hatchling ball python refuse to eat

[rhinorush]

hi everyone

i got hatchling baby butter ball python (hatch date 10 nov 2011, got first shed on 19 of nov 2011)

until now she refuse to eat anything, i try various food item (rat pup,jumper mice,rat baby to pinky mice) and all she do is strike it heavily but refuse to constrict and eat the food item...all her siblings is already eat

i also put hiding inside her cage

her condition is seems 'ok' still full alert, not weak or appear sick.

is this condition common in ball python hatchling ? (this is my first breeding year)
any advise to handle this situation?

thanks for any help and input

[KingPythons]

hi everyone

i got hatchling baby butter ball python (hatch date 10 nov 2011, got first shed on 19 of nov 2011)

until now she refuse to eat anything, i try various food item (rat pup,jumper mice,rat baby to pinky mice) and all she do is strike it heavily but refuse to constrict and eat the food item...all her siblings is already eat

i also put hiding inside her cage

her condition is seems 'ok' still full alert, not weak or appear sick.

is this condition common in ball python hatchling ? (this is my first breeding year)
any advise to handle this situation?

thanks for any help and input

U might sometimes end up with a black sheep, yes it happens. Depending on weight for me, I'll force feed. This is of course something I do I'm not saying you should but that is totally up to you. I have in the past just because his or her siblings were getting bigger then her in no time. Eventually after the 2nd 3rd force fed they got the picture and started eating on thier own. Just give her some time and try Aspen bedding as a substrate, it's worked for me.

[rhinorush]

@kingpython: thank you very much for the advise. i will try it 2 morrow to assist feed her. hope this work b cuz i really don't want 2 lose her.

will they eventually one day understand how to feed them self or there is a case of ball python that live their entire live by assist feeding?

[Bigfish1975]

Its not uncommon, I had one little guy that was a little bit slower than all my others. I waited to offer food until 1 week after they shed. I started half the babies on hopper mice and half on rat pinks. Here are a couple other ideas to try before force feeding. Don't offer food every day. Offer food, if its not taken that day, wait 5 days to offer again. you can put the snake in a brown paper bag with the food item and leave it alone for a while. Also, I've never had to do it, but there is force feeding and assist feeding. There are some videos on these techniques. Look on you tube for BP feeding. Some people I've heard will dip chicken stock on the prey, usually for F/T feeders.If all else fails you can take it to a vet and get it checked out. Be patient, it will probably eat.

[rhinorush]

@bigfish:thanks for the advice, paper bag method is worth 2 try. i try with 5 day offer method but they still refuse it.

is that hatchling with this kind a problem will grow to be healthy happy snake? (feed well, breed and produce good egg) or this kind of snake will turn out to be unhealthy and unhappy snake? which is not recommended for breeding purpose?

[West Coast Jungle]

I have hatched many ball pythons and once in a while you get one that takes a while to start eating. If the snake looks healthy I would still wait a bit longer before assist feeding, which can be real stressfull to a snake. Make sure you have him in a small tub with a tight hide and leave him alone for 5 days without disturbing him. Offer a live hopper mouse in the evening and if he refuses take him out and go another 5 days. He is just striking because he is nervous, these are defensive strikes, not a feeding strike.

I have had a hatchling go more than 10 weeks after shed and then eat. I would wait to assit feed if he starts to loose any weight but you would be real suprised how long they can go without food. I only assist feed and not force feed.

[rhinorush]

@west coast jungle: thanks you very much for the idea..i got the point of my snake being nervous.lot of my friend come and see the snake and some of them pick up the snake to choose before they bought them, i think is because of that two of them have this problem.
i must admit this all my fault and carelessness.

i hope after this i everything should be alright

thank you very much for all the help....i will let you guys know the result when they are start feeding

[Bigfish1975]

The babies that I had turned out to be good feeders, even the slower ones. I sold those guys only by coincidence. However if I had say 5 or 6 babies I was trying to choose my holdbacks from. If all things considered they were all similar quality, I would probably opt to keep the ones that were the best feeders right off the bat if I couldn't keep them all. Just my opinion. Try these techniques and like Raul said, leave them alone and be patient.

[rhinorush]

yes i thinks patient is the key of everything.

now i put them in the separate room from the rest, so they will find more security.

iam hoping they start feeding soon

[kitedemon]

double check all your husbantry make sure all the temps are correct especially if too warm or cold they will not digest properly and will not eat due to this.