wont eat now

[harm286]

its been two weeks ... i try'd switchin her to live but i guess this a no no
so if she starts eating frozen thawed is there anyway to switch her to live ?

[dr del]

Hi,

To be honest if she eats F/T and you can get a good supply I probably wouldn't even try to switch her to live.

But that's just personal prefference.


dr del

[harm286]

no i can see what your saying ... but she hasnt ate at all and shes not taking live now so have i messed up already ?

[Kaorte]

Since most of us probably don't know your situation can you descirbe your setup in detail?

How long have you had the snake? How long has it not been eating?
How much does the snake weigh?
What feeding methods have you tried thus far?

Have you tried the crumpled up newspaper and a dark room and pre-scenting for 30 minutes?

[harm286]

Since most of us probably don't know your situation can you descirbe your setup in detail?

How long have you had the snake? How long has it not been eating?
How much does the snake weigh?
What feeding methods have you tried thus far?

Have you tried the crumpled up newspaper and a dark room and pre-scenting for 30 minutes?

ive had her for 2weeks and a half
she is 358 grams
my feeding method has been putting live in a box and putting her in it too
so far she has struck it but seems only in anger never really locked up ... its all ive tried but i dont know if i have already messed up do to the fact that she was feeding on f/t rat pups .... she was shipped and i would guess shiped empty and she was raised in a tub and i now have her in a tank ... she is out at night alot but only moving up as in get me the ............. out of here

crumple up newspaper and a dark room ?????
the dark room i get but what about the newspaper ??

[dr del]

Hi,

The crumpled newspaper is placed in the tank to make them feel more hidden.

But there are a few things to try first I think.

First thing is to replicate as well as you can the circumstances in which she ate in the past.

What I would try would be feeding her in her tank with an F/T rat pup.

Let it defrost near the tank for half an hour or so in order that she can smell it and know what is coming, and make sure to heat the head up so it is nice and warm ( I like using a hairdrier for this ).

Dont bring it too close to her in case you frighten her with it - about 4 or 5 inches is close enough. The idea is to let her come to the food and strike while still feeling as though she is ambushing it from her nice safe hide.

If she seems interested but doesn't strike you can lay it on the floor infront of her hide and leave the room to see if she will eat that way.

If it is still there in the morning just throw it away and try again next feed day.

At 358g she is big enough that missing 3 or 4 meals isn't going to be that serious a problem so don't panic just yet.

You could also ask the breeder if they could talk you through their feeding routine - it can be something as silly as how you do the zombie mouse dance that puts the snake off feeding.


dr del

[hawaiianice99]

Double check all its living conditions, try waiting a week, get an appropriately sized feeder and feed it in its enclosure.

BTW- its a ball python, they usually only come out around the night time hours and less often in the day.

[BlazingCasper]

PLEASE READ:

When I first got my PB, he did not take his food according to his regular schedule from the breeder.

He refused the first time but I got him to feed on the next schedule 1 week later. (He initially refused even at my second attempt.. but I got him to take it and now accepts his meals redily.)

This is how I did it:

I felt that my bp was stressed out from moving to a new home and new environment and probably yours is as well. But I knew that he was hungry and wanted to eat.

First, I tried to feed him with a feeding tonge which didn't work as he refused. But I knew he still wanted to take it but was uncomfortable when I was watching.

THIS IS HOW I DID IT: So I got a cardboard box (rubbermaid pastic container should work as well), covered the sides and bottom with paper towel, and I put him in there with a fully thawed mouse. I closed the top of the box, place something heavy so that he wouldn't escape and left him with his food for 20 minutes. I left the room to give him privacy (which I think is very important)

I came back 20 minutes later and he was half way through the mouse! I got to watch him eat his first meal with me.

I suggest you try this at your next feeding schedule. Don't overwhelm him nor try to force feed him. He is just probably stressed out right now.

Also, thaw the mouse close to him to "pre-scent" the room before feeding.

I thaw the mouse directly in hot water from tap in a cup for 15-20 min then dry with paper towel.

Hope this works for you!

Good Luck!