My baby ball python won't eat.

[naydusa]

For valentine's, my boyfriend got me a baby ball python. I've owned a ball python before and she ate well all the time. the only time she gave me a hard time was when she was shedding.
Now, my new baby boy doesn't want to eat. I have him in a nice enclosure, he has the light side and dark side, he has his water.
When I do try to feed him he just coils up. The reason i'm panicking now is because he's already exceeded two weeks.
Please help.

[Zincubus]

Please don't worry I'm sure he will be just fine . Many snakes , especially Royals ( Balls ) take at least a couple of weeks to settle down ! As to the not eating I one that went 9 ( nine ) months without eating and he was perfectly fine !!

[Zincubus]

Ideally you should try and let us know more about your set up ie the crucial things like the warm side temp and also the cool side temperatures. Info on where his hides are situated , maybe he's just going into shed anyways ...

[Kira]

Are you feeding frozen/thawed or live? I agree with Zincubis- we need a bit more information. Do you have a thermostat to regulate your UTH?

When I tried to feed my new BP she wouldn't take it off the tongs (f/t). She actually seemed afraid of the mouse and curled up into a tight ball. I left it in the enclosure and gave her some space. 10 minutes later I went in to check on her and the mouse was gone! Your snake might just be a shy eater like mine. If you haven't yet, try to leave his dinner in the enclosure for a few minutes and see if that helps.

[Zincubus]

When she's settled down there are loads of ways , some have success by leaving the thawed mouse at the entrance to the hide OVERNIGHT , just remember to check the following morning

[Zincubus]

This method WORKS if done properly ...
Warm the thawed mouse /rat with a hairdryer until warm and dangle in front of their face using tongs - keep repeating the warming and offering process until it's taken , may take 6 or 7 attempts initially .
A couple of mine will only strike feed from within their hides so I do as dangle the rodent in front of the hide's entrance - usually works but if it fails simply reheat the rodent with a hairdryer and immediately offer again whilst it's still warm , continue until it's grabbed ...
I always wait until evenings to feed as they're nocturnal of course .

Incidentally , if it shows no interest at all not even a tongue flicker maybe it's best to leave for a week .

[Marzipan]

Also, how big is his enclosure? It's not unknown for ball pythons to refuse eating if they feel to insecure in a large space. If he is only young and he is in a full size vivarium, you probably want to move him to a smaller one.

As others have said, it depends on some of the finer details and your setup. But they also do take a while to settle into a new home.

[Aste88]

As said in the posts above you need to provide more info about your setup (size, hides, heating etc) for us to help you.

Also read this https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...-hatchling-101

[naydusa]

He finally ate and is doing so much better.

I did try to leave the thawed mouse for him to eat in case he was a shy eater but that didn't work.
His tongue was starting to lose color and i had to force feed him. I know some might not agree with that but i felt it was the only option, since he is still very young and can't go long without eating. It had already been a month that he hadn't eaten, and he had just shed when my boyfriend bought him.
I probably will never force feed him again since it's a lot of stress for him but I'm just really glad he's an active boy!
Thank you to everyone who helped

[naydusa]

Fyi: I force fed a pinkie and it was very quick.