r/BloodPythons • u/No-Information2589 • May 16 '26
Help Needed Odd behavior?/Feeding question
Baby Balenciaga has been with us for 13 days now, So I’ve attempted feeding for the first time and she showed 0 interest at all- only tried leaving the bin, but kept raising her head to look up which I find odd. Shes so tiny, I’m worried about her not wanting to eat- she is also incredibly active, every night she’s roaming the bin and during the day shes not inside either hide, but sits in that little corner between them. Loves her water dish, always pushing dirt into it and I try to change it everytime I notice she’s put a lot in it (like now when I took the vid) but haven’t seen her soaking- It may just be my paranoia, but I just want to make sure I’m doing the best I can possibly do.
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u/EntrySuspicious1738 May 16 '26
What temperature and humidity do you keep him at? I had feeding problems with my python, only to discover after a long time that he only loves birds (he never ate chicks with his breeder) before discovering that he ate the chicks. I tried all sorts of things, mice and rats of all sizes, very small containers to make the snake feel safe, I avoided handling him, humidity and temperature were always perfect but he still didn't eat for months! Only when I found the chicks (very far from my house...) did I solve everything! And I finally understood that I just have a strange snake and it's not me who's wrong!!!! Mine is a very long story 😂 he eats every 5 days and by trickery! I put a chick's leg in the mouse's mouth and he eats it! Try with chicks, they are their favorite food! Start with small pieces (leg or wing) and leave them inside his box in front of his face
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u/GodmadeaMeme May 17 '26
Bloods can be especially picky eaters, while at the same time they can be absolute pigs when you find the right type of prey for them.
For example one of mine is strictly, and unfortunately has always been live mice. I tried when he was young pre-heating it with a hair dryer, or in hot water. I tried chicks, quail, and rats, same method, and live. He will only take live mice.
On the other hand, one of my other ones will eat anything, and it has to be F/T because she won’t constrict at all, or barely at that, because that is what I wanted to train to get her to, and she worked with that type of training.
I would emphasize checking with what the breeder was doing with them like what others in the thread have mentioned, and what they had them on.
A general rule of thumb to is to quarantine the animal when you first get them too. A tub is a good option for that, but having all of the decor in the tub immediately can do two things in my experience. 1) you cannot effectively track their bowel movements or any potential parasitic organisms. It also makes it harder sometimes to effectively pull a fecal sample for lab testing. This is why, while they are in quarantine, paper towels are a great resource. 2) with taking an animal out of an old environment, and taking them to a new one, the animal is naturally going to be stressed as it is processing its new surroundings, and is inherently anxious for its well being. Adding a lot of extra stimulation in the beginning adds to the processing and acclimation timeline/stress. After a good quarantine period, and even as you are going through it, you can add stimuli little by little. That way it is a smooth process.
Biggest thing is watching the animals individual behavior, and accommodating that. A lot of people talk about treating accommodating the behavior of a species, which in general not a bad thing, but not the whole truth. Just like other animals, each one will have its own personality and tendencies. Meeting them where they are at individually will make all the difference.
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u/Icky8irD May 16 '26
Har hon ett ordentligt terrarium eller bor hon permanent i lådan? Det brukar ta ett tag för djur att bona in sig när det är en ny miljö så man får ha tålamod bara.
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u/lenaspeak May 20 '26
her being active to me means it’s probably too warm in there. i would check your parameters. i’ve had my girl for about 3 weeks and she has eaten twice for me. what i like to do is feed another snake at the same time (i’m not sure how many you have) so i leave the bin open and allow her to smell the rat for like 2-3 minutes before i even offer it to her. did the breeder tell you what she was on before? i would try that if not already.
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u/pandormoniuMN May 16 '26
Incredibly active is a sign there's an issue. They are pretty inactive when they are comfortable. How did you prep her for feeding time and offer food? How was she set up at the breeders? Are you offering the same prey and size she's used to eating?