idk what's wrong...

All I feed is live from hatchling to adult. No risk to offering a well hydrated and fed appropriately sized mouse to her. If she doesn't eat it in 30 minutes, remove it.

However - what I'd suggest first is to fill her enclosure with loosely crumpled newspaper to help her feel more settled and secure, since she's in such a large enclosure for her size. After you see that her restless behavior has calmed down a bit, drop the live mouse (with the paper in the enclosure) into her tank and walk away. Check back in about 30 minutes and the mouse should be gone and your snake will have a nice lump in her.

I went through the same thing with my Sorcha when I brought her home. She absolutely refused f/t no matter what methods I used for heating it up and offering it to her. I finally caved after 5 weeks and gave her a live fuzzy. It took her a whole of 2.5 seconds to strike and constrict.

I too was concerned with feeding live as there are so many horror stories about how mice can hurt your snake. However, while dealing with fuzzies I wouldn't be overly concerned. In my experiences, Sorcha strikes so fast and so hard that the fuzzy never even has a chance to react let alone try to bite.

My girl is 19.5" long. Her home is a 29 gallon aquarium. I've had many tell me that it's too big for her but she seems to like it just fine. I've never noticed her acting intimidated or overwhelmed by the size. I'm sure it makes a difference though that I have it very naturalized and cluttered up for her with fake vines, plants, hides, etc.

I'd recommend offering her live. Like some previous responders have said you can always try later on to switch her back on to f/t. I also recommend just feeding her in her normal home until she becomes more used to you, her surroundings and eating on a regular schedule.

Good luck and let us know how it goes!

:snake:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Shadows Valkyrie

I too was concerned with feeding live as there are so many horror stories about how mice can hurt your snake.

:snake:

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It's a shame that all those stories are out there. They're grossly exaggerated, IMHO. I've never had problems in over 15K live feedings since I've been keeping ball pythons.

after hiding in her hide all week, she finally came out to get a drink and half her skin is off..

why is she shedding again so soon? (she hasnt eaten yet and it's been a month, tops.)

is that why she wouldn't eat? (because she was getting ready to shed again)

she had a great shed last time.. why isnt it so great this time?

in the almost 2 months that i've had her, she's shed her skin twice and not eaten once. what is the deal?

when there young its normol for them to shed dat much about the feeding i dont no good luck

..so she's still not eating. i left her alone for at least 2-3 weeks and finally tried to feed her in her enclosure today. I even tried a darker colored fuzzy this time and i left the fuzzy there overnight. no luck. should i give in and try live or take her to the vet?

Have you ever heard of assisted feeding? I have attached a link showing you video's of how to perform it successfully for finicky Ball Pythons. You may have to do this a few times but your snake should eventually come around. Good Luck:gj:


http://www.vidoevo.com/videosearch.p...+a+ball+python

The vet won't be able to really help you with this issue.

Here, this canned reply might help :)

OK, so i notice a ton of threads on here about "omg my snake wont eat." Ive compiled some info on fixing this issue. (Please excuse my run on sentences). Oh, and all this stuff has to do with F/T feeders unless otherwise noted.

The following information can be used after ruling out the other causes for refusals : PLEASE check the sticky care sheet for that info. ( your enclosure is appropriately sized for the snake, the temperatures and humidity are in the proper range and being measured with proper probes and temp units, hides are tight fitting and opaque etc).

- stress due to enclosure size
- stress due to frequent handling
- having the enclosure in a high traffic area
- etc.

Feeder Quality
The quality of your feeders matters. I had some older feeders who were not in the best shape, I got new much better looking, smelling and appearing feeders from a few vendors at a local show and it REALLY showed when i went to feed my snakes with these new feeders. Personally, if i have a refusal i don't re-freeze the rodent. I use quite a bit of time to defrost so i dont trust them. Luckily, i have a garbage disposal of a spider female and just give her the left overs.

When picking out feeders, look for clean whole animals (the occasional rodent missing a tail tip or foot is completely acceptable, as is the occasional urine stain especially on a white mouse or rat. Or a few poops). Rodents, even frozen ones do SMELL rodent-y. Its like an earthy musty smell. When the rodents smell FOUL you want to discard them.

Anyway, onto the more useful info:

PRE SCENT PRE SCENT PRE SCENT.
Pre scenting, i have noticed, will trigger most snakes to go into feeding mode. What I do personally, is stick the mice and rats im going to feed my snakes into an empty tub in their rack (i feed frozen thawed and happen to have empty rack space in my rack). I let the rodents defrost for about 5 hours or more. The larger items go over the heat tape, the smaller ones don't have to. I then take out a hair dryer and give all the rodents a quick blast with it on low. I usually have the hair dryer on, but not directly on the rodents because you dont want to cook them. Within 30 seconds all my snakes are out cursing their enclosures looking for food.

Other methods of presenting are leaving the rodents to thaw near the enclosure of the snake. Weather it be a live rodent or defrosting in a baggie with warm water and leaving the corner of the baggie open.

Always make sure your rodents are warm enough. They should feel warm to the touch (not hot, not cold). And make sure they are thoroughly defrosted. You can check this by squeezing the ribs and stomach of the rodent lightly. If you get give the rodent is defrosted. If you squeeze and you dont feel any movement of the ribs, then the rodent is not yet defrosted .

SWITCHING PREY TYPES and SCENTING:
Ball pythons can be pretty picky when it comes to their food. If they like mice, sometimes they want to stay on mice, but you want to move them to rats (for whatever reason you choose).

Always try just feeding the wanted prey type first, you'd be surprised how many snakes just don't care and smell "rodent" instead of individualizing, and end up eating.

If you feed F/T, defrost 2 prey items that together reach the size of the prey item you want to feed your snake. Have one of them be the first prey type, and the other be the second prey type. Take the first prey item (hereby called mouse) and rub it all over the second prey item (we'll call that one rat). I usually try to rub the head, belly and genital area of the mouse on the rat. I don't really know rodent anatomy other than the gross anatomy stuff but i assume rodents have scent glands in their faces and genital areas. Do this pretty liberally. You might not be able to discern a difference between the two, but your snake may. Try to offer the rat (second item) once you've done this. If the snake doesn't take it, try rubbing the mouse on the rat some more (this is called scenting). Try offering it again (make sure it is warm, the item may have cooled off by now).

Hopefully the snake will take it, if not, offer the first prey item first (mouse). Let the snake eat that item. Once it has finished and realigned its jaws offer the second item. Since the snake is in feeding mode, it may take the rodent since it already smells vaguely of its preferred type.

If this doesn't work, try it again at the next feeding. If you have to skip a feeding session to try to switch your snake it is ok. These snakes eat much more often in captivity than they do in the wild. Baby snakes can go with skipping a meal every once in a while. Until your snake switches, keep scenting the rodent by rubbing it with the other prey type.

With older, more established animals, skipping a few feeding sessions may be in order. Be aware that there are some snakes that will never switch. They would rather starve than eat prey type two.

Adult Animals
Sexually mature ball pythons (both males and females) usually go off feed during breeding season. These animals have enough energy stored so they can safely not eat for months. Personally, I have had a snake go off food for 5 months, be picky for another 2, then eat with gusto. Over this time, this 1100 gram snake lost maybe 100 grams. This is within the acceptable range. Don't fret if your 2,3 or 20 year old BP stops eating around November (in the northern hemisphere). Offer food a few times a month and when they are ready they will begin eating again.

Starting Babies
So, you just got your first ball python, its a cute little baby that weighs about 60 grams. Its head might be a little funny shaped because its thin, and it has a triangle look to its body where its spine is a little more apparent than it should be. You offer it a F/T rat, and when it dosen't take it, you worry.

It is possible to get an unstarted baby without realizing it. Most responsible breeders will make sure their babies have fed at least 2 times before selling them, but not every breeder or pet store is like this.

Let your baby settle in for 7 days with no handling except for cage maintenance (cleaning or weighing). After this 7 day period, I suggest offering a live hopper or small adult mouse. Remove any cage furniture that the rodent can hide in like vines or the second hide. Prescent the room by leaving the rodent in a secure container with a few air holes in it so your snake can smell it.

Introduce the rodent into the side of the enclosure OPPOSITE from the one your snake is on. Your snake will most likely be in its hide. The snake should get interested in the prey item but it will be unsure of itself. The process of striking, coiling and eating may take an hour or more for the snake to really figure it out. Just trust your snake. They are little predators and instinctively should know what to do. Dont leave your snake unattended with a live rodent. I keep a pair of hemostats handy just to keep a bitey rodent from snacking on my snake.

I would offer a live prey item to the snake at the next feeding. Then, at the third feeding, if you want to try switching your snake to F/T you can try it.

Pre scent (! ) youre prey item, make sure it is dry and offer it to your snake off of hemostats. Hold the prey item with the hemostats near the scruff or the shoulder blades. If your snake takes it off the hemostats, congrats! If not, try doing the zombie dance. The zombie dance is moving the rodent in natural ways simulating life so that your snake thinks the prey is alive. Move the rodent slowly, and dont harass the snake with it (ie, don't bump your snake in the nose or body with the rodent). If your snake is in feeding mode you'll be able to tell. (Intent stare, flickering tongue, "s" curve in the neck). If they are in feeding mode, you will probably elicit a feeding strike. If your snake strikes and constricts, give the tail of the rodent a few tugs to simulate struggling. This will further ingrain the feeding response and help to curb any spitting out of the rodent.

Once your snake strikes and constricts, leave it alone in a dim room. Keep an eye on it but don't pester it much. If you bother your snake too much it may spit out the prey item.

I'll be adding to this thread as i figure out more information. Hopefully this will shed some light on helping these sometimes stubborn snakes eat.

you said you left her alone, and that is great. I have a feeling that stress and lack of "safety" was a major factor in your snake not eating.

Have you made the changes to your setup that were recommended to you ?? It is VITAL that the husbandry is on track, esp. heat, humidity and hides.

Your heating is completely inadequate, since you have no idea what the actual temperatures are. The dial thermometers are USELESS. As long as your room temperature isn't extremely cool or warm, you have to worry more about the belly heat of the enclosure, rather then the ambient temps. Get rid of the heat lamps, all they do is dry out the air, which is why you have a snake that has a bad shed now...

Get yourself a digital thermometer with a probe. You can find them under or around $10 , so its not a huge expense. They sell them everywhere, Walmart is a good place. Put the probe on the floor where your warm side is and measure the EXACT temps. Adjust them to be in the right level (90 to 95 or so)

Now, you need more hides. They need to be small hides that the snake just fits in. If you don't want to spend a lot, get little cartons, cut cereal boxes, whatever it takes to have SMALL hides and several of them.

One hide being half on the warm, half on the cool side sounds useless and way to big. Not much help in thermoregulating either...
You can worry about making your setup "pretty" later, once the snake is an established eater and has relaxed a lot.

Fill the empty space in between hides with some clutter, balled up newspaper works great. Your snake doesn't feel safe. While that is going on , it won't eat.

The cycle started with handling her to much in the beginning, to many feeding attempts and trying to feed in another container. Hence, the snake was constantly stressed and never really felt safe in her enclosure either. The temps might be off as well, which is another factor.

Just leaving her/him alone is only part of it.

Black out the sides, back and most of the top of the cage. Cover most of the top with foil, then a dark towel, so you keep the humidity in better. Add all those hides. Fix your heat. Ditch the bright (and night) lights.

THEN leave her alone for another week to week and a half. After that wait till the evening, making sure its mostly dark and quiet around and attempt to feed. Best time is when the snake has "claimed" a favorite hide and is in it. Wiggle the (either live or f/t) rodent in front of the hide. If that don't work, leave it right in front of the hide. I bet you, if you just put in that extra effort, time and expense (and its not that much) to fix your setup, your snake will start eating once its relaxed.

If stress and lack of safety is causing your snake not to eat, going to the vet or assist feeding will only add to the stress. Of course, if your snake gets to be really bad, assist feeding is then a life saving procedure. But that will only work IF you take care of all the other issues, anyhow.

Sorry for the long winded post. Hope it helps some...

i like to blow dry the mouse on its head. my snake seems to be very interested by that point and peeks her head out and starts looking for the mouse(i assume the smell gets carried over to her home)...but now anytime i blow dry my hair she thinks shes getting food lol:rolleyes: