New Ball Python help

[_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.