Killer, But Not An Eater. Help?

i have a ball python who's a few months old. today i fed her a hopper; she took it and killed it, but didnt eat it. i know balls are hesitant to take food, but i havent heard of them just killing and not eating. i fed her in a box seperate from her tank. it seemed that she couldnt position herself to swallow head first, and after a while i guess she gave up. i put the box (with my snake and mouse) back inside her tank and left it alone. it's been about 5 hours and she just retreated back to her hide box. any suggestions?

The most common causes for striking/killing and then not eating are stress, illness (mouth rot/URI/etc), and too large of a prey item.

What is your setup like and what are your temps?

-adam

Maybe he's waiting for the gravy and red wine?:D

well i feed her at night, the temp is 82 on the warm side, 78 on the cool side. she has a hide on both sides. i feed her in a seperate container though, the keep the temp in that at 80 before i put her in. shes only a few months old and looks healthy, i dont think she's sick. the size of the hopper was suitable for her.

Those temps are too low. Get them up to 92-94 warm side and 82-84 cool side. Once your temperatures are correct, the snake will probably show more interest in food.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by daniel1983

Those temps are too low. Get them up to 92-94 warm side and 82-84 cool side. Once your temperatures are correct, the snake will probably show more interest in food.

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Bingo! ... We have a winner!!! :D

-adam