bites but wont eat.

the title pretty much says it all.

my new baby bp will bite the mouse but wont eat it.
the bp is about 15inch, and im feeding it thawed mice.

it bites it but wont eat it, and im feeding it the same as the guy who had it before me did.

anybody have any thoughts?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by hawaiianice99

the title pretty much says it all.

my new baby bp will bite the mouse but wont eat it.
the bp is about 15inch, and im feeding it thawed mice.

it bites it but wont eat it, and im feeding it the same as the guy who had it before me did.

anybody have any thoughts?

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First off welcome to the group :D.Ok what are your temps? Did you leave him totaly alone for a full week to adjust to his new home? If your temps are not in the 90ish for hot side.If you did not leave him alone for a full week then these could be the reason he refuses to eat.

IMO Ball Pythons do not need to be in the 90s. Remember their natural surroundings. During the day they are in holes where it is cooler and more humid then it would be above ground. 88 to 89 warm side is the way i keep all my ball pythons.

Now this does sound like a stress issue. you could do a few things.

1) Leave it alone for a week without touching it. just make sure it has water. nothing more. Feed at night after this week of being left alone.

2) Try a live to jump start it again. It shoudl only take on or two feedings to get it going again.

3) try a prekilled mouse not F/T

Make sure the hides are on both sides of the cage. This is just as important as temps IMO.

also try an animal that is going to be more like a snack not a meal. one of my bp's did this for a while off and on so i just had to start feeding him smaller animals all together.

Hi,

Good advice so far but just wanted to ask if your standing watching him eat and possibly making him feel insecure?


dr del

tank temp is in the 80s and it has only been alone in the tank for about 3 days.

btw, thanks for the welcome

do you think that adult frozen mice (19g) are too big? they look big to me, but that is what the other guy was feeding it.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by hawaiianice99

tank temp is in the 80s and it has only been alone in the tank for about 3 days.

btw, thanks for the welcome

do you think that adult frozen mice (19g) are too big? they look big to me, but that is what the other guy was feeding it.

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I would give him a week with no handling or feeding attempts and then try the frozen mouse again.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Spaniard

I would give him a week with no handling or feeding attempts and then try the frozen mouse again.

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I agree

Sounds like stress to me. I had a ball python not eat for 6 months. I switched him from a glass tank to a rack system, and he was eating again within the week. Hope this helps.

i agree wait a week then try again. also you may want to try "live" prey. balls do not eat frozen thawed or pre killed prey in the wild so often times it is hard to get them it eat items that are not alive unless it was being fed like that before you bought it.