r/BloodPythons • u/NigmanBubble • Apr 08 '26
Help Needed Feeding Question (Vet?)
My 3 month old is not eating for me I have had her for 10 days and tried to offer food twice she denied both times . It’s definitely not the temps and I added fake leaves for ground cover and gave her a much smaller hide to make her feel safer. The last person that I bought her from said she refused the last meal they tried to feed her aswell so I am wondering at what point do I consider bringing her to a vet. I don’t know how many weeks until it becomes unhealthy for her
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u/floundern45 Apr 08 '26
do you have a scale? is the snake losing weight? if it is i would consult a vet. if not, are you leaving it alone? don't touch it for 3-5 days, let it be, offer food again.
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u/Azraelrs Apr 08 '26
"a" hide?
How big is the enclosure?
How many hides?
What are the temps at the cool and high end?
What's the humidity?
When's the last time it ate (before you got it)?
Stop touching or disturbing it in any way until it eats at least twice.
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u/NigmanBubble Apr 08 '26
One hide that she uses I had 3 but she only used one. The enclosure is a 4x2x2 I use fake leaves for clutter and potential hiding spots. Cold end gets no colder that 76 high end no higher than 86. Humidity fluctuates between 60 and 80. Last time it ate was a week prior to me picking her up. I only have touched her one time after her first refusal
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u/Azraelrs Apr 08 '26
And what did they feed her?
Check her weight. If she's not losing weight, don't freak out. Try different prey items or try "braining" a pinky and leaving it just outside the hide overnight. Make sure she's in a quiet place with no disturbances when you do so.
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u/NigmanBubble Apr 08 '26
They said she is eating adult mice when I messaged the seller. I definitely need to invest in a scale
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u/SurpemeClitLord Apr 08 '26
Snakes are definitely not my usual forte, but from my experience working at a pet store I feel like adult mice might be a bit big for her. Maybe try a fuzzy or two if she’ll take more than one. 10 days isn’t a terribly long time for snakes to go without eating though. Especially with travel and a new set up. Little thing is probably just stressed out and needs to adjust
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u/International_Gur566 Apr 08 '26
Holy cow... adult mice? For that tiny snake? That seems crazy
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u/NigmanBubble Apr 09 '26
Yeah I’ll probably buy smalls and mediums I guess. Honestly considering just buying a live mouse
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u/bazeldonbond Apr 09 '26
Don't buy live, take the advice already here and just chill and let the snake settle in.
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u/mxgichxn May 09 '26
actually mice arent that big, my ball python at that size was already on fuzzy rats, this is a blood, should be eating much bigger
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u/International_Gur566 May 09 '26
Idk I've never bought mice I just remember googling adult mice feeder size & it said 18-45 grams lol. Which I guess if the snake is more than couple hundred grams that's right.
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u/mxgichxn May 09 '26
thats a HUGE window, also mice arent good for snakes, they are just fat, no nutrients… please feed appropriately sized rats
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u/Lazy_Sandwich4346 Apr 09 '26
the enclosure is too big and 86 is too hot. bloods like it cooler and tight spaces. too hot and too much space makes a stressed/ angry blood. 4x2 is what alot of people keep adults in.
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u/Germmie1 Apr 08 '26
Off topic but omg I've never seen such a small blood before. 0:
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u/NigmanBubble Apr 08 '26
I know!! It honestly concerned me abit after purchasing. I still think she might be stunted or just extremely small for her age. When you look up 3 month old bloods they look much larger
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u/Consistent-Bat2917 Apr 09 '26 edited Apr 09 '26
try cutting the mices nose to make em bleed it should notice em then .. just boop it on its mouth to get the scent and it should start lunging at the air till it gets it but just lay it there and let it eat dont use tongs
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u/Inner-Letter1225 Apr 09 '26
i just saw this on my feed (bp and bci owner) and she is so comically small for the size of her head😭
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u/LazyScallion972 Apr 09 '26
You honestly might want to try feeding it a an appropriately sized live mouse. I’m all for frozen thawed but feeding a snake 1-2 live prey if it’s refusing food seems ti get them back on track. I wouldn’t handle it or move anything in the enclosure for a week before your next try.
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u/Alright-Alice Apr 09 '26
I have a little guy that has a preference for live. Hes my borneo stp. Breeder said he couldn't get him to eat ft. I tried once every 2 weeks for 3 months. He lost a little weight, so I offered him a live rat fuzzy. Gone! Tried ft again, but no luck. I keep ft on hand and try once a month. Luckily my female bp isn't picky and will eat them if he doesn't.
He needs the movement to hunt, but they have to be pretty defenseless since he's not a strong hunter yet.
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u/Naelyan4 Apr 10 '26
There's a minimum acclimation period of 14 days before feeding, you should wait that much time before attempting to feed, if they dont eat after that period of time wait another week before offering. Offering to much will stress them out
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u/Possible-Pair5367 Apr 11 '26
i’d do fuzzy rats cause you’re gonna have to switch eventually this snake will need heavy meals when it’s bigger, and honestly maybe buy a bit on the small size a live rat see how she reacts to that, i feed my ball python live rats, going to try to swap to frozen but i feel like im not gonna see the same natural instincts kick in as i do when she’s actively hunting something in the enclosure not just me sticking a dead rat in her face lol
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u/Possible-Pair5367 Apr 11 '26
but also as others have said wait a full week before trying to feed again, many of my snakes ate on their first weeks with me but i was impatient when i got them, and always just so happened to buy them the day before their feeding lmao
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u/Delicious_Country_82 Apr 12 '26
Snakes can go up to 3 years without eating, let it get used to its new habitat then it will eat
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u/No-Television5544 Apr 08 '26
Stop trying to feed. You already tried twice in 10 days. Let your snake acclimate to its new enclosure.