Feeding help

This is my second ball python that i have had. I have had it since june. I bought it at petsmart and they had for about a week at most. it is fairly small ball python. I am feeding it either fuzzys or pinkies. For the first two months she would not eat a things and she was not even interested in the food just ignored it. I even tried a live mouse multiple times. After about 4 weeks i took her to the vet. He force fed her 3 times. the last week in july she finally shed. it took het a while but overall the shed went over pretty well. After the shed she finally ate. I put in a pinkie and she ate it almost 24 hours later after putting it in there. So we got her eating again and then she stopped. She would strike at the food but would not eat it. i think since i have had her she has eaton 5 times on her own i think. Do you have any idea why she is doing things this way. She is a ball python and i think it is a she. She is also really social if that has to do with anything.

How small is she? what is her weight. what is her set up like?

Either you have a picky eater or something is wrong with it... it can be mites, incorrect temperatures & humidity, not enough hides, a big enclosure, & many other stuff. There's no need for force feeding they can last long without eating, they'll eat when you fix what the problem was for them to stop feeding or they maybe fasting when winter approches... Feed hatchlings fuzzies not pinkies... Hope it eats for you

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by llovelace

How small is she? what is her weight. what is her set up like?

---

she is in a 20 gl aquarium i think. There is a water dish, with a hiding hole, and there is a large stick that almost reaches the top of the tank that she loves to sit on. She also likes to sit under the water dish. i am not sure on weight and length i wll have to get back my family is taking care of her while i am gone.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by psycho

Either you have a picky eater or something is wrong with it... it can be mites, incorrect temperatures & humidity, not enough hides, a big enclosure, & many other stuff. There's no need for force feeding they can last long without eating, they'll eat when you fix what the problem was for them to stop feeding or they maybe fasting when winter approches... Feed hatchlings fuzzies not pinkies... Hope it eats for you

---

well she just ate a fuzzy the other night so we will see if she will continue to eat the fuzzies thanks for the advice, i also keep the temp up close to 90 and she has a hudmifiar run every night and sometimes twice a day.

If she's going under the water bowl instead of using the hide, it means that she's likely uncomfortable with the hide. Also, BP's aren't exactly climbing snakes, using the stick may be a sign of trying to get out due to stress.

Check your temperatures. It seems like using the water bowl is usually a sign that it's too hot, though not always.

Truthfully, pinkies and fuzzies are too small for all but the tiniest of ball pythons. I have a little bitty Spider baby, only 40 grams and barely 10" long and he eats hopper mice easily.

My larger baby, who's about 20" now and maybe 100 grams eats an adult mouse in seconds. Many snakes won't eat prey that is too small, it isn't worth their effort. Try going with slightly large prey like a hopper mouse and see what she does.

Gale

Thanks everybody for the help, but i just found out my snake died, i have no idea why or how, just that it is now dead. but thanks for all the help.