Previously attacked ball won't eat, losing weight
I posted about my ball who had been attacked by a rat. She's healed up now, but still refusing. She was new and hadn't eaten since I got her and is now losing weight. I've tried F/T, live watched very closely, scenting with gerbil, different colored rats, different sizes. I'm going to try mice, but after that, I'm out of ideas. Any suggestions? She doesn't seem uninterested as much as scared. I've zombie-danced and let them just lay and she still tries to get as far away as possible. I don't know what to try if mice don't work. I don't have access to ASFs.
Re: Previously attacked ball won't eat, losing weight
Is she a baby? Just a suggestion but I had a baby bumblebee who would not eat. I put her inside a 6 quart tub with just a hide and a little water bowl. Once she was inside her hide I placed a F/T Rat Pinkie halfway inside the opening of the hide. Within an hour she took it and has been eating great since. If you don't have a small tub try the brown paper bag trick. Put the snake inside with a F/T Mouse or Rat, staple or tape the bag shut and just put the whole bag back inside your tub. Give it a few hours and check to see if it worked.
Re: Previously attacked ball won't eat, losing weight
No problem at all. I've never tried it. Snake Bytes TV (BHB Reptiles) talks about it in some of their feeding videos and I've heard about it many times while researching how to get stubborn ball pythons to eat. Just put the snake in something small where it really doesn't have much room to move and put the food item in there with it. Usually they will just eat it.
Re: Previously attacked ball won't eat, losing weight
Put a almost weaned rat in there over night with her. The rat this size is to small to cause any damage to her put it in there at 10pm turn out the light in the room and just leave her alone check in the morning. Rat should be gone if not take it out try again that night.
This is how I deal with my picky eaters to get them to start eating again.
Previously attacked ball won't eat, losing weight
I've been successful with the paper bag trick when my new ball wouldn't eat. Once she was locked in that bag she ate right away and hasn't had any problems since !