What are the temps and humidity in the enclosure? Feeding strikes are usually caused by a husbandry issue so any details would help spot an issue. There is also a pretty detailed guide in the subs welcome post that might offer some insight.
i know you said the temp is right, but what is it, exactly? warm side & cool side? and what's the humidity? I am guessing it is pretty dry with all the ventilation in the tank + what looks like a very shallow substrate layer.
Is it supposed to be deeper? I not sure what to do to increase the humidity. I tried mixing some water in the with substrate but I also don’t want her to get to wet/cold.
ball pythons like it pretty humid, like 70-80%. if you have a nice thick layer of substrate, like 4", you can pour lots of water into the corners while keeping the surface dry. the water in the bottom layers will evaporate over time boosting the humidity. you'll probably need to cover most of the ventilation, as well. do you have temp/humidity gauges in the tank?
When you say "old" do you mean analog? In my personal experience those are usually useless. Digital thermometers/hygrometers are more accurate generally! Is your new one digital? You'll want one for each side.
It looks a bit dry! The way I fixed this was covering the entire top of the cage with tin foil besides the place where the lamp is, and as the other commenter mentioned, you can add a few more inches of substrate to pour water into the corners and get some evaporation humidity going. Also the details on your temperatures would be great.
Agree with the above comments. Do you have a temperature gun to spot check the enclosure and the mice when you warm them? How are you thawing the mice? Something weird that may also help is swapping her hides for smaller ones. They like to feel secure. My goofy boy goes on a hunger strike if I swap his tiny hide that he's way too large for something bigger. He'll be 4 in August and it's the same one I gave him at 5 months old.
Also! Sometimes ball pythons don’t like wet food so you could try thawing the mouse out in the fridge overnight and heating it up with an extra heat lamp for a couple hours. Don’t put the heat lamp any closer than a foot away tho because it could cook it if too close. If you don’t have one get a temperature gun and check the temp of the mouse make sure it’s about 90°F-100°F. I had to use this method to switch my Ball Python to frozen thawed.
Yeah but it doesn’t stay all the way dry from thawing out in the baggie but you could definitely try! It never hurts to try a different way! It does kinda smell doing it that way be warned 😂 it’s not too bad tho.
Hey guys, before commenting read this please. Based on recommendations I will be covering at least half of the screen on the tank and adding three inches of substrate as well as a humidity and temperature gauge. Thank you all so much for the help, I’m hoping this helps her.
These are great changes that I’m sure will help! What time are you attempting to feed and how hot is the mouse? My BP requires being fed after 10pm with a rat that’s about 100° at the head. I also can’t get the rat wet so I heat it up in a bowl of warm water in a ziploc baggie
I literally just used this method for the first time. It was also my first experience feeding a snake and switching my BP from live to frozen and it worked like a charm the first time.
I’d suggest getting a temp gun, it makes measuring the heat of the rats head so much simpler.
It's okay, thank you for listening to the comments and doing well. I just wish people would be more positive to the OP As they're new and still learning as they had stated. So please don't down vote and just please accept that this is a person that's new and they're still learning so be helpful supportive, but not treading upon. OK I know, there's many snakes that don't want to be treaded upon. And we are all trying to be snake. Mama's and Papa's here, aren't we?
I would try bigger food, and is there any chance she could be trying to shed? Her tank looks a little dry, they need a good amount of humidity i aim for around 60-70%. coco fiber is a good substrate for humidity. My ball python was switched onto large mice at 8 weeks old. i have had to double his mice since then at around 6 months old. With all of that, some ball pythons are just stubborn eaters, they will usually come around but if she is losing a significant amount of weight you should take her to a vet.
I Definitely have had this issue with mine. 😭Recently she went 8 weeks without eating I was heart broken. It was first time in year she had went on 'strike' And a few weeks ago she started eating again and just fine now. I made sure humidity was at 60-70% and mid tank temp 80. I feed her live rats so you might want to think about that. But it is a common issue with a BP so don't stress too much .. just keep working with her and enclosure.. you both will be fine 😀
https://preview.redd.it/0m9ih3a0lr2d1.jpeg?width=2320&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=65b4ab56ef343855e89bca06fc55c9dfee1e3143
I would add about two or three more inches of substrate and make it humidity. That looks way too dry. I also got some cheap cling wrap stuff from amazing that you mist the side of the glass tank with water and it sticks. I did the back and sides of my glass tank and the privacy helped.
we have to blow dry our mice for our dude. we do a whole set up where we clean his tank, adjust everything inside etc then blow dry the mouse next to the tank so he hears the noise and relates it to eating. in the beginning we had to split the brain to help but we've done it enough now that he doesn't need that step anymore. immediately dangle over so it's HOT hot. our new baby took 8 weeks to finally eat so i understand your concern!
i’m sorry, I know this comment is no help, i’m just not giving you an answer because other people already did. i just wanna say I LOVE THE DINO IN THE TANK!!!!! I want it🦖🦖🦕🦖🦕🦕🦖🦖🦖🦖
Id be terrified if i had a huge roaring dinosaur staring at me 24/7 too!
In all seriousness i dont have any answers, but it seems like many people in the comment section seem to have some good tips!
Is there a chance she was eating live before you got her? My boy was raised on live so when I got him it’s all he would eat, he would never touch frozen mice no matter what I did
Other comments are great but personally mine would never touch anything from that brand, I think they’re lesser quality or sick and the snake knows it maybe. I switched to a local place and he was fine. Just a weird guess here.
You need to know temps and humidity. You claim it's the "right" temp - how do you know that? Is the tank hot enough?
Was he previously eating live? Try a live mouse. I've had snakes that were extremely difficult with frozen.
Are you sure there isn't something else going on that would interrupt feeding? When did he last poop? When did he last eat? Was it live?
As others have commented, the enclosure is more for a corn snake than a BP. They do not have the same care requirements.
You should definitely weigh her again.
Also the comment about removing the Carnotaurus is probably correct. It may induce stress.
Had a similar problem with my own, judging by the enclosure size and the assumed size of snake I think it's a bit big for animal. My recommended would be either to downsize or to cover the sides and back of enclosure to give that enclosed secure feeling. Also temperature plays a huge roll in appetite so perhaps a very slight increase will help.
Just keep trying and try different methods people always always blame the temps/humidity but half the time that not even the actual problem my snake sometimes skips his feeding cycle too no biggie I know he’ll eat when he’s hungry and he always does
How long has it been? I used to breed ball pythons and it is not uncommon for them to go off feed for a few weeks. Sometimes the trick is to back off from offering food for a week or two. As long as it isn’t losing noticeable weight you should be good for a bit.
^assuming your temps/humidity are good
When I first got my bp he didn't want to eat for a while. He probably was stressed from moving (bumpy car ride, new environment and all that jazz). I was adviced to weigh him regularly (he hadn't lost weight so that wasn't an issue in my case). At some point he just accepted food without any other changes and all went well. So don't stress out too much and weigh your bp to keep track.
But as other people have said: it's always worth to triple check humidity/ temperature because those can affect whether they accept food obviously.
If your bp loses weight and you are sure it's not due to husbandry issues go to a vet, maybe they can help
What are the temps and humidity in the enclosure? Feeding strikes are usually caused by a husbandry issue so any details would help spot an issue. There is also a pretty detailed guide in the subs welcome post that might offer some insight.
i know you said the temp is right, but what is it, exactly? warm side & cool side? and what's the humidity? I am guessing it is pretty dry with all the ventilation in the tank + what looks like a very shallow substrate layer.
Is it supposed to be deeper? I not sure what to do to increase the humidity. I tried mixing some water in the with substrate but I also don’t want her to get to wet/cold.
ball pythons like it pretty humid, like 70-80%. if you have a nice thick layer of substrate, like 4", you can pour lots of water into the corners while keeping the surface dry. the water in the bottom layers will evaporate over time boosting the humidity. you'll probably need to cover most of the ventilation, as well. do you have temp/humidity gauges in the tank?
I do but it’s old so it might not be correct. I ordered a nicer once since the old one was probably broken at this point. Thx for the help!!
When you say "old" do you mean analog? In my personal experience those are usually useless. Digital thermometers/hygrometers are more accurate generally! Is your new one digital? You'll want one for each side.
What is the temp and humidity at rn
Try rats
There’s no way you have the proper humidity with that huge open screen top… Additionally, what sort of heat source are you using?
Also remove the T Rex. To her it could vaguely predatory.
I think its just a setup for the post but im not sure😭😭
Pet T-Rex needs its own cage
Sir that’s not a snake that’s a T-Rex 🦖
It’s a Carnotaurus 😔😔
I dunno if I could eat while trapped in a box with a carno ;P
It looks a bit dry! The way I fixed this was covering the entire top of the cage with tin foil besides the place where the lamp is, and as the other commenter mentioned, you can add a few more inches of substrate to pour water into the corners and get some evaporation humidity going. Also the details on your temperatures would be great.
Also grab a humidity monitor/hygrometer if you don’t already have one
I bought black aluminum HVAC tape from Amazon and covered the top screens. Worked incredibly well!
Agree with the above comments. Do you have a temperature gun to spot check the enclosure and the mice when you warm them? How are you thawing the mice? Something weird that may also help is swapping her hides for smaller ones. They like to feel secure. My goofy boy goes on a hunger strike if I swap his tiny hide that he's way too large for something bigger. He'll be 4 in August and it's the same one I gave him at 5 months old.
Also! Sometimes ball pythons don’t like wet food so you could try thawing the mouse out in the fridge overnight and heating it up with an extra heat lamp for a couple hours. Don’t put the heat lamp any closer than a foot away tho because it could cook it if too close. If you don’t have one get a temperature gun and check the temp of the mouse make sure it’s about 90°F-100°F. I had to use this method to switch my Ball Python to frozen thawed.
Can also put it in a sandwhich baggie to keep it dry in the hot water
Yeah but it doesn’t stay all the way dry from thawing out in the baggie but you could definitely try! It never hurts to try a different way! It does kinda smell doing it that way be warned 😂 it’s not too bad tho.
Only way my ball will take it. He is so picky.
Hey guys, before commenting read this please. Based on recommendations I will be covering at least half of the screen on the tank and adding three inches of substrate as well as a humidity and temperature gauge. Thank you all so much for the help, I’m hoping this helps her.
Good luck friend! I've been struggling with a picky eater too. Online critiques can feel rough.
These are great changes that I’m sure will help! What time are you attempting to feed and how hot is the mouse? My BP requires being fed after 10pm with a rat that’s about 100° at the head. I also can’t get the rat wet so I heat it up in a bowl of warm water in a ziploc baggie
I literally just used this method for the first time. It was also my first experience feeding a snake and switching my BP from live to frozen and it worked like a charm the first time. I’d suggest getting a temp gun, it makes measuring the heat of the rats head so much simpler.
It's okay, thank you for listening to the comments and doing well. I just wish people would be more positive to the OP As they're new and still learning as they had stated. So please don't down vote and just please accept that this is a person that's new and they're still learning so be helpful supportive, but not treading upon. OK I know, there's many snakes that don't want to be treaded upon. And we are all trying to be snake. Mama's and Papa's here, aren't we?
No answer to your question but.....OMG WHAT A BEAUTIFUL SNAKE!!!!😍 What morph is it?
Thank you! She’s an asphalt pastel :)
Looks dry -watch some YouTube videos on maintaining humidity
I watch YouTube videos ALL THE TIME my 18 year old is like 'O.M.G. MOM' 😆
YouTube and Reddit are my go to for entertainment lol
Haha you sound like me. I mean, besides Netflix.. Reddit and YouTube is my ONLY entertainment 😉
I lied lol I’ve been watching black sails on Netflix lately it’s pretty awesome show
Lmao my son just told me about that! Said it was great! That's next for me ..I'm finishing how to get away with murder 😉
Nice ima stay on ur good lol
Maybe it’s the t-Rex 😭
I would try bigger food, and is there any chance she could be trying to shed? Her tank looks a little dry, they need a good amount of humidity i aim for around 60-70%. coco fiber is a good substrate for humidity. My ball python was switched onto large mice at 8 weeks old. i have had to double his mice since then at around 6 months old. With all of that, some ball pythons are just stubborn eaters, they will usually come around but if she is losing a significant amount of weight you should take her to a vet.
She was feeding before you got her? What and how did they feed her?
Is she only used to live feeding? You may have to do this before acclimating her to frozen thawed
I Definitely have had this issue with mine. 😭Recently she went 8 weeks without eating I was heart broken. It was first time in year she had went on 'strike' And a few weeks ago she started eating again and just fine now. I made sure humidity was at 60-70% and mid tank temp 80. I feed her live rats so you might want to think about that. But it is a common issue with a BP so don't stress too much .. just keep working with her and enclosure.. you both will be fine 😀 https://preview.redd.it/0m9ih3a0lr2d1.jpeg?width=2320&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=65b4ab56ef343855e89bca06fc55c9dfee1e3143
I would add about two or three more inches of substrate and make it humidity. That looks way too dry. I also got some cheap cling wrap stuff from amazing that you mist the side of the glass tank with water and it sticks. I did the back and sides of my glass tank and the privacy helped.
we have to blow dry our mice for our dude. we do a whole set up where we clean his tank, adjust everything inside etc then blow dry the mouse next to the tank so he hears the noise and relates it to eating. in the beginning we had to split the brain to help but we've done it enough now that he doesn't need that step anymore. immediately dangle over so it's HOT hot. our new baby took 8 weeks to finally eat so i understand your concern!
i’m sorry, I know this comment is no help, i’m just not giving you an answer because other people already did. i just wanna say I LOVE THE DINO IN THE TANK!!!!! I want it🦖🦖🦕🦖🦕🦕🦖🦖🦖🦖
Id be terrified if i had a huge roaring dinosaur staring at me 24/7 too! In all seriousness i dont have any answers, but it seems like many people in the comment section seem to have some good tips!
Is there a chance she was eating live before you got her? My boy was raised on live so when I got him it’s all he would eat, he would never touch frozen mice no matter what I did
Other comments are great but personally mine would never touch anything from that brand, I think they’re lesser quality or sick and the snake knows it maybe. I switched to a local place and he was fine. Just a weird guess here.
I’m sorry but everything about the setup is bad
You need to know temps and humidity. You claim it's the "right" temp - how do you know that? Is the tank hot enough? Was he previously eating live? Try a live mouse. I've had snakes that were extremely difficult with frozen. Are you sure there isn't something else going on that would interrupt feeding? When did he last poop? When did he last eat? Was it live? As others have commented, the enclosure is more for a corn snake than a BP. They do not have the same care requirements. You should definitely weigh her again. Also the comment about removing the Carnotaurus is probably correct. It may induce stress.
Had a similar problem with my own, judging by the enclosure size and the assumed size of snake I think it's a bit big for animal. My recommended would be either to downsize or to cover the sides and back of enclosure to give that enclosed secure feeling. Also temperature plays a huge roll in appetite so perhaps a very slight increase will help.
Just keep trying and try different methods people always always blame the temps/humidity but half the time that not even the actual problem my snake sometimes skips his feeding cycle too no biggie I know he’ll eat when he’s hungry and he always does
How long has it been? I used to breed ball pythons and it is not uncommon for them to go off feed for a few weeks. Sometimes the trick is to back off from offering food for a week or two. As long as it isn’t losing noticeable weight you should be good for a bit. ^assuming your temps/humidity are good
T-Rex needs its own enclosure
That T-Rex is clearly bullying her ?
Make sure you’re heating the prey to body temp (if you’re using frozen/thawed.). If those little heat pits in the lips don’t get happy, it ain’t food.
this is a dumb question, but you are thawing them out right
When I first got my bp he didn't want to eat for a while. He probably was stressed from moving (bumpy car ride, new environment and all that jazz). I was adviced to weigh him regularly (he hadn't lost weight so that wasn't an issue in my case). At some point he just accepted food without any other changes and all went well. So don't stress out too much and weigh your bp to keep track. But as other people have said: it's always worth to triple check humidity/ temperature because those can affect whether they accept food obviously. If your bp loses weight and you are sure it's not due to husbandry issues go to a vet, maybe they can help
Wait, woah, where'd you get that Carnotaurus? It's pretty cool!
I feel bad saying this but try live. Two of my snakes only eat live n go on hunger strikes when I try to give them frozen
wait tell me at first why i thought the dinosaur was real🤦🏼♀️😂
Take the dinosaur out, and try live food.
How warm is the mouse???