Few beginner feeding questions

My little Ayva is into her 2nd week of refusing to eat (she had previously taken f/t wonderfully). She's my first BP and typically I tend to get paranoid that something might be wrong (even though she's probably fine). I just have a few questions to help ease my beginner worry.

Does shedding often affect feeding habits? She just finished shedding today, so I'm wondering that's her reasoning for skipping two meals.

When feeding a BP a F/T mouse, is there any particular way of holding the mouse with the tongs that people have found more successful? By the tail? The scruff? Holding it to the ground or above their heads?

At what point should I give up and take the mouse away? She's always taken some time to be interested in it, but these past two weeks she's simply 'sniffed' it up and down, but hasn't had any interest in striking it. Just watched me wiggle it around for 15min or so.

After she refused to eat, should I wait a full 7 days to offer again, or can I try again in say, 3-4 days?


I appreciate your advice and help! I just want to be able to take care of her to the best of my ability. <3

As long as she is not loosing a lot of weight, keep trying f/t. Bp's can go months without eating, and shedding may affect her appetite.

I hold my mice by the tail, and dangle it infront of their face. Zombie dance. :)


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Also, how are you thawing your rats/mice?


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A couple weeks without food won't hurt her. Do you know the age or weight of the snake?

A shed cycle can make some BPs not interested in food, but usually by the time the shed cycle is done they are pretty hungry!

Double check your temps, make sure your ball python has at least 2 secure hides. I would just offer once every 5-7 days. Make sure you heat the rodent up really well. Some people like to use a hair dryer right before offering it so its nice and warm.

As for feeding f/t, I have found that the direction you hold it is not entirely important. I live life on the edge and just dangle it by its tail with my hands. A lot of people will use tongs and grab it by the scruff of the neck.

Next time if she doesn't eat it with you dangling it, just lay it somewhere in the enclosure overnight. She might decide she wants to eat it without you watching :P

if she was in shed maybe thats why she hasnt ate.i feed live but ive had the same with two of my bps that wouldnt eat for 2-3 weeks i tried different ways but leaving the mouse with my snake in the dark worked good the 2 times ive done that.

I am assuming this is a baby BP, since you are feeding mice. When you warm the rodent, be sure that you warm it so that it feels warm in your hand. The head should be a little warmer than the body. I feed at night and be sure that your bp is not in a high traffic area. I usually pick up thawed rodents by the scruff of the neck with long tweezers and do a little zombie dance.

If the snake is interested, you will see their behavior change. The best way to describe it for a baby ball python is they kind of perk up. Don't get too close, let the snake hunt towards the rodent a little. Waiving it right in front of their face could frighten them.

Doing 15 minutes with the zombie dance is a long time. If I don't get a strike within a few minutes, I will move to another snake. Then once that one or two more are fed, come back in a few minutes (especially if I saw that interest by perking up). Some shy eaters prefer for me to just lay the rodent in front of the hide and close the enclosure. Thirty minutes later, the mouse is gone.

I even have one big male breeder who will strike a live rodent with extreme passion, but when I offer him f/t, he slowly opens his mouth and takes it off the tongs. So, every snake is different. It sometimes takes a little while to learn what your snake prefers.

Two weeks is a very short time for a bp to not eat. Be patient, this is supposed to be an enjoyable pet so don't stress out too much about a few weeks off feed. I've had a snake go more than nine months without eating. Keep an eye on the weight and if it starts to drop, let us know. Good luck!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Bobbafett

As long as she is not loosing a lot of weight, keep trying f/t. Bp's can go months without eating

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True if it is an adult however I would not make a blanket statement like that not knowing the age and size of the animal first.

To the OP

Refusal can have been caused by the shed but it can also be cause by other factors.

Can you tell us a little more about your BP (Age/size) and your husbandry (enclosure size, hides, temps, humidity etc)

Have you handle this BP since in your care and if so how often?

The majority of feeding issues new owner experience is often directly linked to their husbandry.