferance that every snake owner has to make on their own.

Vengeance · 12-11-03, 11:40 PM

Does it have a Tempature probe? I made the mistake of buying one without so I was only getting ambiant air temps and not surface temps. Once I picked up my Temp gun I found out just how scrwed up my surface temps actually were.

marisa · 12-12-03, 12:23 AM

Actually if a snake is not feeding its NOT a choice for the snake owner to make on their own.

For a healthy, feeding BP yes you are right a choice each owner can make. But telling someone to move a non feeding BP into a bigger enclosure was terrible advice. Its a step backward not forward.

Marisa

elevation24 · 12-12-03, 12:51 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by daver676
The lightbulb is the only source of heat, and it's more than enough to get the temps where they need to be. It's a red "reptile" heat lamp. Surface temps are measured with an indoor/outdoor digital thermometer.

So you are getting surface temperatures of 95°F? Surface temperatures as in the bottom of the enclosure ("surface")? In that case it is probably too hot in there, because if the heat lamp alone is making the BOTTOM of that tank 95°F, what is the air like in between that?!?!

I'm willing to bet that it is either too hot in there, or you are not being entirely honest about the temperatures or the way you are measuring them. That just doesn't sound right.

In either case I would get an under tank heater or heat tape (and a digital thermometer with a probe if you don't have one) and try that.

daver676 · 12-12-03, 08:33 AM

I put the probe directly under the heat lamp (on the floor of the enclosure), and that is where I get the 95. Yes, it's digital.

Quote:

I'm willing to bet that it is either too hot in there, or you are not being entirely honest about the temperatures or the way you are measuring them. That just doesn't sound right.

What reason would I have to be dishonest about the temps? I would never lie about something so important.

I'll double check those surface temps tonight.

BurmBaroness · 12-12-03, 01:31 PM

Dave,

I currently have a het pied late o3 baby that is semi fasting. So it's not unusual AT ALL. Also, I agree that moving her to another enclosure would also increase the feeding problems. Another thing, lights as heat sources for BP's are terrible. Not only does it dry them out, causing bad sheds, there is no under tank heat source, which they need for good digestion. Toss the light and get an under tank heater. I use human heat pads, set on low to get the right temps. Now, about those temps. 95 is too hot, and 75 is too cool. I have kept many BP's, and have found that they do best when the warm side is 92 and the cool side is no lower than 82. 20 degrees difference is too much of a gradient. I used to keep mine in glass aquariums, then I wised up and got rubbermaids. I don't use them for all my snakes, just the balls. And I have to say that humidity is great, sheds are great, and they are only semi transparent, so the snake feels less stressed.
I actually moved this little guy to a rubbermaid when he wasn't eating, and after a week to settle in, he ate. As for the rats, I also agree that as long as she's eating mice, don't stress her by trying to switch. Especially since she had such a rough start.

Good Luck!

Auskan · 12-12-03, 03:10 PM

My BP fasted last winter from like October to, believe it or not, June of this year. I force fed her in March when she was still showing no signs of eating. She is my first snake (I now have several others) and had initially been living at my ex's house, where the temp fluctuated a LOT. Once I moved her to my house, I started keeping her at a very consistent temperature. Also, I have tried very hard to keep the humidity level up. I recently purchased a humidi-mat and can't praise it enough. Her tank is now very consistently in the tropical range on a hygrometer (or whatever those things are called). I also added hides to her enclosure which she hadn't had at my ex's. I have a heat mat under one end of the tank and a black light in top. I leave the light on during the day, the heat mat at night, which means her tank is several degrees warmer during the day than at night but always a consistent humidity level. She has a hide in the cool end and the warm end and regularly moves back and forth between them. I also get her out to exercise often. Since she voluntarily started eating in June, she hasn't let up. She's accepted food every single time I've offered it, and we stick to a very regular feeding schedule. Now, in mid-December, she is showing no signs of wanting to fast. I'm no expert, but getting her conditions as close as possible to "perfect" for her, seems to have made a difference and she is definitely thriving now.

IMO · 12-17-03, 02:32 AM

I would suggest 2 things.
1) Get some belly heat under the tank. You can use a UTH or a human heating pad (set on low).
2) Try feeding in a smaller shoebox size box, lights off, but doesn't have to be pitch black. I had a problem initially with my snake not eating. I was advised by the seller to try this method and it worked on the first shot. Mice are just as nutritious as rats, just a smaller meal. I feed mine 2 mice per week. I got mine in May 03 at 2 or 3 months. Now its 8 or 9 months old, 27inches, and 2inches in girth. Good luck.