Can anyone help me get my Ball Python to eat. I've had her for 2 weeks and offerred 2 mice in that time.?

Question

I can't get her to take them. HELP

Answer 1

Give the snake a week to settle into its new home. After that you can handle it and feed it. It should be fed once a week. Don't handle it for at least 2 days after feeding. If you hold it too soon after eating it can cause it to regurgitate the food. The food should be the same width as the widest part of the snake's body. Don't worry about your snake staving, they can go months without eating....which ball pythons are known to do during the fall/winter months. As long as the snake isn't visably losing weight dont get too worried.

G.G.

Answer 2

IT is possible she is getting ready to shedd, they will eat less untill the shed, and i would make sure the temp in the cage is warm enough. IF temp isnt warm enought it could cause her to throw up her food. 2wks still isnt a long time, so i personally wouldnt be worried, yet. Just continue to offer her food on occasion as you are doing. Remember never to leave the mice in the cage, as the mice can bite the snake, you always want a seperate holding container for live foods such as a ten gallon tank. If you are offering frozen mice make sure the mice are dethawed properly, and warm enough for her to look at it as a food source. Worst case scenario...... If this pattern continues for a mnth or more, you can try this although it will sound really gross. ON most of my snakes that were picky eaters / underweight/ and refused food, remember snakes are drawn to brain matter. I fed my guys live and frozens. MY blood python would only eat food this way, i would bop a defrosted mouse on the head, just enough to crush it a little, the brain matter is to tempting for them to ignore. hope this helps, and hope i didnt gross you out, but it works.

Answer 3

I've read that ball pythons can be 'stubborn' feeders sometimes. First make sure that their food is no larger than them (at their thickest part). Sometimes 'white' mice may not work as well as brown or black mice, try this. Try a rat pup next and if this doesn't work gerbils have been known to excite an unwilling ball python. Good luck. Nothing to panic about , yet.

Answer 4

That's common. He's new to his surroundings so that might be it. Or he might be getting ready to shed. Alot of snakes will go off feed before a shed. Check to see if his eyes are clouded over. Thats a sign of a coming shed. After he sheds try again. Make sure his temps are good and he has a good thermal gradient. Warmer on one side of the tank cooler on the other. That way he can regulate his body temp as he needs to. Ball pythons can be picky eaters. It's best to try frozen mice first. Thaw them out in a zip-lock bag in a cup of hot tap water. Try that every two or three days. After a week or so if he doesn't eat try a live mouse. The mouse can be a little bit bigger around than the snake at his widest point. Not his head. His body. Don't leave a live prey item in the cage with him for too long. A rodent left with a snake that doesn't want to eat can hurt or even kill your snake. Two weeks isn't really a long time for a snake to go without food. They can go for alot longer with no problems. Also you might want to check out few ball python care sheets. My favorites are these.

http://www.anapsid.org/ball.html
http://www.kingsnake.com/ballpythonguide/index.html

Check them out and make sure you're doing everything they say. Reptiles are special and everything needs to be perfect for them to be in captivity. Allso go to http://www.kingsnake.com Check out the ball python forum. Those people can answer any question you have about your snake. Pobably alot better than most of the people on yahoo answers. I've seen alot of bad advice on here especialy when it comes to reptiles.

Answer 5

Ball pythons are picky eaters even as they are youthful...i have had one for 12 years and through the iciness, he would not devour in any respect. make positive the tank is eighty levels and upwards of 20% humidity and that it has a large number of unpolluted water. visit a puppy keep and be conscious in the adventure that they have got a snake urge for foodstuff stimulant. some are placed on the mice and others contained in the snake's mouth rapidly or of their water. they frequently comprise B supplementations which make the snake hungry. also, try dipping the foodstuff (stay or earlier frozen) in fowl broth. commonly snakes don't love the heady scent of mice even as they are youthful because, instinctively, they are not the organic foodstuff of decision. If the snake's abdomen (underside) has a tinge of pink/redness or cloudy eyes, the snake may be about to shed, wherein case it may likely not take foodstuff. also, if the tummy has any coloration to it, the snake may be ill and favor a vet visit. The puppy keep ought to not have offered you a snake that wasn't eating, yet that is an complete 'nother tale.

Answer 6

From personal experience, a Ball python may not always like mice. Mine for example liked to be fed slices of perch fish. Raw of course. Preferably a little warm. This may help, if not, try another small mammal, like a gerbil. Also mine only ate every two weeks.

Answer 7

was she captive bred or wild caught? What was she eating before you got her?
I've heard wild caught ball pythons can be very difficult to get to eat. I'd also heard sometimes feeder GERBILS (vs mice) will tempt them. I never had a problem getting mine to eat - but paid attention to advice given to others just in case.
One person said just put the mouse in - DO NOT do that. Mice and rats can, will and have bitten and killed snakes if left in the cage alive with them.

Answer 8

Some do not like mice try and find out what your sanke had been fed before you got her. My friend has one who did not eat for almost a year. She had to force feed her the first few times but got her on a schedule and she now eats regularly.
Good luck.

Answer 9

I had a corn snake who used to eat every week, one tiny mouse per week. Then she stopped eating and did not take a mouse for about 8 weeks, the 9th time we tried she took the mouse. Give the snake time to settle, if you are having no joy take her to a vet who knows about snakes, ours advised that if she was healthy but did not eat they could force feed her but that sounds really harsh and we would only have done that if she did not eat for ages. They do get stressed out easily, don't worry just yet.

Answer 10

mice are too big for baby snakes try pinkies or fuzzys plus they eat about 1 time every 2 to 3 weeks