NEW SAND BOA WONT EAT ):

Ok someone please give me some guidance, I'm a newbie with snakes. My sand boa Frida is my first snake, born November, I received her mid-July. So I'm new with picky eaters since my lizards always eat. The breeder who gave her to me said her last feeding was July 11th. I have tried EVERYTHING to get her to eat but I've ended up wasting 10 mice because she refuses. I use frozen/thawed, same as the breeder did. She ate for the breeder every time no problem. She seems active and healthy, not about to shed.

Here is everything I've tried:
-feeding at day
-feeding at night
-feeding IN the tank
-feeding in a SEPARATE container
-washing the pinkie to cleanse of manufacturer smells
-dragging pinkie along snake's back
-dangling in front of snake's face
-leaving pinkie in with snake overnight
-putting pinkie and snake in deli cup
-rubbing tuna on pinkie
-braining pinkie

The snake just turns away and ignores the pinkie everytime...someone please help I'm so frustrated and want her to be ok!

Set-up: aspen shavings over carpet, UTH 24/7, 50W bulb during the day, under aspen temps about 95 degrees, air temps averaging 80, water dish always, a hide and a plant

I would try a live pinky, or a freshly prekilled one. There's a wide range of quality of frozen rodents out there, and your snake was used to a certain source of rodents that likely smell different than what you're sourcing.

Probably, the snake was used to living in a small (shoebox size) tub. If you have the snake in a larger enclosure, especially if that enclosure is glass-sided, the snake may not feel secure. The 50w lamp is likely unnecessary for heat, and may be contributing to a feeling of insecurity in the snake also.

It really sounds like you've tried quite a few very sensible things so far; you sound like the kind of person who will succeed at this. Don't worry!

Unfortunately I’ve researched getting a live pinkie and there is no where even near where I live that sells them. I mean is she going to starve herself? I figured she has to eat at some point right? I wouldn’t think her instincts would let her die from hunger if I’m trying

It is sometimes hard to say what "instincts" will tell an animal to do when it is in a completely unnatural environment (captivity). It is quite possible that snakes don't experience hunger anything like we do, too.

Yes, you are trying, and that's good. You've tried most of the commonly suggested feeding tricks for hatchlings. One more you might try is to boil the pink: heat up a couple cups of water to a hard boil, take it off the heat, drop a thawed pink into the water for 10-15 seconds, remove the pink and cool it before presenting it to the snake. I'd suggest 'tease feeding' from tongs when the snake is in ambush mode rather than when the snake is out cruising the tank.

When you change an aninal's situation (enclosure, daylight cycle, humidity, ambient scents, frequency of handling), its eating habits/preferences may well change. If you post more info/pics about the cage setup here, maybe you can get more feedback as to whether the enclosure may be part of the issue. I suspect it is.

Contacting the breeder for more tips and suggestions might be fruitful, too.

Ok I am attaching photos. The yellow line is about where the UTH is. I don't have a temp gun, but I did place the thermometer under the substrate on the warm side and it gets up to 98ish on the reptile carpet. I maybe should mention that most of the time I find her on the cold side, not sure if that means anything but maybe she just prefers it.

The pics are helpful. Turn the lamp off -- the snake doesn't need it, and it is making it difficult for the snake to thermoregulate, since it is in the middle of the enclosure. Sand boas are secretive, and it likely wants to get away from the light, too.

Put a hide over the hot spot in addition to the one over the cool end. These hides are best if they are flat (rather than hollowed) since sand boas are said to prefer to feel a bit of weight on top of them. If you use hollow hides, the snake should just barely fit into them.

If the boa continues to stay on the cool side after you've removed the lamp, the hot spot is too hot and needs to be turned down (either with a thermostat [best option], an inline lamp dimmer, or mounting it under the tank but not directly in contact with the glass). 98 degrees is too hot. Tune the hot spot temp until the snake stays on it more than half the time, but less than all the time.

Don't handle the snake unnecessarily until you've got it feeding reliably again.

Is that a 10g tank? If it is larger than that, it is likely too large. Even a 10g might be too big for the boa to feel secure. This might be an issue, but I think you're running it too hot with not enough hide options.

Consider searching locally for a live pink (Craigslist, local snake breeder, etc). Sand boas are visual feeders, and it may need that wriggling stimulus.

Going back to the beginning: you said "The breeder who gave her to me". Does 'give' mean 'sold', or does it mean 'turned it over for free'? If the latter, I'm curious to pursue whether this snake was up to snuff in the first place. What exactly did the breeder say about the feeding problems? More information about how you acquired the snake might be helpful here.

The breeder sold her to me. He said she would eat no problem for him every time. He told me he would dangle the pinkie along her back until she struck. I've tried this but she just moves away. He suggested to try a live goldfish to simulate a live pinkie? I'm not sure about this since she's not a fish eating snake I don't know if she would like the smell of it. I called a pet store in my town and the man said I need to try soaking the pinkie in chicken broth so I bought some to try. Do you think I need to dangle it on her back or should I wiggle it in front of her face? Also, do I need to uncover her in the substrate to feed her or just wait until she pops her head out of the aspen at night? (She does this, I think she's nocturnal)
I think I have a 15 gallon tank; it's what the breeder told me to get. Perhaps I will go get a thermostat today for the UTH - I researched and there are 2 kinds, a dimmer and an on/off thermostat. What kind for the UTH?

I'm also skeptical of the goldfish idea since sand boas don't eat goldfish, but the breeder may have used that successfully in the past. Getting your snake hooked on goldfish would be a worse situation than you currently are in, though. It may be worth a try in a very extreme case, but I'd wait on it until you've exhausted all the more sensible recommendations (better temperature situation, more/better hides, and after giving those issues a few weeks to work, a live pinky).

Originally Posted by Ahurst

or just wait until she pops her head out of the aspen at night?

This. She's an ambush predator, so if you uncover her, she'll likely go into flee mode instead of staying in eating mode. Consider watching some sand boa feeding videos on YouTube (I'm certain there are a bunch) -- you'll get a feel for what the snake wants to be doing.

A dimmer is not a thermostat. A dimmer allows you to set the amount of power sent to the heat; a thermostat allows you to set the temperature of the heat mat. A thermostat is better, but more expensive. Honestly though, for your setup a dimmer would likely be fine. I've used this kind, which you can find at any hardware store, with acceptable results:
https://www.amazon.com/Leviton-TBL03...K319AVS12FHY52

I'm not a sand boa person, and you're getting good specific advice from Socratic Monologue, so I won't add anything more to that, but just a general piece of advice - snakes can go a LONG time without eating, so don't panic if it takes a while longer to get her to take food.

Back to your snake being an ambush predator, many new snake owners over-estimate the bravery of their snake. Remember that the prey should never seem to be approaching the snake, as that isn't the way it happens in nature, trust me on that. You've tried some good things already, but perhaps not in the right combination just yet...this is a bit like getting all the lottery numbers in order to win. And I've "been there"...it will FEEL like you've won when it finally works & your snake eats. One other thing, have you been handling your snake at all? If so, do stop. Best not to handle any new snake until it has fed easily for you at least 3 times, and at normal intervals. Remember that the only thing in nature that usually picks up a snake is a predator about to eat it! And fear totally disrupts a snake's ability to concentrate on food. It takes time for them to settle into a new home also...it's frightening & confusing. Is the cage located in a quiet location?

So just to review:
Never move the snake to another cage/container to feed...feed where they feel safe, which is where they live. (& moving involves handling, a setback)

Offering food too often just stresses them into more refusals. Don't offer this little one more often than once every 5-7 days. Your list of things tried is pretty long, so maybe this is what's actually working against you?

Feed at whatever time is normal for a snake to hunt...often that's at night.
You'll be right there but do your best not to be seen...stay as still as you can. Yes, I've been known to hold my breath too.

I assume you have been using feeding tongs to offer the pinky? Wait until
the snake's body language suggests they're looking for food...when they peek out of their hiding places (whether substrate or hide-box) that's the time. Pinkies don't take long to thaw...drop what you're doing & do it then.
***Make it appear that the pinky is cluelessly strolling near & past the snake...never approach the snake with it. You want the snake to feel it has the upper "hand" & to chase or pounce on it.*** And obviously, let go with the tongs the moment the snake makes a grab on it.

Good luck...stay patient...don't give up...