new bp owner

[lidjamay]

hey guys my name is Lydia. I got two ball pythons two weeks ago. I owned a Burmese for 18 years so I'm not stupid when it comes to snakes just when it comes to ball pythons. I'm having feeding issues. Neither ate while at the store just at the previous vendor. And when i got them home neither would eat so the beginning of last week I tried to feed them and no luck with fuzzys so I tried pinkies well I got one to eat one pinkie (though she should be eating at least two in my opinion or atleast one fuzzy) but the other would not eat so i took it to a friend who breeds bps and she assist fed her because she has lost 5 grams and was very dehydrated because she was so stressed. It came feeding time again today for the one who did eat on her own and i tried another fuzzie and she wouldnt go near it so i'm not sure what to do since she has eaten just try the pinkies again i'm jsut afraid she wont gain weight and grow if she is only eating a pinkie once a week (though i'm trying more often) I'm just at a loss here. I can't assist feed myself because I am not confident that i can do it properly. and I don't want to keep bugging my friend, any tips tricks that might help. oh and the one who did eat is not dehydrated so thats a good sign i guess.

also if there are any other things that maybe important to know about ball pythons please let me know

[Redneck_Crow]

Hi Lydia!

You're not coming across as stupid. You're coming across as someone who is used to burms. Ball pythons often aren't as ravenous as burms typically are. It takes them longer to settle into a new home. Ball pythons are also often prey imprinted. If you're offering them mice, try rats, and vice versa. Dehydration is something they will usually correct on their own if you give them a water bowl.

Some of them are very picky. I have one who thinks that f/t is of the devil and mice are nasty. The other two will eat anything in sight. Go figure....

[lidjamay]

yea i was told they are very picky like i said I think i'm going to try the f/t pinkies one the one who has eaten maybe i can get two this time! and as for the one who needed to be assisted today they said she might need that a couple times to get some size then she might eat. I was also suggested live but I'm not to sure about that plus trying to find live feeders around here is hard. They are both super social and sweet but just a pain to feed.

[Redneck_Crow]

It's a pain in the butt to find live feeders here too, and I don't care to raise them because they stink.

So for the time being I have to drive a few miles once a week to get Miss Picky the two rat pups she demands.

How big are the pythons? Some of them will refuse if the prey is smaller than they are used to.

[lidjamay]

i'm not 100% sure but somewhere around 18 inches

[Redneck_Crow]

They would probably take rat pups for you at that size. That is about the size my Lily is, and that is all she will eat.

[Vypyrz]

Hello, and to BP.net.

The first thing is to check for any husbandry issues.
-What type of enclosures are you using?
-What are the sizes and/or dimensions of the enclosures?
-Are you housing the snakes together in one enclosure?
-What are you using for heat sources?
-How are you controlling the heat sources?
-What are your warm and ambient temperatures?
-What is your humidity?
-What are you using to monitor the temps and humidity?
-What type of hides are you using, and how many?
-Are you feeding mice or rats, and are they live or frozen/thawed?

If you could post a photo, it would help, but is not necessary.

[lidjamay]

I will have to try that! Thanks a lot for the help! Seeing my new baby so dehydrated and small made me so sad I felt like i was doing something wrong because I never had a problem getting my burm to eat lol

[lidjamay]

okay let's see f i can answer all of these questions

-I am using a heat lamp its a blue bulb I can't remember the wattage
- the warm side is 88 right now and the ambient side is around 80
- Humidity is low around 30%
- I have a cheap thermostat and humidity gauge
- I have a log hide right now just one in each cage
- I'm using f/t mice

[lidjamay]

oh and its a 10 gallon enclosure with a metal top