New owner and new ball python with feeding problems

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Originally Posted by Moose84

That snake came out of a rack from the breeder and into a 30" enclosure with with high sides. That is a recipe for food strikes. It was also fed live. I am convinced that regardless the amount of clutter you put in there it still leads to security issues. Any move in environment is enough in and of itself. I have snakes that have moved from breeder racks into my my racks that strike and end up having to go to live mice to break strikes. I would try live and if that doesn't work you will have to downsize the enclosure.

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She was fed live as a baby but was eating pre killed to help transition to frozen thawed. Do you think I should try live regardless? I guess I could always get a tub from target to put her in. Would a 10 gallon be too small or do you think 20 would suffice?

I recommend 10 gallons to people who purchase my animals. When I first started out that was the direction I got and it has never failed me. They just do noticeably better in smaller enclosures. I might catch some hell for this comment but I go with what works. Some snakes you can throw in a 100 gallon and have no issues, that's the exception to the rule.

It is more important to get them feeding consistently at that age.

Nothing wrong with the tub idea either.

6 qt tub relatively cheap from Target. I buy all my tubs there. The Clearview Sterilite ones are great. Find Deborah's 101 sticky in the forums and follow it. It works.

Forget about f/t. I usually give new baby snakes 2 attempts at f/t, then I go live after if no success. Just not worth waiting it out on a babe when they physically can't do it but they will try. I usually start with a hopper mouse since most breeders sells them feeding hoppers. Or you can start with a rat crawler. Not knowing the size and weight of your snake, I can't tell exactly which is the right size but you can locate that info too in the forums sticky. I'm assuming it falls under 100g? After it starts eating for you and gained some weight, then you can slowly transition back to rats or f/t or both.

I agree with all the people above. If a baby ball python won’t take f/t, do live a few times just to ensure they are still maintaining their weight. When she grows a few weeks older, she’ll most likely become less picky about food. I had a ball python the same age and couldn’t get her to feed for 5 ish weeks, and I was worried to death as well but once I offered live instead of f/t, she took it after 2 hours of leaving it in the tank (it was a pinky rodent and was being monitored). Try to first get her feeding, then switch her over once you feel she is ready.

Good luck!!


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I’ve sent you details of the ‘hairdryer’ feeding trick !!




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So good news, I went ahead and got a live mouse from the feed store and that did just fine. I’ll definitely be keeping her on these for a while before I transition her to frozen thawed. I had one of the store owners recommend that I block off part of her cage to shrink it down, which I think I’ll go ahead and do as well (if not completely transfer her to a new tub) to make it smaller. I also got her weighed finally, she’s 266 grams.

thanks for your help everyone, I learned a lot and I appreciate all of you taking the time and effort out to help me!

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Originally Posted by crowcadile

So good news, I went ahead and got a live mouse from the feed store and that did just fine. I’ll definitely be keeping her on these for a while before I transition her to frozen thawed. I had one of the store owners recommend that I block off part of her cage to shrink it down, which I think I’ll go ahead and do as well (if not completely transfer her to a new tub) to make it smaller. I also got her weighed finally, she’s 266 grams.

thanks for your help everyone, I learned a lot and I appreciate all of you taking the time and effort out to help me!

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I'm glad he ate!!

I wouldn't transfer him to a separate feeding container though. Seperate feeding tubs are old school and proven counter productive over time. They actually...

A) lead to more refusals. Moving the animal = stress. Stress = refusals.
B) lead to regurgitation. Moving the animal again = stress. Stress = regurge.
C) increase your chances of getting tagged. A snake in feed mode is going to be much more inclined to strike. And it'll likely be a food strike, which is worse than a defensive strike.

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Originally Posted by Craiga 01453

I'm glad he ate!!

I wouldn't transfer him to a separate feeding container though. Seperate feeding tubs are old school and proven counter productive over time. They actually...

A) lead to more refusals. Moving the animal = stress. Stress = refusals.
B) lead to regurgitation. Moving the animal again = stress. Stress = regurge.
C) increase your chances of getting tagged. A snake in feed mode is going to be much more inclined to strike. And it'll likely be a food strike, which is worse than a defensive strike.

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hey! sorry I didn’t mean to imply I was using a feeding tub, I was referring to making her general enclosure smaller by potentially using a tub! But since she fed well this time I’ll see if she keeps eating consistently before making any further changes. I definitely don’t plan on using a feed tub though. Was not aware that feeding tubs could increase the risk of getting bit though, good to know :O