Nervous about assisted feeding but might have too.

Okay guys im gonna try to give you a break down of the last 2 to 3 weeks and why im having so much trouble.

I bout my Baby Girl ball python at a expo and the man gave me her care guide and said she was born only a month ago and has ate once and shed once. Now keep in mind i have had her for about 3 weeks now and every week she has refused to eat..

I am sure you guys are going to ask what is the tempeature... the temp are right and the humidity is right as well.... i keep my snakes in the basement where it is 70% humidity on the outside of there cage and 50-55% in the inside.

The ball python is in a 10 gallon right now and has two hides i will post pics to help with the picture of her tank.

So back to my question ive tried 3 pinky mice f/t and no go each time the first time i tryed she didnt even look at it. The second time i tryed she didnt even look at so i left the pinky in there for a few hours and had to take out cause i could tell it was getting nasty. The third time she looked a little interest but then totally ignored it.

Guys and girls i really dont want to force feed the snake plus im not experienced at it so i dont want to injure her or her to resent me i need some ideas fast i dont want her to starve to death.

One last thing im going to send a pic of her and i want you guys to tell me if you think i should be feeding her a pinky mouse or a fuzzy she is only 15 inches long but very skinny let me know please help sorry so long.

http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i9...s/DSC01774.jpg
http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i9...s/DSC01775.jpg

idk much but they should be feeding on bigger mice like hoppers

Wait a week and try a live hopper. The pink might've been a little small for the baby.

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Originally Posted by Swingline0.0.1

Wait a week and try a live hopper. The pink might've been a little small for the baby.

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i just dont want her to get hooked on live mice thats all i guess im nervous if she goes to live then she wont want to go back to f/t. Also is a hopper bigger then a fuzzy or is a fuzzy bigger then a hopper cause my baby boa who is just over 2 feet but still pretty skinny is only eating 1 fuzzy a week and she seems fine so im wondering if i should be feeding her bigger as well i dont want to powerfeed though.

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Originally Posted by vinsanity

idk much but they should be feeding on bigger mice like hoppers

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Should i be holding her because i didnt hold her for almost 7 days cause i thought she would eat this pinky and she didnt so now im not gonna hold her for a total of 14 days i dont want her to not like me should i hold her or no???

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Originally Posted by tsshields

i just dont want her to get hooked on live mice thats all i guess im nervous if she goes to live then she wont want to go back to f/t. Also is a hopper bigger then a fuzzy or is a fuzzy bigger then a hopper cause my baby boa who is just over 2 feet but still pretty skinny is only eating 1 fuzzy a week and she seems fine so im wondering if i should be feeding her bigger as well i dont want to powerfeed though.

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Hoppers are larger than fuzzies. And fuzzies are far too small for a baby boa, it should be eating large hoppers or adult mice once a week.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by tsshields

Okay guys im gonna try to give you a break down of the last 2 to 3 weeks and why im having so much trouble.

I bout my Baby Girl ball python at a expo and the man gave me her care guide and said she was born only a month ago and has ate once and shed once. Now keep in mind i have had her for about 3 weeks now and every week she has refused to eat..

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i wouldnt of bought the snake if it only ate once. sometimes a 10 gallon might be too big if the baby is pretty shy.
can you contact the guy you got it from.
oh yea and a pinkie mice are too small try atleast a fuzzy perhaps a hopper if the baby isnt tiny

Hi,

Definately move the size up to a hopper mouse.

Don't think about assist feeding just yet.

When the guy said she had eaten what did he say she had eaten?

And your right not to try and hold her till you get her to have eaten a few times just to make sure you are off to a good start.

Can you talk us through all the steps you take in the feeding process - how do you thaw , do you pre-scent, do you really heat the head just before offering?

All of which might have been tricky with only a mouse pink mind you.

And the old double check questions - what are you measuring the temps with and where in the tank are you measuring them?


dr del

I got mine when he was 3 weeks old and it took him just over 3 weeks to eat. He wouldn't even look at the pinkie for 3 weeks but he grabbed the mouse hopper right away! I feed him 3 feedings of mice then switched to a rat fuzzy and he took it no problem! Also, did you cover 3 sides? I would leave him alone completely for 5 days then try again! He will eat eventually. I now how stressful it can be with a new snake. Just be patient!

I would put her in a 6 quart tub if possible and feed her live hopper mice or a live rat pink. Some will nail one(rat or mouse) and not even look at the other. As far as feeding F/T you need to get her to become an established feeder first and then once you have a good feeding response, think about conditioning her to eat F/T.

I never let a hatchling leave until I see 4 continuous feedings. I feed mouse hoppers or rat pinks for the first meals. Mice pinks are for baby corns, too small for BP's. All my babies are started in small tubs where they will feel secure. 10 gallon tank for a hatchling that isnt established can be overwhelming to her. This is why you dont sell a snake until it has had a few meals first.