almost a successful feed!

I got my ball python almost a week ago, he is an 08 albino. I tried feeding him for the first time today and it was almost successful! I took him out and put him in a feeding container. First i just put the f/t adult mouse in the container with him. He struck and latched onto the mouse, held onto it for about 5 seconds and then just let go... I then used tongs to wiggle it in front of him and he struck but missed. After that he just kept trying to climb out so i put him back into his enclosure. I still had a feeling he might take it so i put the mouse on a paper towel in enclosure and left it in there. Came back an hour later and it was still there so i just got rid of it. He also was previously feeding on f/t adult mice before I got him. I am going to try again in a week next Monday, any suggestions please?

Kevin

Leave the snake in the enclosure and attempt.

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Originally Posted by Buttons

Leave the snake in the enclosure and attempt.

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Yeah, it could be stress from the move and its only been a week, so handling to move him/her may have caused him to be stressed. Also, if you watched, sometimes they may be shy

Second what they said. I'd leave it alone for a bit and try again. I had this happen once with mine as well, he got scared/annoyed/ashamed after three tries of not getting it and he gave up. I ended up braining the mouse (which I am convinced is something I hopefully won't ever have to do again) at the get-go when I tried a few hours later and that he got it.

If he's striking and missing, it might be because the prey's not warm enough. Heat it up with a hairdryer or warm it in warm-hot water.

=) Good luck!

Also, how did you warm the food? Maybe it was not warm enough. I would give him a few more days before you try and feed again.

Thank you for the replies everyone!

I am going to wait a week before trying again. I'll try not handling him before feeding him too. I want him to eat, but I also want him to become "tame" so he's not afraid when i take him out, but getting him to eat is obviously most important!

If I try feeding him in his enclosure next time, how should i do it? He is always in his hide, should i wiggle the mouse in front of his hide? Should i just drop it in front of his hide?

You can see the pretty little guy in my avatar!

Thanks!

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Originally Posted by Swingline0.0.1

Also, how did you warm the food? Maybe it was not warm enough. I would give him a few more days before you try and feed again.

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I just left the mouse thaw for about an hour... maybe it wasnt warm enough like some of you mentioned.

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Originally Posted by nivek5225

If I try feeding him in his enclosure next time, how should i do it? He is always in his hide, should i wiggle the mouse in front of his hide? Should i just drop it in front of his hide?

Thanks!

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I just wiggle it in front of the entrance to the hide or about 2-3" away.

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Originally Posted by nivek5225

I just left the mouse thaw for about an hour... maybe it wasnt warm enough like some of you mentioned.

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After letting it thaw I usually put the baggy I thaw them in under hot running water to warm it up.

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Originally Posted by nivek5225

I just left the mouse thaw for about an hour... maybe it wasnt warm enough like some of you mentioned.

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Yep, thaw it out it in a tub of hot water and he will eat it.

I agree that your initial attempt was early. When I got my ball, he had been eating at best once every two weeks, which was not enough for his youth and size. I had had him for three weeks before I got him to eat, and yes, I was beside myself. I found that making sure the food was warm enough was really important. With smaller rodents, warming in hot tap water was OK, but once I got into larger feed (I'm feeding baby rats now) I wondered if I was getting the food warm enough. Sometimes I just couldn't get his attention.

So I tried something different. I poured hot tap water into a bowl, then microwaved the water (NOT the rat) to what the microwave deemed hot enough for coffee/tea. Then I immersed the rat, in a Ziplok freezer bag, in the steaming water. I used an infrared thermometer (which I originally bought to ensure his enclosure was sufficiently warm) to measure the temperature of the rat. When it showed to be in the high 80s or low 90s, I presented it - and he hits on it hard! I rarely have to present for more than five minutes, and sometimes for no more than thirty seconds (depending on his initial level of activity) and he's all over it.

I offer this as someone who initially had some challenges getting my ball python to eat. Initially, I think it was just the newness of his surroundings - arguably far better than the original, where he was in a pet store sharing a ten-gallon aquarium with another ball. But I still experienced challenges for a while, and I think the warming regimen has made a big difference. Remember, these animals track more through smell than vision. I present the food with a pair of hemostats (unlatched) and he snatches it free. Sometimes he misses the first time - not sure why that is - but I keep the rat in front of him, in motion, and he never fails on the second strike.

I know there are some people who swear behind having a separate feeding enclosure, but I never succeeded in getting him to feed that way. I've also never had a problem with him distinguishing between food and ME.

FWIW - an Old Hippie with a BP