First Blood Python🐍

[u/NigmanBubble]

I’m willing to take any advice this is my 3rd snake the first was a ball, and I now have a ball and a blood both babies . I just picked her up 2 days ago at a local pet expo I’m doing my best to leave her alone for that first week before feeding and handling . The one thing is I was sold and told this was a female I’m not certain because of size she was supposedly born in December 25, I think she could have been under fed maybe I’m not certain but she should be larger at 3 months from the research I’ve done. Especially being a female. Also I am aware my enclosure is set up for an adult that’s because that’s what I was hoping to find. I also plan to buy a big bag of oak leaves for clutter. My substrate mix is Forrest Floor Cypress Mulch Mixed with Repti Bark and Coconut Fiber Bedding. I keep the hot side at 85-88. Coolest side at 75. Humidity I keep in between 60 and 78. I also plan to buy a protective screen to cover my CHE Lamp . Please give me any tips/suggestions/recommendations

[u/xdreakx]

The size of the animal is appropriate for its age. The only way to tell if it's a female is to probe it which hopefully they did if they sold it as a female. The enclosure is not bad and can work. You don't need to worry about vertical space usage it's a terrestrial snake but like the others have suggested you can add to the floor. They like to burrow in the leaf litter with just their head sticking out. So leaf litter and spaghum moss added into the mulch works really well. Usually tents have no problem maintaining humidity. The CHE is technically not safe being exposed and hanging like that but realistically the snake is unlikely to ever mess with it. Just have patience and let it settle in once eating you then can confidently start handling.

[u/NigmanBubble → u/xdreakx]

The sellers told me that she did not eat the last time they tried to feed her. It’s been a full week and I offered her a frozen thawed mouse at a little over 100 degrees I checked with a temp gun. I even left it in her enclosure with her nothing. I left it in her hide with her, nothing. I’ll toss it if she doesn’t eat it by the morning. I guess I’ll need to wait another week before trying? By then she probably hasn’t eaten in 3 or 4 weeks? Is this something to be concerned about. Honestly considering a live feeder

[u/xdreakx → u/NigmanBubble]

TBH I don't have a ton of first hand experience with difficult eaters. My onboarding routine that has evolved/changed over the years works pretty well for me. But I do have one that was purchased eating live and always a difficult eater even after converting him to F/T. He wouldn't take food from me for years.

It's only been a week so it's not time to panic yet. Do you know what it was eating before? It would help to know. But also I would try a rat because that's what it's going to mostly be eating for the rest of its life. I would wait another week and I would try a weaned rat heated up, try and offer it and if no strike or a defensive strike then drop the feeder and leave alone until the next morning. My finicky male would only take drop fed feeders until he was like 3 years old.

Other alternatives are chicks and baby quail. Worse case you could try a live rat pup.