HELP PLEASE! Ball python possibly starving?

Try feeding in the enclosure, a live small meal. Also if the tub is clear it may be helpful to do a black out. Which is papering or spray painting the outside of the tub black so that he has full seclusion. Obviously no handling at all. Make sure your temp and humidity is spot on. Humidity is going to keep him hydrated which will make or break him at the moment. Seriously though try live and in the tub. All that moving around is freakin him out and most babies don't take to ft right off.


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Originally Posted by Inknsteel

A picture of the spider would definitely help us to determine the real condition of the animal. If he's a hatchling and still small, I would try a live hopper mouse. You can leave a hopper in the tank with him for a few hours, even overnight and leave him alone with it. If you can really feel the internal organs, it sounds like a pretty dire situation, so the sooner the better. If he's really that bad off, you may need to make a mouse pink slurry and feed him from a feeding syringe. Again, this is where a picture would come in handy so we can tell you the appropriate course of action based on the real condition of the snake.

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I disagree with this because I have seen first hand what a Hopper mouse (yes, Hopper) can do to a healthy hatchling, let alone a weak or malnourished one. Fuzzies are safe to leave alone, even the stage just before their eyes open, but do not leave a Hopper mouse in a tub unattended, or any longer than you would an adult mouse.

Spiders with the wobble are not IMHO for Novice Snake owners, You may very well have to Assist Feed this guy.

But I agree pics would be good, Also get yourself a scale and weigh him that would also help us

The wobble would explain if he was missing his strikes and eventually giving up but not not eating at all. I've heard it said a lot that even wobbly spiders will eat just about anything you put in front of them. This guy must be really stressed to have not eaten in so long.

x however many-ing the pics + scale weight. Without seeing what kind of state he's in, it's really hard for anybody to give suggestions for what to do.

I just had the same issue with my new pastel female, not eating from the moment I got her.
Was about 8 weeks already. She was in a glass tank with proper temp/humidity and enough hides. Tried everything, but no luck. Last option was to put her in my curver rack, and that was the solution. After 2 days in the rack feeding day arrived and she ate without any problems, currently no problems for a few weeks in a row.

I guess some just cannot function properly in a glass tank, to much stress from the environment. Don't know if this is the case for your snake, but maybe this info can help you.

You could try fresh killed if you are uncomfortable feeding live.You can pick up dry ice at the grocery store. just a thought. :oops:

Couple things….

You've been asked for a photo several times with no response. In this situation, a photo is truly worth a thousand words and will go a long way in helping us determine the condition of your Spider. I recall the photos you posted when you got this BP, and he looked to be in fairly good shape then. Hard to believe he's gone that far down hill in such a short time.

Also, quit trying to feed this snake in a seperate tub. I know you have to do that for your females, because you house them in the same tank, but they are a seperate issue.

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Originally Posted by lavenderlolita

everyone i've ever talked to told me not to feed in their enclosure because it would associate me reaching in with feeding

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Then everyone you've talked to is tremendously uninformed. Cage aggression is a myth and has been debated on this forum multiple times, including in two current threads that are active right now. Makes me wonder if you did any research on feeding outside the enclosure, or if you just listened to everyone?

If your Spider is not taking F/T, try feeding him the correct sized live prey. It's doesn't mean you can't go back to F/T later, but you may need to use live to get him jump started.

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Originally Posted by ExotixTowing

Spiders with the wobble are not IMHO for Novice Snake owners, You may very well have to Assist Feed this guy.

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Ok. I have to respond to this because this is just BS! ALL spiders wobble, some worse than others, but they ALL do it and ALL carry the gene. 99% of the time it is merely a personality quirk. Out of the hundreds of snakes we've had over the years, our spiders were almost always some of our best feeders and breeders. The wobble in those 99% of cases does NOT affect their feeding at all outside of the occasional missed strike. Those who have kept a number of spiders will understand this. So your theory on them only being for more experienced keepers is quite flawed.

Assist feeding is very stressful to your snake and should only be done as a last resort by a vet or an experienced keeper. If you don't know what you're doing you may very well cause more harm than good.

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Originally Posted by Slim

Couple things….

You've been asked for a photo several times with no response. In this situation, a photo is truly worth a thousand words and will go a long way in helping us determine the condition of your Spider. I recall the photos you posted when you got this BP, and he looked to be in fairly good shape then. Hard to believe he's gone that far down hill in such a short time.

Also, quit trying to feed this snake in a seperate tub. I know you have to do that for your females, because you house them in the same tank, but they are a seperate issue.



Then everyone you've talked to is tremendously uninformed. Cage aggression is a myth and has been debated on this forum multiple times, including in two current threads that are active right now. Makes me wonder if you did any research on feeding outside the enclosure, or if you just listened to everyone?

If your Spider is not taking F/T, try feeding him the correct sized live prey. It's doesn't mean you can't go back to F/T later, but you may need to use live to get him jump started.

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Yup. :gj: