When do I know when my baby python is hungry?

Question

I have a baby Ball Python and he hasn't eaten in like 2 1/2 weeks. How do I know when he's hungry?

Answer 1

Beleive it or not, snakes have individual personality & attitude. My Burmese Python fasted for 6 months, just one time in 7 yrs. He did lose weight but the vet assured me he was only fasting & sure enough, he finally ate again. While my Python killed his own food, My Common Boa had an overbite & had trouble controlling/holding on to live food so he was fed "stunned" rodents, slightly incapacitated with a thump on the forehead, between the eyes & ears. Nature has provided rodents with the ability to go into shock when captured so it's not cruel & snakes get their prey by the face 99% of the time so it's quick. Besides, allowing a snake to practice it's natural instincts can make the snake more docile to humans. Being fed already dead food, deprives them of their natural practices & they can become tempermental. BALL PYTHONS are by nature, timid, non-agressive & stubborn snakes so if he feels threatened by a rodent too big for him or an especially agressive rodent, he won't attempt to kill it so a couple smaller critters as opposed to one larger one might be best & if he's refusing ready-kill too, he may prefer live . Just be careful when you toss in #2 because snakes remain agressive a few minutes after swallowing their 1st helping & might accidently get your finger. I was bitten once & while it didn't hurt any more than a shot, it made me jump! LOL!

Answer 2

You Ball Python should be eating a pinky to a fuzzy a week, depending on the size of the snake. If it is not eating, then it may be getting ready to go into a shed, or it may be ill. If the snake does not want to eat, you may have to force feed the snake. I would NEVER recommend doing this on your own.

Some of other things might be a problem if the mouse is too big, if the snake is injured, or has some kind of infection / parasite / fungus.

When I first got my baby ball, It wouldn't eat. It had just shed, and it still had it's eyecaps on. I won't eat if it can't see very well (at least mine won't). Has the snake ever eaten for you? Have you witnessed it eat before you got it?

My best advice would be to take the snake to the pet store where they sell the mice, preferably one that is reputable for tropicle pets. Show them the snake and ask them about mice size, feeding times and places, and if they might be able to notice any illness. If they don't have the answers, contact local breeders in your area. Last case senario, contact a local vet with knowledge of herpatology.

Answer 3

Have you offered him food in the past 2.5 week? A baby ball python should be eating every 5-7 days (as an adult, every 10-14 days).
If you haven't been offering him food, do so. If you have, and he just doesn't want it, make sure that:
1) it's small enough. a large food item can be scary for a shy ball python.
2) it's warm enough. I'm guessing you're feeding frozen/thawed, as opposed to live, right? (if not, you should). Once it's thawed, soak it in hot water for about a minute until it's quite warm, and when you feed, wiggle it around in front of the snake and leave it in his cage overnight if he doesn't accept.
3) he has fully digested his last meal. i don't feed my snakes until the lump from their former meal is gone and until they act hungry - out and about / on the prowl. if the temp in the tank is too low, he may still be digesting it.
4) make sure you're meeting his requirements in terms of cage size (if it's too big, he'll be stressed - if it's too small, he'll be cramped. a mid-sized rubbermaid is fine for a baby ball python - or a 20 gallon tank), humidity (spray once a day), heat (he should have a hot spot of about 88F, and the cool side of the cage should be about 78F), etc.
5) do not handle him the day you plan on feeding him.

Have you fed him before? Or did you just get him 2.5 weeks ago and he just hasn't eaten? If he hasn't eaten with you before, inquire with the petstore or breeder about what they were feeding him before you got him. If they were feeding him mice, and you're trying to feed him rats, for example, he may refuse, so offer the same food that the former owner did.
Make sure the food is warm, and you can try different scents like chicken (soak in chicken broth), brain (if it's a pinky, you can squish its head - snakes seem to love the smell of brain), gerbil (take some gerbil fur or bedding and put it on the rat/mouse - i've gotten many a finicky newly hatched snake to eat using this method!)
Make sure that you turn out the lights for at least a couple hours before feeding him. You can leave the prey item in the cage overnight (as long as it isn't alive).

Once he's feeding regularly, you can observe his behaviour and it will become obvious when he's hungry. He'll creep around at night and track your movement in front of his cage. Also, make sure he poops at least once every 3 meals. If he doesn't, don't feed him until he does - you can soak him in a couple inches of warm water to induce it.

Answer 4

no ball Python should be given a pinkie its too small feed all snakes 1 time a week so you know its very common for balls to go "off feed" in the winter my 3 haven't eaten in a month don't worry to much as long as it isn't loosing weight

Answer 5

awesome! You have a python!!

Answer 6

i guess when he is restless ? you know we common people dont keep pythons as pets

Answer 7

when u see it eating your cat