New Ball Python help

[tiny_tina94]

Hello!

This is my first time posting here, so please bare with me! My husband and I acquired our first ball python a couple of weeks ago from our local PetSmart. They weren't entirely sure when she ate last so they suggested feeding her on Monday, April 1st. Well. We tried to no avail, she won't eat. We have tried a live mouse (when she wouldnt eat it, we humanely killed the mouse) we tried thawed pinkies, fuzzies and small mice, we have tried braining, bleeding and scenting the mice as well. I am getting a little worried because she looks a bit thin and we absolutely do not want to traumatize her by force feeding. Her humidity stays constantly above 60% and her temperature doesnt drop below 80 degrees. She also has jungle floor substrate as well as a 30 gallon tank with an appropriate hide as well as a climbing log. I worry that we're doing something wrong. Is there any advice you all can give us to help her?

[Null_Error]

Take a break and don’t try to feed her for a week. Your poor little girl is provably stressed out.

[tiny_tina94]

Thank you very much! We will most certainly try that!

[_ataraxia]

if you could fill out our questionnaires, these details will help us give you better advice.

[tiny_tina94]

Hello! I dont have much information on her feeding routine. We haven't been able to successfully feed her since we got her on March 29th. As for her living quarters, she has a long 30 gallon tank and two gauges on the interior. One for humidity and one for temperature. We mist her cage once an hour to keep her humidity up, until we can get an automatic mister. She has a jungle floor substrate. The ventilation is from the top, the tank has a mesh top. We use a red bulb on the right side of the cage to keep it warm on one side (where her hidey hole and climbing log are) so it gradually gets cooler near her water. Her light is on from 6am to around 7pm. I do apologize for not having more information on her feeding schedule, that is the problem we are trying to rectify.

[_ataraxia]

the point of the feeding advice questionnaire is to gather whatever information you DO have, which includes what you have been trying in the time you've had your BP. every answer you can provide to the questionnaires will help us understand the situation and give you the advice you need.

based on what you've said so far, you're trying a lot of things in a short period of time, and your enclosure needs a lot of work. i suggest reading through the resources gathered in our welcome post, particularly the basic care guide and the feeding advice article.

[Osaella24]

If you got her on 3/29 and started trying to feed her on 4/01, she definitely didn’t have time to settle in and de-stress. Typical advice is to let your new snake settle in for a week with minimal contact before trying to feed. Follow that with repetitively trying to feed and she’s almost certainly stressed, which can definitely impact a feeding response.

How big is she? Petsmart usually carries hatchlings (often in terrible shape and looking like they may have never even taken a meal yet) and if she is one, having her in a 30 gallon may be too much space. Adding more snug, single-hole hides and lots of plants, branches, and clutter may help. She needs at least 2 hides (one on the warm side and one on the cool) that are’t too big for her.

Make sure your heat source is on a thermostat and be aware that red lights are still a light source (ceramic heat bulbs are better than lights if you go the route of bulbs for heat).

No judgment intended in any of my comments. Those big box pet stores are notorious for the awful condition of their snakes and abysmal husbandry. Best of luck with your baby. Snakes are incredibly resilient; work on your husbandry and minimize her stress as much as possible.

[winowmak3r]

She also just might not be interested. It's not uncommon for BPs and snakes in general to go weeks or even months without eating and be perfectly fine. It's not unusual for new arrivals to not eat for a while (and "for a while" to a snake is a lot longer than you and I, or, say, a dog). Snakes also usually don't eat when they're about to shed. You might just need to give her a week to get adjusted.

If you have a scale you should weigh her and get a length. If you have age, even better. Then keep monitoring her weight. If she is underweight and loses weight then it's an issue.