r/ballpython • u/Ok-Neighborhood-1125 • 9h ago
Question - Feeding idk why he doesnt want to eat
my snake is about one year old and he weighs about 235g. i think its a bit little for a one year old snake. everything in my terrarium is good so idk why he doesnt want to eat. he eats very irreguraly bc he doesnt want to eat so often. now he didnt eaten for like 3 weeks, should i be worried bc he weighs so little and doesnt want to eat. its starting to get cold so maybe thats why
5
u/Ezraaaahhhhh 9h ago
I noticed you have two different hides. It's a good idea to have the exact same hide on both sides. When hides are different they can show preference and may not always be regulating their temperature as they should.
Also I know you say humidity is 60% but the substrate looks dry. I think you may have Aspen bedding on the bottom.Coconut husk chips, mixed with coir, and sphagnum moss is incredibly helpful for maintaining humidity.
What are your temps and humidity on the cool side?
What temps are you heating the rat to? If I don't hit at least 105f on the rats head mine won't even look at it.
Also I know there's some difference of opinion on heating but heat mats usually aren't recomended. A CHE or DHP overhead is best. Where are you measuring the temp?
1
u/Ok-Neighborhood-1125 8h ago
thank you i will change one of the hides! i have aspen because i bought it some time ago and i dont want for it to be wasted so i use only a bit of it with coconut husk chips, i will buy coir/sphagnum moss when he’ll finally eat bc i dont want to stress him by changing the substate. on the cold its like 25^C and humidity idk bc i have hygrometer only on one side 😭😭 and idk what temp is the rat but i warm it up with the dryer for about 40 seconds, I'm afraid if i’ll hold the dryer for a long time the rat will go bad or something
2
u/Ezraaaahhhhh 8h ago
Okay so this might be one of your issues. I suggest getting a heat gun so you can accurately measure temp of the rat and also so you can spot check temps in the enclosure.
My boy only refused once and it was when he was brand new and I hadn't heated it up enough. So the following is what has lways worked for me...
I take the rat out of the freezer the night before and let him thaw in the fridge. The next evening I take it out of the fridge and put the rat in hot de chlorinated water for 5-10 minutes. (Tap hot, not boiled.) I empty the water and add a little more hot water. Then temp check it with the gun. If it's slightly too hot I let it hang with the tongs for a minute. Check again and then feed. Some people put the rat in a zip lock bag rather than straight in the water. But just see what works for you.
1
1
u/laughingmadcap47 9h ago
I’m not super qualified to respond, but how are you feeding him? My baby refused food held from tongs for the longest time, and would only eat if I left the food on a plate/surface in his enclosure and he couldn’t see me. Maybe he’s shy/anxious about eating still?
1
u/Ok-Neighborhood-1125 9h ago
yeah i feed him from tongs, thank you i’ll try that next time!!
2
u/laughingmadcap47 9h ago
No prob!! Just make sure u put the mouse on something “clean” so he doesn’t eat a ton of substrate with it :)
A lil funny story while we’re on the topic: I was feeding my boy last night with tongs, he missed the strike twice, and ended up as what I can only describe as embarrassed LMAO. He went back in his hide and I had to leave the mouse for his goofy ass (he did eat it!)
1
u/Ok-Neighborhood-1125 8h ago
my snake misses all the time and then he doesnt want to eat it anymore😭 maybe leaving it on something is really better then giving it from tongs! tysm for this advice
2
u/HoneyHawthorne 8h ago
I second what the others have said, more often than not husbandry issues are the cause of hunger strikes, but I'll let yall address that.
Can you tell me everything you can about their feeding and weight progress?
235g is a bit light for a one year old, males typically hit 500g around then (females sometimes higher).
What are you feeding? How often? What happens when they don't eat? What have you tried?
Do you have a log of their weights and eating history? Have they been gaining weight?
Is everything else normal? (Normal poops, good sheds, normal breathing, etc)
3
u/Ezraaaahhhhh 9h ago
So, more often than not husbandry issues are the cause of hunger strikes. He does look a bit skinny.
In order to help better can you share a few things? What are your temps and humidity? A bigger picture of your setup and what and how you're feeding?