help have 2 bps not eating

[AzDaddy]

let me start out with i rescued a bp from pets mart because it didnt want to eat f/t so i got it live and ate just fine then i bought one from a pet store and housed them together after quarantin(sp) and they continued eating just fine then pets mart called again because they had another not eating so i rescued that one as well followed the same procedure and they all did fine for months untill resently when the first one and the last one stopped eating its been a month and have offered them food repeatedly the second one is still eating like a pig and is subsecuently a bit larger i was thinking there going dormante but getting worried i am wondering if they are not eating because the other one is maybe getting dominate they all are feed sepratly but are housed together in a 30L any help would be appreciated

[Chu'Wuti]

There are several possible reasons for them not eating: 1) Winter season/cold weather, along with inadequate heat, 2) Housing BPs together in one enclosure is very stressful for them, and 3) a combination of 1 and 2.

1) Some BPs stop eating when winter comes, especially if their enclosure is near a window. Apparently the shorter days have something to do with it, or the colder temps.

2) BPs are MUCH happier alone in separate enclosures. It's possible that the one has become the alpha snake, so to speak, and the others are too stressed to eat.

3) If you have only one hot spot, all three of them can't be in/on it at the same time comfortably. That will mean that food digestion won't go well--they need the external heat source for good digestion.

Try separating them for a week or two, then try feeding them again; it might help.

[Jason]

Chu'Wuti has got it with (3). the most common thing with BPs lack of interest in feeding when housed together, For every snake you add to a tank that get this size need to be able to thermo regulate separately within the tank without being stressed by a tank mate already being in the prime basking/heating spot, You need manufacture a repeating gradient for each snake in the tank. I should of started with my friend picked up 6 babies from an abandoned apartment he was looking into renting, the short and unsweet of it is of the 6 sadly 3 passed away form what we later learned from a Vet was Gut Rot and severely degraded digestion and well on there way to MBD. After we learned this the Repeating Gradient idea was implemented and so far he had had the last 3 for maybe 12 years now...

I must add i am not discounting the Weather / Winter cycle animals go through, just figured id mention this sad tale as i have never had an issue with my snakes not eating no mater the season or time of day and have been keeping them for almost 15 years.

[Chu'Wuti]

Jason, have you been keeping them together in one enclosure? On another forum, the more experienced keepers are adamantly opposed to keeping them together. The one time my sons & I did it, years ago on a field herping expedition, we lost one--the other snake ate it. So I never keep two in one enclosure.

On the other hand, my middle son kept two timber rattlers together for a year with almost no problem. I say "almost" because one time they both tried to eat the same mouse from opposite ends . . . we had to get one off the mouse to keep it from being engulfed by the other one. But it only happened once.

Anyway, I'm curious as to your perspective on this issue, which appears to be quite controversial.

[Jason]

We had them in the same tank for a year while we built 2 other units, getting 6 at once is quite a kick in the nads if ya know what i mean, space was limited at best. the 3 that passed went rather quickly, after a few months. i dont house large snakes in the same tank at all, you will never will have enough room for a stress free enviroment imho. i agree with the experts form the other forum on this topic,but i normally house Garters or Corns in the same tank as i had feeding tanks set up and never fed in the Main display unit.

[Chu'Wuti]

Ahh, I see. I started out feeding mine in a feeding enclosure but recently have given that up. It would certainly help a lot if housing more than one snake in a tank. not that I would have tried taking the rattlers out of their tank for feeding . . . it was bad enough trying to separate the two!

[froggsong]

Jeez, Chu... I can't imagine trying to disengage a rattler from a rodent... I bet that was scary!

[beckdg]

seperate them... keep offering what they will eat on there schedule maybe an extra day or 2... don't worry til after a couple months or when they look sick.

[AzDaddy]

thanks for the help i was kind of thinking that might be the problem ill get them separated right away

[Chu'Wuti]

I can't imagine trying to disengage a rattler from a rodent... I bet that was scary!

A little nerve-wracking, yes, but we were using snake tongs and being VERY, VERY CAREFUL, believe me!