My Black Headed Python Wont Eat

[Brad26]

Hey im getting a little worried about my BHP as he hasnt eaten for a while and iv put a chicken and a rat in for him to eat (hes male) but all i go to find is that either the rat or chicken will still be there with him, is there anything i can do that will stop me from worrying and another way around this issue, is it normal, i have also a Stimsons and he grabs everything i throw at him ( hasnt been sexed yet although i call it a him lol) any ideas guys ???.

 

[Damiieen]

Check your temps are up around the 34-36c mark. Firstly, how old is it? How long have you had it?

 

[Brad26]

i live in Broome WA. and the temps up here are always around 35 during day and 24-25 during night iv got a day light on him aswell when he needs the warmth and iv had him for around 3-4 weeks hes a lovely snake however gets a little jumpy at stages and seems to hiss in fright or in defencive situations. hes around 1 metre prob abit longer im not too sure how old though.

 

[Riffherper]

Jumpiness and hissing are just normal blackhead traits however so is pigging out. Could possibly be stressed due to new surroundings. I certainly wouldn't be too stressed as long as his condition looks ok. Some questions that if answered might help. What was he previously being fed? Mine were sucking down rats and fairly easily made the transition to rabbits. Do he show interest in the food item? When left does he go over to it and sniff and suss it out? Are you warming the prey item (more than room temp) prior to feeding?

 

[Grogshla]

do you have a proper thermometer for those temps in the enclosure?

 

[Brad26]

yeah apparently he was been fed chickens and rats but they said he was hard to feed whilst at the store. he seems to be in good health and very pleasent whilst handling in fact he has a better temperment that what my stimy does. i not yet have a thermostat in just yet but will in the near future i moniter the temps twice daily and all seems fine, i think it may be a little stressed due to just been in a different environment

 

[Damiieen]

Don't handle him until he feed's for you.

 

[longqi]

Has it got somewhere to hide in its box??

 

[onthillside]

Was he wild cought or captive breed?

 

[Brad26]

hes wild caught, is there trouble trying to feed wild caught snakes?

 

[kitten_pheonix]

hes wild caught, is there trouble trying to feed wild caught snakes?

Some dont transition easily to killed food, bhp are reptile eaters, maybe rub the food on your stimmi to scent it or even better if you can catch a garden skink

 

[onthillside]

Yes wild caught animal can take a while to adapt to a captive environment.
my guess is this may be your issue.
T

 

[Lawra]

Slightly off topic so I apologise...

How did you end up with a wild caught BHP that you don't know how to look after?

 

[kitten_pheonix]

Slightly off topic so I apologise...

How did you end up with a wild caught BHP that you don't know how to look after?

Hes from WA, there are people licenced tk catch wild reptiles over there, pilbara pythons is one of them (you can check out there website)
Im guessing he didnt realise wild caught would be hard to swap over to mice etc

 

[thomasssss]

Slightly off topic so I apologise...

How did you end up with a wild caught BHP that you don't know how to look after?

same way people end up with captive bred snakes that they dont know how to look after , they buy them first learn later

 

[Brad26]

basically just a wild caught python on sale at a store in Broome. and I do know how to look after him but its his feeding that is been tricky. am I not doing something right or does that mean I don't know how to care full stop ?

- - - Updated - - -

im not sure how to take that thomasssss wether its a smart remark or just saying it how you think it is, however I do have a good amount of knowledge on Pythons.
I just put this post up as its easier to get good advise from people who keeps reptiles themselves. It also gives people that may have the same problem the right answer they are looking for aswell.

 

[Performa]

Give him/her time to settle in and you'll find it will be alright. Being wild caught does make it a little harder. As for feeding try to mimic a wild rodent with a set of tweezers, dangle it next to him move away as though it's trying to get away and even rub it on him. One thing ie don't over do it as you will stress him out. Then try again a week later.

 

[thomasssss]

basically just a wild caught python on sale at a store in Broome. and I do know how to look after him but its his feeding that is been tricky. am I not doing something right or does that mean I don't know how to care full stop ?

- - - Updated - - -

im not sure how to take that thomasssss wether its a smart remark or just saying it how you think it is, however I do have a good amount of knowledge on Pythons.
I just put this post up as its easier to get good advise from people who keeps reptiles themselves. It also gives people that may have the same problem the right answer they are looking for aswell.

take it how it was ment buddy

 

[kitten_pheonix]

same way people end up with captive bred snakes that they dont know how to look after , they buy them first learn later

He did say he has a stimmi and hes not posting issues about that, maybe he didnt realise a wild caught would be harder to transision if the broker never mentioned anything to him. With 90% of states not allowing wild caught, there is rearely a discussion on how it affects snakes transitioning between the 2 so you possibly couldnt even research it if you wanted to.

 

[thomasssss]

He did say he has a stimmi and hes not posting issues about that, maybe he didnt realise a wild caught would be harder to transision if the broker never mentioned anything to him. With 90% of states not allowing wild caught, there is rearely a discussion on how it affects snakes transitioning between the 2 so you possibly couldnt even research it if you wanted to.

ive sent him a pm to clear up the meaning of that post , it wasnt directed purely at him actually more to the person i quoted in the first place , who surely understands how people get captive snakes they still cant look after properly

im sure he will understand once he reads it next so it can be left here