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  1. #1
    BPnet Veteran Orlandoflor's Avatar
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    need help ball python wont eat

    well i have a nice female 100% het clown that has not eaten for me since i got her in febuary she was eating just fine before i got her. i got her from a good breeder and he said she was pounding food. but ever since i got her she wont eat. she was in a 6 quart tub hot spot was like 90 and cool side was 78-80 i keep all my snake in tubs and have a helix that controls temp i have a temp gun and i always check temps. i have treid from day old rat pups to older and from hopper mice to adult mouse. at first i thought it was because the move and i gave her time to adjust but now im very worried she has not been eating for a long time she is currently 200 something grams forgot what is was exactly. does any one know what to do. i would take her to a vet but there are no vets around her that i know of and the closest ones are two hours away or more so i hope you guys can help. also i have her in newpaper do you think if i switch substrate will that work.
    Last edited by Orlandoflor; 05-25-2011 at 11:12 PM.

  2. #2
    Registered User murdermurder's Avatar
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    The first and most important thing i'd do, was contact the breeder to find out how much she weighed when you got her.So you know how much body weight she's lost. That'll help you find out how concerned you need to be.

    Second you need to switch up your feeding strategies.
    Have you tried feeding at night? Are you feeding live, or f/t? If you feed f/t, have you tried heating it first? Or maybe try offering live? Maybe try different prey items, like ASF's, or regular mice?

    If she's hungry, and healthy she'll eat. It's not a mystery.
    Just relax, and be methodical.

    Panicing is not allowed!!
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    Simple Man (05-26-2011)

  4. #3
    BPnet Veteran Orlandoflor's Avatar
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    Re: need help ball python wont eat

    Well when I got her they said she ate Live so I haven't tried f/t I have fed at night all night if it's a rat pup I tried mice can't get ASF rats in west coast. But I'll see if I can do something to get her to feed

  5. #4
    Reptiles EVERYWHERE! Foschi Exotic Serpents's Avatar
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    A vet will just stress her more. Give it time. The best strategy for getting a new BP to eat is this.. Small, dark, private enclosure. At least one tight fitting hide box, and then ignore her for a week.

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    Simple Man (05-26-2011)

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    BPnet Veteran Orlandoflor's Avatar
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    Re: need help ball python wont eat

    Quote Originally Posted by Foschi Exotic Serpents View Post
    A vet will just stress her more. Give it time. The best strategy for getting a new BP to eat is this.. Small, dark, private enclosure. At least one tight fitting hide box, and then ignore her for a week.
    Yeah I know most of my other ball python I have gotten did not eat for a week or two but I got her in the begging of Febuary.

  8. #6
    Reptiles EVERYWHERE! Foschi Exotic Serpents's Avatar
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    Do you know of any experienced breeders in your area? If it continues to lose weight, you may have to do an assist feed with a very small food item. Small mouse or rat crawler. Something a little smaller than the snakes is wide.

    Sometimes this is required with BPs that are still very young and too much weight loss could eventually be dangerous. It can trigger their feeding response but I don't recommend doing it alone without someone with experience helping you the first time. You don't want to injure the snake.

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