Alternate Option to "Last Resort" - Feeding

[valhalha30]

I had a nagging issue with my normal female girl and eating.

She refused everything for months. I was starting to get really worried, and I was morribly waiting for the day I would come home to a dead python.
It's not like I didn't try, I tried tons of variables for her prey items: Color, size, smell, braining, rats, mice, movement, noise, temps, how furry, no fur, ect..... I was contemplating assist-feeding.... but after research I decided that would be the Hail Mary, Last Resort if nothing else worked within the end of this week.
SO, yesterday, I had some large (12 day old) fuzzies availible. I decided to put one in her tank and see what she'd do. After an hour of slithering around it, as if she was thinking about the kill, she laid still.... and just watched it. After another half an hour, she crept up to it, and snatched it. She constricted it, and ate. In excitement, she searched for more... so I thawed out 2 fuzzies the same size as the one she ate live. I put them both in there... but she ignored them. I then picked one fuzzie up, and emulated live movement. She struck, constricted and ate it. I repeated for the third one as well, and so did she.
She now has a full belly, and is re-introduced to eating.... so, for those considering assist or force feeding, try feeding your snake a smaller, live prey item before acting on the "Last Resort"

Just thowing my new-found method out there, not sure if it's original or if it will work will every snake... but I thought I'd share anyways

[nachash]

Your story pulled my heart strings, as I have had to deal with a picky eater and did the whole gambit of eating options. It's crazy how no other snake is as much the gourmand as the ball python...
Now I have reached a similar solution, but instead of live I offer f/t. My trick is that both my ball pythons are left with the rodent in the cage, and I leave the room altogether. I raise the body temp of the rodent to around my body temp, but I leave the room and just hope to not see a rodent upon my return. I found that no amount of wiggling entices the snakes.
It makes me sad because I loved watching them eat, but I prefer that to watching them refuse meals. I also don't handle any snake around 2 days prior to feeding it and two days after.
But you do bring up an important point. So many people love feeding oversize prey, and I am convinced that oversize prey (live or F/T) is a fantastically awful way to get a ball python off feeding.

[valhalha30]

Thank you.
And I agree, I think I was offering too big of food items to her... and she felt intimidated... but my pastel would go for the same prey item every time.
Even he ate a live fuzzie and was enticed by the scent of a f/t fuzzie... and this is the same snake that eats small adult mice with no issue lol.
I was so emotional when she ate the first one, and I think I'm helping her regain confidence about eating. I hope she does a huge rebound, despite her feeding issue, which could've been my fault, I love her personality. I would be shattered if she passed.

[SaintTawny]

My jerkface pastel female Rhea was off feed for almost 6 months. I tried every form and size of mice and rats during that time. Nothing. Finally, last week I rearranged her whole living situation, moved her from near the top of my rack to the very bottom, her new tub is MUCH tighter than the old one, so it has higher humidity, but it has a slightly lower temp being at the bottom, and I switched her from aspen back to paper towels, and gave her a whole new hide. Finally, she took a mouse last week, and she took two mice yesterday. I had tried mice before, but apparently she felt like she needed a change of scenery.

[valhalha30]

BP's are strange... as I've come to learn lol. Each and every BP has a different personality and "taste".... just like they all have their own special patterns just like we have our own special fingerprints.