How long should attempt to feed a Ball Python??

Look i know its stressful to see a new snake not eat. It sounds like she hasn't settled in and all this trying new stuff us only going to stress her more. There's no need to move her out of the enclosure to eat. Frankly dont do it. Keep her on live. If she doesnt eat it within 20 min take it out save it for next week and Give her at Least 5 days to cool off and DEstress again. No handling no offering. The broth, tuna, braining, etc doesn't do crap. The snake won't eat is she stressed. Period. Make sure your husbandry is spot on and offer at night when its quiet. Give Her the mouse and back away a few feet to supervise. If she's doing that jerky running away just take it out. Honestly I'd wait 7-10 days before offering again. This will let her destress, settle in and get hungry.


Check out what's new on my website... www.Homegrownscales.com

For me it's not about gerbils/hamsters being addictive it'd The fact that they can do way more serious damage to a snake than a mouse or rat pup. Both have sharper stronger claws sharper teeth and get aggressive when frightened. Theres no need to ever try either one of those animals as prey. Especially for a snake thats just a bit stressed out. Remember if you switch things around dramatically The acclimation/destress period starts all the way back over. Don't put her in a tub and expect her to eat a day or two later.


Check out what's new on my website... www.Homegrownscales.com

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So if you have other pets, you might consider keeping them away.

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Yeah the couple times I've tried feeding her it was in a room with the door closed (and the dog outside)

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I would try frozen thawed

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I might try this later on if she still won't eat live after letting her be.

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Make sure your husbandry is spot on and offer at night when its quiet. Give Her the mouse and back away a few feet to supervise. If she's doing that jerky running away just take it out. Honestly I'd wait 7-10 days before offering again. This will let her destress, settle in and get hungry.

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I'm going to wait until this weekend (which will be about 7 days) and try again. I won't move her or anything but will keep a close eye on her and wait till the night. I didn't touch her at all yesterday and don't plan on it for the whole week. Maybe this will make her feel better. If after a week of her being in her tank and her being left alone she still doesn't eat I'm going to transfer her to a tub (which will be more snug) and wait a week again. Hopefully I won't have to do anything more drastic than that =/ She's only about 2 1/2 months old so I don't want to push the "How long can you go without eating". I'm also going to buy a scale this weekend so I can weigh her to make sure she's not losing excessive weight or anything. One step at a time I guess... :(

Also, although her tank is big I have the warm side anywhere from 88-94 and the cool side around 78-82. She has fresh water everyday and enough aspen to burrow under if she needs to. Humidity is also kept at about 60%.

Hm. Maybe it varies from snake to snake. But Ive had mine in a 20 gallon tank since she was very young as well. But also like I said she didnt feed for the first 3 months. Maybe theres a connection there? But in order to take up more space and make it more "homey" for her I built a hide made from bamboo and aquarium sealent that takes up nearly a third of that space. There are plenty of nooks inside so she can feel secure while small and enough space for her to grow into. I also added a set of climbing bars also made from bamboo. Those add not only a climbing element but provide some degree of cover as well. Her water dish and cool hide are fairly tall as well, and she likes to wedge herselve between them so even outside her hides she feels safe.(Im gonna brag a little now XD I also used square tiles of various sizes to moziac her name along the back side of her enclosure, solidifying a wall and providing a textured object to rub up against during shed should it be needed.)

But in closing of this long winded post, I really think cluttering will work wonders. The fastest way for the to destress is to feel safe and relax right?

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Originally Posted by Riv

Hm. Maybe it varies from snake to snake. But Ive had mine in a 20 gallon tank since she was very young as well. But also like I said she didnt feed for the first 3 months. Maybe theres a connection there? But in order to take up more space and make it more "homey" for her I built a hide made from bamboo and aquarium sealent that takes up nearly a third of that space. There are plenty of nooks inside so she can feel secure while small and enough space for her to grow into. I also added a set of climbing bars also made from bamboo. Those add not only a climbing element but provide some degree of cover as well. Her water dish and cool hide are fairly tall as well, and she likes to wedge herselve between them so even outside her hides she feels safe.(Im gonna brag a little now XD I also used square tiles of various sizes to moziac her name along the back side of her enclosure, solidifying a wall and providing a textured object to rub up against during shed should it be needed.)

But in closing of this long winded post, I really think cluttering will work wonders. The fastest way for the to destress is to feel safe and relax right?

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Wow, yeah. I gotta get more creative :P!!
Yeah I'm gonna look around some more this weekend and maybe add more things because even though she likes to stretch across her water bowl and coconuts she may be feeling like she's being watched at all times. I also want to put black paper on the back and sides of the tank with double stick tape so that she's not so exposed. Hopefully these few small changes will help.

Last night she started exploring her tank all by herself without me holding her and taking her out first so I'm taking that as a good sign :)

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Originally Posted by Homegrownscales

For me it's not about gerbils/hamsters being addictive it'd The fact that they can do way more serious damage to a snake than a mouse or rat pup. Both have sharper stronger claws sharper teeth and get aggressive when frightened. Theres no need to ever try either one of those animals as prey. Especially for a snake thats just a bit stressed out. Remember if you switch things around dramatically The acclimation/destress period starts all the way back over. Don't put her in a tub and expect her to eat a day or two later.


Check out what's new on my website... www.Homegrownscales.com

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I have been feeding gerbils to my ball python, and my friend has been feeding his BP gerbils he gets from me. I have raised and fed mice, rats, and gerbils. I don't see any real differences between any of them. Gerbils are bigger than mice and so can do more damage than a mouse but gram for gram I don't see any difference. I have never had an issue. Like with all live feeding you have to be attentive and if your snake is not in the mood get the rodent out of the enclosure. I assure you that if your snake is hungry and willing to eat your snake will have no more an issue with a gerbil than it would have with an equivalent size rat or mouse.

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Originally Posted by Yaqcubper

Wow, yeah. I gotta get more creative :P!!
Yeah I'm gonna look around some more this weekend and maybe add more things because even though she likes to stretch across her water bowl and coconuts she may be feeling like she's being watched at all times. I also want to put black paper on the back and sides of the tank with double stick tape so that she's not so exposed. Hopefully these few small changes will help.

Last night she started exploring her tank all by herself without me holding her and taking her out first so I'm taking that as a good sign :)

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I think those changes will work beautifly! And thats awesome! Exploring the tanks a good sign. It either means 1) shes more comfortable or 2) Shes hunting and will be ready to eat by the time feeding day rolls around. :D

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Originally Posted by Riv

I think those changes will work beautifly! And thats awesome! Exploring the tanks a good sign. It either means 1) shes more comfortable or 2) Shes hunting and will be ready to eat by the time feeding day rolls around. :D

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Yay so exciting :) I can't wait for the day she eats. It will make me feel so much better and I'm sure she will too :aww:

In all honesty I didnt take the time to read the whole thread..........

Live .... if your snake doesnt strike you can leave it in there for about 1/2 hour with food for the mouse in the same enclosure ... the mouse will NOT eat your snake if you leave it food.........

F/T ..... no strike you can leave in over night keep dark

try feeding at night with dim lighting

My calico doesnt like to eat .... she is just out right scared...she runs to the corner or turns around away from the mouse (f/t) ... I nudge the back of her gently with the mouse ..... eventually she gets mad and throws out a defensive strike .... then a little more rubbing of the mouse to her and WHAM! ....

If she doesn't eat after about 20 minutes of coercing her I leave it in there over the heat to keep it warm ... if she doesn't eat it after an hour I dispose of it....leave her alone for about 3 or 4 days by this time she is out and about wandering her enclosure...if shes not wandering around I dont try again until she is.........When she is in shed she wont eat.

I use aspen but when I feed I put down unprinted newsprint so avoid possible injestion of the substrate ....... I also have branches in all my enclosures

Yeah I might put down some blank paper towels over the aspen when I try to feed her this weekend because it makes me nervous to think that the mouse can somehow move enough to get some aspen stuck on it.

She also has a branch in there it's just not very big. Maybe half a foot long