yet another feeding problem

so i open my email and i have this long email about how this person's ball python has an eating problem. Here is the email...

I was wondering if I could ask you a question. We have a young female ball python that just won't eat...and we are getting worried. We have tried all sorts of frozen mice different sizes/colors, and wouldn't touch them, and lastly tried a live mouse. She killed it right away, started to eat it, got it half down, past the front legs, then and spit it out. We are not experts and would love your advice. Thanks for any help you could give.

so it prefers live mice but i'm not sure as to why it would spit it out unless they disturbed it or it was sick. suggestions?

The snake probably is stressed, that's probably why she didn't finish the mouse because of the "audience". She may need to be kept in a low traffic area, and if in a tank cover 3 sides.

Hmmm I have no idea why it would spit it out. Maybe it was to big and the snake didn't realize until it was half way down, I dunno. It could have felt threatened and spit it up.

I would tell them to not start worrying. Tell them to wait another week and try another live mouse.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by llovelace

The snake probably is stressed, that's probably why she didn't finish the mouse because of the "audience". She may need to be kept in a low traffic area, and if in a tank cover 3 sides.

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I totally agree with your statement about the audience Ilovelace.
Tell them to leave the snake be once it has constricted the mouse. Some snakes need to be left "alone" when eating.

i thought that they probably might of disturbed it while it was eating. that was the only thing i could think of. i'll check to see if they were intently watching it eat. i know when they are stressed they can get spooked easily.
thanks!!!

No problem. I hope my amateur advice helped :p