Baby ball python wont eat!!!

[MandyMalice]

My ball is 2 months old and she is about to be on her 3rd week of not eating. When we got her we were informed that she was being fed live so we are attempting to get her to eat frozen. She is in a large/wide exo terra enclosure and her heat and humidity are closely monitored and remain in a good range. She seems very comfortable in her habitat and has a good routine going, staying in her heated hide during the day and coming out to explore at night. We have not handled her in the two weeks since we brought her home so that she could properly establish in her new home so I would not think that that would effect her feeding. We have tried heating the frozen mice in hot (not to hot though) water, cutting it open to expose brain, and dipping it in chicken broth, so far she has only struck at it once, but she dropped it. We are willing to feed her live if we have to , but we would very much prefer it for her safety if she ate frozen. So I guess I have two questions here. How long is it safe to attempt feeding her frozen before ultimately feeding live, seeing as she is a baby? And are there any tricks to feeding frozen that might help her take to this. I would appreciate any help here.

[MmmBanana]

I got a baby BP that was only eating live when I got her. It took her about 3 months before she would start taking thawed. And still she will only eat if the feeder is left in her tub over night. I would give her live till she is well established in her new home. Then slowly offer thawed. Its something you may need to be patient with. Also, as comfortable as you think she seems, moving her into a smaller more confined tank/tub would help her feel more secure. Thatll increase the chance of her taking thawed. My baby BEL started in a 20g tank and never even showed interest in thawed. After being in a small confined tub for 2 weeks, she began consistently taking thawed. If a smaller tank/tub isn't an option, then covering the sides of the terrarium with paper could help as well.

[OneEyedFox]

Can I see a picture of the enclosure? And can I have exact measurements on the temps and humidity? A large enclosure for a baby sounds like it might stress the animal out although if you have enough clutter (fake plants, hides) along the tank then it’s okay, but if it’s just two hides and a water bowl, then it can potentially be too much space and is making the animal feel less secure, which could end up in it refusing food.

My snake took a while to get on f/t but I just had to keep trying. You can also try heating it with a blow dryer on top of the animals tank to get the scent and have the animal already ready to eat when you put the mouse in. Try leaving it in there over night. Since it’s f/t there’s no risk of leaving the prey in the tank unmonitored.


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[MD_Pythons]

You'll want to read this

[Rvnhawk]

I second the post MD_Pythons posted. That’s the only way I’ve gotten my girl to eat. And she’s still on live at this point. She just isn’t having f/t yet, 5 months in.


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[Stewart_Reptiles]

Babies are designed to eat so IMO it's likely a combination of husbandry issue (the animal's needs for security not met) and the fact that you want to feed f/t to an animal previously feeding on live.

If you want to switch you want to do it with a consistent feeder which mean you want to feed the same prey than previously offered at least 5 times and if the animal is consistent and has a good body weight you want to start switching.

Trying to switch a new animal to F/T while it is trying to adjust is rarely working, trying to switch an animal if you have husbandry issue will not work either.

At two months old house the snake according to the link posted above and feed the same way 5 times, than try switching. Once the animal is 200 grams gradually upgrade the enclosure.

Two months old are not mean to be in a

large/wide exo terra enclosure

[mama_arty]

i think it was already pointed out, but my girl had a good amount of time where she went through a fast while getting settled. IDK if she was on live previously, but we went through a good 3 month hunger strike when she got to me. If you know the set up is right and she has no reason to be feeling scared then it may just take time.
I can't offer advice on switching from live to f/t, I just kept offering food... left it in the cage overnight. I've had her a year and only once have actually witnessed the taking of food.