What better way to be welcomed into the world of keeping my first ball python then having an issue feeding the beauty. So I will do my best to describe all situations in which the snake is in so that maybe the community can find what I cannot.

Origin to now: According to my notes, I have received my snake (Nagini) on the First of February. I purchased her from her original owner of two years. I weighed her on the 5th and she was 720 grams (31 inches). On the 14th she began showing signs of shed and I have bathed here 3 times in the next 4 days and tried my best to mist the cage for better humidity and she shed on the 18th. It was a bad shed which I had to help her get a good deal off. Disappointing with all the baths I gave but none the less wiped her down good and she is shiny as ever . I weighed her a few days later on the 24th and she was at 680 grams. I weighed her 2 days ago and she was 681 grams.


Feeding: The original owner said he fed her both live and F/T, in her cage, which he had aspen digs for the cage I believe. He also said that she had not eaten for 1.5 weeks. First attempt of feeding was the day after I got her with a live mouse in a larger brown high walled box. The box seemed more interesting to her than the mouse. After doing this for 3 days in a row I read that multiple feeding attempts stress the snake. I wait a week then try to feed her on the 8th, same story, the box is the coolest thing in the world. More research is done during the week and I find out that snakes like eating on the same thing that they originally lived on. So I decided that for my humid hide I was putting in her cage on the 24th that I would use the previous owners substrate as the humidity holder. I also tried to feed the 22nd, in the cage, using the same mouse, even holding it by the tail sometimes at the entrance of the humid hide. She showed some interest but no biting after staring at it for 15 minutes and I called it a night. I feed Nagini around 8pm when I do and with minimal disturbances. I am trying to feed her now in a smaller cardboard box with the mouse and a towel over it to have Nagini feel secure but I still see her trying to escape the box every five minutes or so. Thus bringing me to write this.

P.S. I kept the same living mouse over the past month for trying to feed her, so I use the same one every time, as cute as the thing is, I want it to be in my cute snake. Only thing I did not try and will try next week is F/T, other than that any advice?


Husbandry: 20 gal tank, UTH on the left side which is 100 deg F on the floor (In the hide though it is 94 deg after getting to the plastic of it), Water dish on the closer end of the left hand side with the UTH under it to keep the water warmer. In the middle of the tank is my CHE 100W and another water dish (cooler one). On the right side is another hide and a rougher rock for shed and itchy spot purposes. The ambient temperature at the left/middle of the cage is about 85 deg F and on the cool side (Right Side) it is roughly 78. Since this is Ohio and winter it is illustriously about 25% humidity outside the hide. Inside the hide I can get it to be about 45-60% humidity at all times. (Once summer comes I might have to remove humidity though X-p since it reaches 80% easily) Finally on top of the cover I use cardboard covered in foil that is soon to be Plexiglas.


Temperament: My baby is adorable in every way, she likes slithering everywhere and is not "Bally" in defense after you handle her for about 20 seconds from getting her out of the humid hide. Never nipped at me once, owner says she did to him once while he was feeding her. (I would take a bite for her to eat now!!!!!) Anyways, lover her and I think she classifies me as "not trying to eat me." Life is good outside the eating part.


Notes: Sometimes looked like she will strike with "The Pose" but does nothing with it.


I would like to thank all of you for your help and any replies will be read.

Picture 1 is Nagini



Picture 2 is her not wanting anything to do with the mouse.



Picture 3 is the Terrarium/aquarium