Not eating

[Saphira]

My 7 month old childrens python has gone off her food. She has always been a good feeder. She doesn't strike or constrict her fuzzies but still gets them down. Her enclosure arrangements have not changed at all and when I changed her from pinkies to fuzzies she accepted them.(the first 2 times, anyway). So she refused a feed and I left her for a few more days to get hungry, ...still refused. Waited a week and tried again....refused. so I brained the fuzzy (I think that's what it's called) and she took it. Went to feed her again today (not brained) and she refused. Any idea why she's like this? She is in a click clack with a 5 watt heat mat atm. All advice appreciated.

 

[Renenet]

What are the temperatures in the click-clack? A 5-watt heat mat might not be putting out enough heat. Your snake needs a hot end of about 32 to 33 degrees to happily feed.

 

[Saphira]

Hot end is 32 degrees.

 

[Saphira]

If I need more heat, what is the best option? I am putting together a slightly larger viv for her, so I figure I will probably need a second/better heat source anyway.

 

[Snowman]

What are you measuring the heat with? You cant trust the thermostat settings.

 

[Saphira]

Really??? I had no idea you can't rely on the thermostat.
I don't have a temp gun. What should I use then?? I got one of those reptile enclosure thermometers but it's crap. It always shows the same temp matter where it is.

 

[Snowman]

Really??? I had no idea you can't rely on the thermostat.
I don't have a temp gun. What should I use then?? I got one of those reptile enclosure thermometers but it's crap. It always shows the same temp matter where it is.

Yeah it's a common beginner mistake. Just go to bunnings and get an indoor out door thermometer. They are like $13 in the outdoor section.
Put the probe inside the enclosure where the warm spot should be. The 'outdoor' reading is the probe reading. So keep turning up the heat until the thermometer reads 32.

 

[Snowman]

The thermometer will look a bit like the one in this picture with two little screens.

 

[Snowman]

You can see the probe is placed over the heat cord on this instance.

 

[Saphira]

O.k. thanks. I'll go to bunnings tomorrow. What should I do if she's not warm enough? As in what heat source would be best? My local pet store owner calls himself a reptile expert but he is full of it. He says he owns a different snake/lizard each week.

 

[Snowman]

If you turn the thermostat up to full and its still not warm enough you will need a higher wattage heat mat.

 

[Saphira]

Got a thermometer from bunnings.

 

[yellowbeard]

Try soaking the fuzzy in very warm water for about 15-20 minutes (warm water that you can wash your hands under) this will give the cold dead fuzzy an appearance of being alive, works for me every time

 

[Snowman]

Got a thermometer from bunnings.

So what tepms are you getting on the mat inside the cage where the snake can sit?

 

[Saphira]

Sorry I tried to post a reply earlier but it wouldn't let me for some reason. Give me 5 minutes.

 

[Saphira]

With thermostat on full it was only reading 27.5°c. So I have put my bedside reading lamp on above the click clack, and fiddled around with the distance until I got the temp to sit on 32.5°c. I feel terrible, she has possibly / probably been really cold for weeks. I have honestly been really trying to make sure she has everything she needs. I swear she is not neglected or anything like that . I thought the thermostat reading was fairly accurate. So mad at myself. Anyway, the important thing is what I can do to help her now.
Please help me help her!!

 

[andynic07]

With thermostat on full it was only reading 27.5°c. So I have put my bedside reading lamp on above the click clack, and fiddled around with the distance until I got the temp to sit on 32.5°c. I feel terrible, she has possibly / probably been really cold for weeks. I have honestly been really trying to make sure she has everything she needs. I swear she is not neglected or anything like that . I thought the thermostat reading was fairly accurate. So mad at myself. Anyway, the important thing is what I can do to help her now.
Please help me help her!!

Live and learn. You may want to invest in a bigger heat source best it is not good to have white light on 24 hours a day.

 

[Saphira]

I know it's not good to have a white light on them at night, but my local pet stores are already closed. What if I put the heater on overnight in the room she is in? Would that be o.k?

 

[Saphira]

Yellowbeard, I will definitely give that a go once I get her temps right. Great idea, thanks.

 

[andynic07]

I know it's not good to have a white light on them at night, but my local pet stores are already closed. What if I put the heater on overnight in the room she is in? Would that be o.k?

That temperature is not that bad, it will get down a bit in the middle of the night but it would not get any lower than what brumation temperatures would be and it is safe to brumate snakes of that age. Just make sure you give good temperatures for a week or two before you try feeding again.