Baby ball not eating but looks hungry?

This is my first ball, and we got her Saturday and it is now Tuesday. We went to feed her (a juvenile) for the first time and my dad said I should move her out of the corner where she was hiding. She obviously did not want to be picked up and kept tensing up and shying away so that alone may have stessed her out and I accidentally dropped the pinky (the petstore only had pinkies) on her head :O. Then my dad got frustrated and said let me do it (he used to have WC calubrids when he was younger) he started wiggling it around and bumping her head and she kept hiding it under her body. Then he walked away and she raised her head out of her ball and started sniffing around. We tried again only to have her hide again. Then we gave up and now shes slithering around the tank and yawned once (I read it can sometimes be a hunting behavior) and is frequently sniffing the air. I'm so confused... I've only seen people feed in rack systems, where the snake is right there and not hiding... I feel really stupid... Any help:confusd: It's really stressing me out, and I know balls tend to be picky, especially when they are stressed, but she doesn't show any signs of stress. The cold side is 79 and the warm spot (where she is constantly) is 89. The humidity is 53%. This is all so frustrating. I'm going to wait a week (next Tuesday). It hurts my heart to not see her eat :tears: I feel like I'm stressing her out... I know they are picky, but the baby's need to eat. Help!

They can go long periods without feeding . If she is new to the environment she is probably stressed . Give her some time to adapt to her surroundings and try again . If they are hungry they will eat , don't worry !


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Given the size here is what you need to do.

Get a 6 quarts or 12 quarts tub.

Use aspen bedding

have 1 or 2 (6 inches) plastic flower post saucer to use as hide

Hot side temp no higher than 88

NO HANDLING until she eats 2 to 3 meals for you

Offer a live mice that is equal the girth size of your BP (Pinkies are WAY TOO SMALL, out of the eggs they take hoppers) - Right now feeding is the priority not switching and at a month it is not a animal that is consistent on F/T)

Keep the mouse nearby the enclosure for 30 min prior to feed (this is call scenting)

Offer the food in the enclosure

Remove if not eaten after 15 min

At this age they are not picky they are ravenous and 99% of feeding issue with new animals/new owners is husbandry/stress related.

I just feel really stupid... Everyone says something different and I'm just lost I was so hyped to finally get a ball but maybe I'm just not good enough... I don't have enough money for all the fancy equipment and stuff. I'm just a dumb teenager who wanted a fun pet.:tears:

all of the above. plus hitting the snake on the head (or anywhere else) with it's intended meal will get you nothing but a defensive snake that believes it's being attacked.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by DennisM

all of the above. plus hitting the snake on the head (or anywhere else) with it's intended meal will get you nothing but a defensive snake that believes it's being attacked.

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i know that's what got me really frustrated, now my dad feels bad because he thinks he screwed the feeding up... I feel like a lost cause :p

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Sp0rk

I just feel really stupid... Everyone says something different and I'm just lost I was so hyped to finally get a ball but maybe I'm just not good enough... I don't have enough money for all the fancy equipment and stuff. I'm just a dumb teenager who wanted a fun pet.:tears:

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I think you'll find there is a pretty solid consensus here on BP.net on what you need to do; Deborah has already stated it.
inexperienced does not equal stupid. time to learn. check out these links.

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...ius)-Caresheet
http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...ll-Python-FAQs

Don't beat yourself up about it. As long as you're making sure it's needs are provided for you can be a good snake keeper. Just make sure you're providing for those needs in the right way and with the animal's best interests in mind. Owning a BP is just as cheap or cheaper than owning a dog, you can afford it if you want to.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Deborah

Given the size here is what you need to do.

Get a 6 quarts or 12 quarts tub.

Use aspen bedding

have 1 or 2 (6 inches) plastic flower post saucer to use as hide

Hot side temp no higher than 88

NO HANDLING until she eats 2 to 3 meals for you

Offer a live mice that is equal the girth size of your BP (Pinkies are WAY TOO SMALL, out of the eggs they take hoppers) - Right now feeding is the priority not switching and at a month it is not a animal that is consistent on F/T)

Keep the mouse nearby the enclosure for 30 min prior to feed (this is call scenting)

Offer the food in the enclosure

Remove if not eaten after 15 min

At this age they are not picky they are ravenous and 99% of feeding issue with new animals/new owners is husbandry/stress related.

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I know it's really frowned upon, but I bought her at petsmart, it was the only way I could get my parents to agree. They said she was a good eater and the lady who usually takes care of her was not there the day we bought her, so I don't exactly know when the last time she ate was, but I do know she was eating F/T. The lady we were with however told us she was in the "winter stage" (obviously didn't know much about pythons) and that she was on fuzzies but told us we needed to feed her pinkies. The first day she showed signs of stress but since then has seemed really happy in her invironment, maybe she just wasn't hungry :P

Feeling bad and or stressing about a situation does not make it better. There is tons of good information on this forum. Take some time, read it, and share it with your father. Ball pythons are not hard or expensive to take care of, but their behaviors are way different than the snakes you said your father kept.

BTW you are not stupid. You are looking for an answer. Not knowing is not stupid. Generally the people that think they know everything are the stupid ones. Smart people know when they don't know.