Stressed and frustrated

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Mack86

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Hey everyone,

I have given my snake until mid October to start eating again before I threaten him with a visit to a vet, or someone who knows something (anything???) about snakes.

I would have to say this has been the most stressful pet I have ever owned (and Ive never had a pet stress me out). I just feel so out of my depth even after spending hours and hours reading, asking questions and doing my damn well best to figure this out.

I understand snakes are reptiles and can go a long time without eating I'm not disputing that but a BABY snake? I got him at 4 months old, he is now 8 months old and he has only eaten TWICE! and we are now at 11 weeks of no eating. I have tried everything and I mean everything and I'm just at a loss of what to do now and despite my best efforts at remaining calm about it all I am an anxious worried mess and somewhat regretful (despite how much I love him and just wanted him to be happy here šŸ˜ž)

I guess I just needed to vent or be offered some encouragement but I often notice newbie posts can sometimes get ignored /forgotten about or dismissed because "she's just a silly newbie who knows nothing about anything "

Ugh...
 
I remember reading somewhere that a new born Python went 7 months without eating and still grew to full size once it actually started eating.

The fact this Winter seems to have gone on longer that previous years wouldn't be helping matters. I wouldn't stress.

I feed my 10 year old Pythons from around October to about April and they're fine.

What sort of Snake is it?
 
I remember reading somewhere that a new born Python went 7 months without eating and still grew to full size once it actually started eating.

The fact this Winter seems to have gone on longer that previous years wouldn't be helping matters. I wouldn't stress.

I feed my 10 year old Pythons from around October to about April and they're fine.

What sort of Snake is it?
That's the thing I wouldn't be worried if he was an adult but he's not. Good to know that a newborn can go that long without eating. I may have read that on here actually but to me, it doesn't seem "common" and the fear of him dying or having something really wrong with him that I have missed worries me.


He's a Stimson's Python

Thanks for responding I appreciate it
 
You seem to forget that we just went through winter, most snakes will not feed at this time , some can go for months without eating. I own 4 Antaresia who haven't eaten for several months. It does worry me sometimes but they don't seem to have lost condition. Mine are 5yo or more
 
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I can totally relate to feeling out of your depth. The fact is, snakes are like no other pet and everything about them seems counter-intuitive, especially in comparison mammals. I have had my fair few freak out moments and had some times where I thought I should just give up and give them away to a more experienced keeper. The line between normal snake behaviour and sick snake behaviour can be so blurred that it's easy to go into an anxious spiral about their health. 90% of the time when I've been worried about their health, its been nothing - I've learned that its best to just wait things out until they start showing more concrete signs of illness and usually in that waiting process the problem fixes itself and I feel stupid for ever worrying. For what its worth, it gets easier and less stressful with more experience, and all the worry is well worth the moments where you've done everything right and you have a happy and healthy snake.

I know its expensive and its stressful to the snake, but there's nothing seriously wrong with going to the vet, sometimes the anxiety as a newer keeper takes over and you just want some peace of mind and reassurance from a professional - as you gain more experience you'll get better at identifying what needs urgent attention and what you should wait out/what will resolve itself. I don't want to give you any advice about whether or not you should take them to the vet but I just wanted to give you some encouragement - I can relate to your experience, its hard, but things get better!

Your snake is lucky to have a keeper who cares so much, good luck!
 
As a newbie you shouldn't buy a snake which has only ever eaten twice, but it's quite normal for them not to eat at this time of year even if they are good feeders.

They're seasonal animals. Seasonal. This is not yet the season where Stimson's Pythons are naturally generally in feeding mode. You're freaking out about a snake doing what it naturally usually should. A visit to a vet won't change the reality that Stimson's Pythons are seasonal. A vet won't flick the feeding mode switch to on, a trip to the vet in a case like this is just an unnecessary stress to the snake and drain on your wallet (but you can guarantee the vet will tell you it's the right thing to do, in their *entirely unbiased* opinion).
 
As a newbie you shouldn't buy a snake which has only ever eaten twice, but it's quite normal for them not to eat at this time of year even if they are good feeders.

They're seasonal animals. Seasonal. This is not yet the season where Stimson's Pythons are naturally generally in feeding mode. You're freaking out about a snake doing what it naturally usually should. A visit to a vet won't change the reality that Stimson's Pythons are seasonal. A vet won't flick the feeding mode switch to on, a trip to the vet in a case like this is just an unnecessary stress to the snake and drain on your wallet (but you can guarantee the vet will tell you it's the right thing to do, in their *entirely unbiased* opinion).
He's only fed twice since I've had him. Prior to me getting him he ate somewhere around 8 times in the 4 months of life (I don't have the feeding chart with me to check the definite number) So the snake has eaten somewhere around 10 times in it's total 8 months of life.

You seem to forget that we just went through winter, most snakes will not feed at this time , some can go for months without eating. I own 4 Antaresia who haven't eaten for several months. It does worry me sometimes but they don't seem to have lost condition. Mine are 5yo or more
No I didn't forget that it's winter and I know they don't eat. My assumption was that it wasn't the best idea to let a BABY snake not eat through winter.

As a newbie you shouldn't buy a snake which has only ever eaten twice, but it's quite normal for them not to eat at this time of year even if they are good feeders.

They're seasonal animals. Seasonal. This is not yet the season where Stimson's Pythons are naturally generally in feeding mode. You're freaking out about a snake doing what it naturally usually should. A visit to a vet won't change the reality that Stimson's Pythons are seasonal. A vet won't flick the feeding mode switch to on, a trip to the vet in a case like this is just an unnecessary stress to the snake and drain on your wallet (but you can guarantee the vet will tell you it's the right thing to do, in their *entirely unbiased* opinion).
Also you said, "this is not yet the season where Stimson's Pythons are naturally generally in feeding mode". What IS the season that "Stimson's pythons are naturally in feeding mode" ?? Making statements like this and then not following up with WHEN that season is, is unhelpful. I'm here to learn?

When's the season? The festive season??? I'd love to know. I remember you said in another post "I wouldn't be concerned until well into spring" so IS spring the season? Because we are in spring now and nothing is happening. I've given him until mid October before I really freak out because that is "well into spring"
 
Sounds like you're freaking out and getting angry. Probably the most important thing to do is stop panicking.

Baby snakes can usually be induced to go against nature and feed when they naturally wouldn't, but a baby Stimson's typically wouldn't naturally eat through the cooler months, depending on locality and weather and individual differences.

Again, this snake in nature probably wouldn't be eating and you're freaking out about it acting completely naturally.

When is the season? When it's warm. Yes, that's vague. I can't tell you it's October 24th, because it's a little different at each locality, season and for each individual. Some are pigs which will eat at any opportunity even if that will literally kill them because the weather is too cold, some play it very safe and miss opportunities to eat because they wait until the season has absolutely no chance of being too cold for digestion. If you have 100 snakes of the same age from the same population and offer them feed every week, they won't all feed on the same week after the cold season.

This is like growing an apple tree and panicking when its leaves fall off in autumn and haven't grown back by the middle of winter and the tree looks dead. It's just what they naturally do (before you get angry again, yes, apple trees have shorter dormant periods and more consistent growing seasons than Stimson's spend off feeding).

Panicking won't help anyone and is obviously unpleasant for yourself. Getting angry at me probably won't encourage me to keep responding to you. If you want to do something positive, make sure you have your snake's environment correct, leave the snake alone except for offering a feed every two weeks or so (have you been inspecting the snake too often and disturbing it? That won't help, neither will repeatedly harassing it with unwanted feeding attempts, which will train the snake not to feed, especially on that type of feed).

Next time you offer a feed, feel free to post a picture of the snake and the enclosure. A picture of the snake will allow us to confirm the snake's condition is okay and there's nothing to worry about (or tell you that something actually is wrong and you actually do need to seek help from someone who can force feed if necessary). If you've already posted pictures of the enclosure that's great, if not it would be a good idea.

If you want to insist on panicking and getting snarky, I hope people with more patience than I do continue trying to help.
 
Sounds like you're freaking out and getting angry. Probably the most important thing to do is stop panicking.

Baby snakes can usually be induced to go against nature and feed when they naturally wouldn't, but a baby Stimson's typically wouldn't naturally eat through the cooler months, depending on locality and weather and individual differences.

Again, this snake in nature probably wouldn't be eating and you're freaking out about it acting completely naturally.

When is the season? When it's warm. Yes, that's vague. I can't tell you it's October 24th, because it's a little different at each locality, season and for each individual. Some are pigs which will eat at any opportunity even if that will literally kill them because the weather is too cold, some play it very safe and miss opportunities to eat because they wait until the season has absolutely no chance of being too cold for digestion. If you have 100 snakes of the same age from the same population and offer them feed every week, they won't all feed on the same week after the cold season.

This is like growing an apple tree and panicking when its leaves fall off in autumn and haven't grown back by the middle of winter and the tree looks dead. It's just what they naturally do (before you get angry again, yes, apple trees have shorter dormant periods and more consistent growing seasons than Stimson's spend off feeding).

Panicking won't help anyone and is obviously unpleasant for yourself. Getting angry at me probably won't encourage me to keep responding to you. If you want to do something positive, make sure you have your snake's environment correct, leave the snake alone except for offering a feed every two weeks or so (have you been inspecting the snake too often and disturbing it? That won't help, neither will repeatedly harassing it with unwanted feeding attempts, which will train the snake not to feed, especially on that type of feed).

Next time you offer a feed, feel free to post a picture of the snake and the enclosure. A picture of the snake will allow us to confirm the snake's condition is okay and there's nothing to worry about (or tell you that something actually is wrong and you actually do need to seek help from someone who can force feed if necessary). If you've already posted pictures of the enclosure that's great, if not it would be a good idea.

If you want to insist on panicking and getting snarky, I hope people with more patience than I do continue trying to help.
Sdaji if I have offended you I apologise, that was not my intention. I didn't think I was being snarky or angry but if it came across that way I apologise for that too. It seems like you are now snarky and frustrated with me and that's not something I want. Probably what I was feeling was stressed and frustrated just as the title of my post suggests.

If my posts bother you, you needn't reply to them, BUT I would like to say I appreciate your responses very much and actually take a lot out of them which is why I continue to ask for the help of you more experienced keepers.


I guess I am someone who likes absolutes and in this hobby there is none. I am finding that out now. The way in which you responded to my question makes so much sense to me and I understand fully what you are saying. It was really in-depth and well written and I am left with no overhanging questions with regards to all of this.

I feel like you summized it perfectly so thank you for taking the time to respond.
 
Hey everyone,

I have given my snake until mid October to start eating again before I threaten him with a visit to a vet, or someone who knows something (anything???) about snakes.

I would have to say this has been the most stressful pet I have ever owned (and Ive never had a pet stress me out). I just feel so out of my depth even after spending hours and hours reading, asking questions and doing my damn well best to figure this out.

I understand snakes are reptiles and can go a long time without eating I'm not disputing that but a BABY snake? I got him at 4 months old, he is now 8 months old and he has only eaten TWICE! and we are now at 11 weeks of no eating. I have tried everything and I mean everything and I'm just at a loss of what to do now and despite my best efforts at remaining calm about it all I am an anxious worried mess and somewhat regretful (despite how much I love him and just wanted him to be happy here šŸ˜ž)

I guess I just needed to vent or be offered some encouragement but I often notice newbie posts can sometimes get ignored /forgotten about or dismissed because "she's just a silly newbie who knows nothing about anything "

Ugh...


Hi Mack.

As mentioned a number of times on your posts it's quite common for young Antaresia to go off their food during winter and without doubt the main reason small pythons don't feed during this time is due to not being warm enough.

However, in saying that, they can be encouraged to eat simply by providing an environment that is hot enough to inspire them to do so. Without doubt the primary reason for snakes (young or old) not eating is their inability to reach a suitable body temperature to tempt them to do so.

I note that you put the accompanying photo of the snake and it's enclosure up in a previous post back around July adding that the snake was spending an amount of time during the day under the "cool" hide and wondering if it was possible that it was moving to the "hot" hide during the night to thermoregulate. An assumption that is/was quite feasible. If I recall correctly you also provided info that you were using a heat mat attached to a thermostat with temps of around 32 deg under the "hot" hide.

Looking at the condition of the snake in this pic it appears to be fine and as long as it hasn't lost a great deal of condition since the photo was captured I wouldn't be too worried. In saying that it 's quite understandable that you are concerned and simply worried about the welfare of your critter an no doubt will feel much better about the situation once it has taken a feed. So lets see if any of these suggestions can help you out to limit your stress and avoid a costly and, as Sadji mentioned, an unwarranted vet visit that won't solve your problem at all

I don't know if anyone has alerted you to the fact that glass enclosures are notorious for leaking heat, especially those with gauze tops or sides for ventilation and this could very well be half your problem. If that's the case then a warm spot under a hide would be fine for the snake to thermoregulate enough for it to remain healthy and not freeze to death but given your enclosure appears to be all glass it may well be a case that the overall ambient temperature of the enclosure has not not been conducive to encourage the snake to eat. And it is highly possible that that is the issue with the snake not showing an interest in feeding at the moment.

I have to ask where is the heat mat placed? Under the enclosure or inside the enclosure? From the pic it appears to be inside the enclosure. Is that correct? If so, is it under the substrate, as this can act as a barrier to impede the amount of heat available to the snake. How are you measuring the temp? Are you relying on the temp as set at the thermostat or checking the temp with a temp gun? I ask because it is quite possible that the temp under the hide may not be the same as that set on the thermostat and just warm enough to reduce the risk of the snake suffering a chill or freezing to death however not reaching the temperature required to encourage the snake to eat.

So, can I suggest you look at the situation with the view to provide an environment with the aim to try to encourage the snake to start eating.

You can do this by:-

1. Checking the temperature using a heat gun (or thermometer) and if necessary adjusting the setting on the thermostat so the temp under the hide reaches a consistent 32 - 34 deg C.

2. Ensuring that the overall ambient temp is warm enough for the snake to maintain it's desired temperature whereby it starts to move about then enclosure actively looking for food. This can be achieved by covering the enclosure with a towel or better yet attaching cardboard or similar to the outside of the back and 2 sides of the enclosure using bluetack or a similar product. Also, if the lid is of mesh then placing a cover over half of the top on the warm hide side will assist in maintaining the heat even further. This way the cardboard and cover can be removed during the warmer weather.

3. Consider replacing the substrate with something that will not impede any transfer of heat. Snakes don't care about aesthetics (we include them for our own benefit) and although it might not look as nice, sometimes paper towel or similar is more beneficial to the welfare of the snake.

4. Move the enclosure to a low traffic area of the house and disturb the snake as little as possible.

5. Once the snake starts moving about it's enclosure and displaying signs that it is searching for food offer it a fuzzy mouse the same size as you have been (don't go back to offering pinkies as there is no benefit to doing this). You can offer the fuzzy two ways. Either by tempting it using a long pair of tweezers whereby holding the fuzzy with the tweezers around the mid body and lowering it to a level where it is on par with the snake and then, holding it in front of the snake, gently and slowly move it to attract the snake's attention with the aim to encourage it to strike and take the meal. Alternatively, if you've had previous success placing a fuzzy in the enclosure to allow the snake to find it of its own accord, then do that. Either way if and when it takes it leave it be to eat the meal.

6. You can leave the fuzzy in the enclosure for a couple of hours or even overnight and If it doesn't take it then remove it and give it a week or even 2 and try again.

Hope this helps and you have some success.

Cheers,

George.


1663654083386.png
 
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Sdaji if I have offended you I apologise, that was not my intention. I didn't think I was being snarky or angry but if it came across that way I apologise for that too. It seems like you are now snarky and frustrated with me and that's not something I want. Probably what I was feeling was stressed and frustrated just as the title of my post suggests.

If my posts bother you, you needn't reply to them, BUT I would like to say I appreciate your responses very much and actually take a lot out of them which is why I continue to ask for the help of you more experienced keepers.


I guess I am someone who likes absolutes and in this hobby there is none. I am finding that out now. The way in which you responded to my question makes so much sense to me and I understand fully what you are saying. It was really in-depth and well written and I am left with no overhanging questions with regards to all of this.

I feel like you summized it perfectly so thank you for taking the time to respond.

No worries, you're obviously very stressed and text can be very bad at delivering tone. No harm done there.

When it comes to anything related to animals/biology, there are very few absolutes. Diversity is actively conserved by evolution, it is one of the most important aspects to a population since if all individuals were the same, if a set of conditions occurred one year which would kill most or in some cases even all of that specific type of individual (such as if all individuals wanted to feed during winter and there was a sudden unseasonal cold snap, or if they all wanted to eat lizards and not birds or vice versa, they would all go hungry despite an abundance of feed, etc etc etc).

Your snake seems to be one which wants to play it safe during winter rather than take the risk and feed on the hope that conditions won't get too cold (they don't know that they're safe in a box, they instinctively think they are at the mercy of unpredictable weather).

There are plenty of tricks you can use, and some may be worth trying, but don't fall into the trap of harassing your snake. At absolute most, try feeding once per week. I'd probably go for every 2-3 weeks. Don't interact with the snake unless necessary. I encourage you to take a picture and post it here so we can confirm it is in good health - if it is losing condition (which I greatly doubt is the case, but is possible) you do want to get a feed into it ASAP, and in that case it's very important to give a feed of the correct size as a large feed can kill a particularly underweight snake. Once again though, from what you've said I'd be surprised if you're in that scenario.
 
@GBWhite

Firstly, thank you for taking the time to respond to this thread. I appreciate your thorough and thoughtful response.

I need to be honest and say as much as I thought I knew about snakes and believed I was ready and understood snake keeping - I knew nothing šŸ˜” I know some may read this and find it frustrating or sad that someone would "just get a pet without doing their proper research first- how sad for the pet" etc etc but at least I am trying to learn now and I have gained immense knowledge through the people on this forum trying to help me out.

To get to your response I'll answer each point you've made-

Your question regarding where the heat mat is? It's under the enclosure. I have the thermostat prove inside the enclosure on top of his substrate.


1. Checking the temperature using a heat gun (or thermometer) and if necessary adjusting the setting on the thermostat so the temp under the hide reaches a consistent 32 - 34 deg C. ------

I have a heat gun that I use to check the temperature every so often under the hot hide. I also have a thermometer placed consistently inside the hot hide to keep an eye on the temps. My thermostat is set to 32 with a 2 degree divergence which means that the temps do go up to 34 never higher and then down to 30 degrees never lower. All of these things I learnt how to do on this forum after my very first post here and Sdaji asking me questions regarding what my temps were. Hopefully this all sounds correct.

2. Ensuring that the overall ambient temp is warm enough for the snake to maintain it's desired temperature whereby it starts to move about then enclosure actively looking for food. This can be achieved by covering the enclosure with a towel or better yet attaching cardboard or similar to the outside of the back and 2 sides of the enclosure using bluetack or a similar product. Also, if the lid is of mesh then placing a cover over half of the top on the warm hide side will assist in maintaining the heat even further. This way the cardboard and cover can be removed during the warmer weather.--------

With regards to ambient temperatures I have just allowed the temps to be the "room temp" so on some days through winter that could have been temps of 17 or at times maybe even lower. Each time I used the temp gun on the cold side I never read lower than 18 but mostly sat at 19/ 20 over that really cold period. The hot hide always remained consistent. Fluctuating between 30 and 34 degrees. The towel is a good idea and recently learnt that one from herpetology. I must admit recently I took it off because I was worried he would overheat ( even though I had left a portion uncovered) I will look into the cardboard thank you.


3. Consider replacing the substrate with something that will not impede any transfer of heat. Snakes don't care about aesthetics (we include them for our own benefit) and although it might not look as nice, sometimes paper towel or similar is more beneficial to the welfare of the snake.--------

I (think??) I shouldn't have issue with heat transfer due to how I have the heatmat and thermostat probe placed? But perhaps the Aspen is stopping some heat getting through? So that is food for thought on changing to paper towel thank you. Added benefit- no ingestion of Aspen when eating I guess šŸ¤·ā€ā™€ļø


4. Move the enclosure to a low traffic area of the house and disturb the snake as little as possible.--------

We have him in a second living area that isn't used too often and usually reasonably dark so I'm really hoping that's enough. I will admit I'm guilty of disturbance more than I would like to admit but only due to my anxiousness in making sure he is okay. I have dialled that down now to once a week when I try and feed him. I will try and leave him alone for a full two weeks. Except if changing water of course which I do every few days.

5.Once the snake starts moving about it's enclosure and displaying signs that it is searching for food offer it a fuzzy mouse the same size as you have been (don't go back to offering pinkies as there is no benefit to doing this). You can offer the fuzzy two ways. Either by tempting it using a long pair of tweezers whereby holding the fuzzy with the tweezers around the mid body and lowering it to a level where it is on par with the snake and then, holding it in front of the snake, gently and slowly move it to attract the snake's attention with the aim to encourage it to strike and take the meal. Alternatively, if you've had previous success placing a fuzzy in the enclosure to allow the snake to find it of its own accord, then do that. Either way if and when it takes it leave it be to eat the meal. -----------

Ok upon reflection I probably hold it above his head so it probably looks very threatening coming at him like that? I will try getting the mouse more on par with his head thank you.

6. You can leave the fuzzy in the enclosure for a couple of hours or even overnight and If it doesn't take it then remove it and give it a week or even 2 and try again.---------

Another nice forum member recommended this to me which I tried but unfortunately didn't work, that's not to say it may not work in the future.

Its been said a few times about glass enclosures being no good but I do feel that I need to rethink my setup šŸ˜¢ but really wish I didn't have to. I like the glass.....

I'll attach some more reason pics of my little guy for you to assess and once again I appreciate your thoughtful response and understanding my worry. So very appreciated.

No worries, you're obviously very stressed and text can be very bad at delivering tone. No harm done there.

When it comes to anything related to animals/biology, there are very few absolutes. Diversity is actively conserved by evolution, it is one of the most important aspects to a population since if all individuals were the same, if a set of conditions occurred one year which would kill most or in some cases even all of that specific type of individual (such as if all individuals wanted to feed during winter and there was a sudden unseasonal cold snap, or if they all wanted to eat lizards and not birds or vice versa, they would all go hungry despite an abundance of feed, etc etc etc).

Your snake seems to be one which wants to play it safe during winter rather than take the risk and feed on the hope that conditions won't get too cold (they don't know that they're safe in a box, they instinctively think they are at the mercy of unpredictable weather).

There are plenty of tricks you can use, and some may be worth trying, but don't fall into the trap of harassing your snake. At absolute most, try feeding once per week. I'd probably go for every 2-3 weeks. Don't interact with the snake unless necessary. I encourage you to take a picture and post it here so we can confirm it is in good health - if it is losing condition (which I greatly doubt is the case, but is possible) you do want to get a feed into it ASAP, and in that case it's very important to give a feed of the correct size as a large feed can kill a particularly underweight snake. Once again though, from what you've said I'd be surprised if you're in that scenario.


Thanks so much Sdaji for your response. Makes complete sense what you said. Could you please look at the photos I've attached in my response to George and tell me what you think? These were taken last week I think.

Thanks heaps
 

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Thanks so much Sdaji for your response. Makes complete sense what you said. Could you please look at the photos I've attached in my response to George and tell me what you think? These were taken last week I think.

Thanks heaps

Not a fan of glass enclosures with heavy top ventilation, but your snake doesn't look emaciated and could easily last a lot longer without eating. Looks like it's coming up for a slough, I wouldn't offer anything to eat or interact with it at all until after the next slough.
 
Not a fan of glass enclosures with heavy top ventilation, but your snake doesn't look emaciated and could easily last a lot longer without eating. Looks like it's coming up for a slough, I wouldn't offer anything to eat or interact with it at all until after the next slough.
I agree about him looking like he wants to shed. He looks like this quite often though. He's shed once since I've had him in late June (got him early June)
He looked exactly like this and then shed but since then he has looked this way and then seemed to look normal again and then go back to looking like he's going to shed again so I'm having a hard time deciding what he's going to do. It seems like for weeks he has had this appearance. But I will definitely not bother him until after the next slough and then will try and feed so fingers crossed.

Thanks for taking a look at him. Glad he looks okay. I know photos are probably hard to try and get a true indication but I appreciate it.

With regards to the glass enclosure I am going to look into a possible alternative or at the very least try and improve on what I've got to the best of my ability. What a learning curve....
 
Hi Mack. I hope this helps I have a 2yo Childrens python that I got in January last year at about 2 months old. She fed fine until about the end of April and didn't eat all winter ( I was offering food on a fortnightly basis). She only started eating again about the end of September to mid October.
 
Hi Mack. I hope this helps I have a 2yo Childrens python that I got in January last year at about 2 months old. She fed fine until about the end of April and didn't eat all winter ( I was offering food on a fortnightly basis). She only started eating again about the end of September to mid October.
Thanks highlander, that does help yes. It's good to hear of personal experience with this kind of thing. With everyone's help I've (finally) come to terms with my little guys habits. I've decided to offer him food fortnightly rather than weekly until he starts eating again. So I'll offer somewhere around October 9th (unless he decides to slough) and see how he goes. Thanks everyone for being patient with this newbie. Sometimes things just don't click until you're ready for them to click if that makes sense.

Thanks again for sharing your experience šŸ˜Š

Ok I have attached photos of his enclosure and made some adjustments to it. As you can see he is in his hatchling kit inside his larger enclosure. The hatchling kit has one black out side and the larger enclosure has one side blacked out with the rock backing you can see there. I've now attached two sheets of cardboard to the outside of the larger enclosure to try and make him feel more secure. I realise now maybe doing it on his own little box maybe would have been better but hopefully this should help. I've also popped a bit of cardboard to the top of his actual enclosure to try and keep in some humidity and maybe help him feel more secure? I could maybe pop some on top of the mesh on his larger enclosure also?

I understand cardboard won't do much if anything in terms of holding any heat in I was more doing it to give him a bit more of a secure feeling. Hopefully I am on the right track? Regarding keeping heat in hopefully the cardboard on top of his own enclosure may keep a little bit in but thought it hopefully won't be long til we see that warmer weather.

I'm open to all advice and opinions, please share!

The more I think about this the more I really feel like I should have put the cardboard on his little box rather than on his larger enclosure šŸ¤·ā€ā™€ļø Thoughts?
 

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Leave him be. More you change and move/fiddle with things more stressed you'll make him. He isn't freezing, your temps are ok you're stressing yourself and him out over it. It's not a temperature thing of 'if I raise his temp he'll eat' it's a normal seasonal temp/personality thing. He's doing what nature intended, even for a BABY reptile, he's still a reptile and not a mammal.
 
Leave him be. More you change and move/fiddle with things more stressed you'll make him. He isn't freezing, your temps are ok you're stressing yourself and him out over it. It's not a temperature thing of 'if I raise his temp he'll eat' it's a normal seasonal temp/personality thing. He's doing what nature intended, even for a BABY reptile, he's still a reptile and not a mammal.

This.

Stop stressing. Stop harassing. Go for a walk, read a book, bake some cookies, think about something else for a while. Your snake doesn't want to be disturbed, leave it alone.
 
I was only trying to be proactive and do as suggested to try and minimise stress and him feeling so exposed, not so much for temps.

I'm not stressed about it now and I can't bake for **** šŸ¤£
 
No disrepect to anyone here and withholding the animals feelings here, I am getting anxiety reading this thread.
This is a lot to absorb.

Ok, that said.

A little tip for anyone having trouble with glass enclosures moving forward

I have one glass enclosure, I wasn't aware when I bought it how impossible it was to retain a good heat gradient so in my search for alternatives and cheap options, I found cheap interlocking foam tiles at bunnings.

A little trim here and there and some tape and away you go.
I'm sure if you were a little more interested in aesthetics rather than just function you could easily make it a little more pretty but for me, I was only interested in function.

Under 10 bucks and you can insulate any enclosure. Simple.
 

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