Well... she rejected the live one too.

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Originally Posted by joshn6805

i think she meant strike as in not eating and refusing.

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Yup, that's what I meant... LOL. She's pretty relaxed in her setup, I think, especially since I added a nice thick branch/log. :gj:

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Originally Posted by Lolo76

It's a rat pup, with no teeth or opened eyes... and to be honest, I'm not sure how long the rat was in there, since my roommate was in charge all day (she leaves for work shortly before I get home). It's out now, though!

FYI - my other roommate used to own a BP, and he told me the pup is too big for Delilah. So I'll try a fuzzy mouse at his suggestion, and hopefully she will take to it. Should I wait another week for that?

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A fuzzy mouse is wayy too small for any ball python. I'd go with a small adult mouse. How long has it been since the snake ate? If its been several months, then a hopper mouse would be a good idea, otherwise a small adult is fine. I cant see the snake or the rat pup so I can't tell you if its too big. The two "rules of thumb" are a prey item that is no bigger around than the widest part of the snake, or a prey item that is no bigger than 10% of the body weight of the snake (this is the one I use).

As Raul said, sometimes they will go off feed for the winter. I had one that went off feed for about 8 months and started eating again a month or so ago. A healthy ADULT snake can go for up to a year. A baby can't be expected to last that long.

Oh, and you did fine leaving a RAT PUP over night. Please just don't do it with older prey items, whether its rats or mice.

Steve

I had the exact same problem, and mine is about the same size. I tried a mouse pinkie, nothing. Waited a week and tried a rat pinkie, nothing. Waited another week, and tried a fuzzy mouse, BINGO!! Now she's eating two fuzzies a week, and growing fast. If you just bought her, she could be still getting used to the enclosure. They are really picky eaters. Some even prefer a male/female mouse. Keep trying. You'll find out what she likes. And just when you do, she grows and you'll have to upgrade. lol.

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Originally Posted by stratus_020202

I had the exact same problem, and mine is about the same size. I tried a mouse pinkie, nothing. Waited a week and tried a rat pinkie, nothing. Waited another week, and tried a fuzzy mouse, BINGO!! Now she's eating two fuzzies a week, and growing fast. If you just bought her, she could be still getting used to the enclosure. They are really picky eaters. Some even prefer a male/female mouse. Keep trying. You'll find out what she likes. And just when you do, she grows and you'll have to upgrade. lol.

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now that you have her eating fuzzies are to small. a BP hatching can go straight to adult mice. so move her up.

and once you get husbandry 100% and get them on a schedule they should eat like a champ. if they are not then you need to change something.

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Originally Posted by JeffJ

now that you have her eating fuzzies are to small. a BP hatching can go straight to adult mice. so move her up.

and once you get husbandry 100% and get them on a schedule they should eat like a champ. if they are not then you need to change something.

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Oh yes, i will. I thought gradually changing her food would be better. One fuzzy, two fuzzy, either three next time or a hopper. I didn't want to go straight to the hopper. I only had her for two weeks, then moved to a new house, then shed two days later. She's been through a lot aleady. I love this sight though, and everyone is soooo helpful. So Lolo, just keep trying. Maybe you should start with a hopper. I think mine didn't eat the pinkies because they were so small. She was like, "I don't think so, where's the full meal!"

Thanks everyone! I'll give her another week off, and try a small mouse next week. She ate a few days before I got her, and I've only had her for 2 weeks now - so I think she'll be fine for a while.

Oh, but I am SUCH a sucker, I just couldn't take the rat pup back... I picked it up to move into a box, and he/she cuddled into my palm, suckled on my finger and fell asleep. :tears: I actually fed the little bugger after that (sugar water from a syringe), and it's still alive today. We have a friend who might take it, since she recently lost her pet rat and wants another. This is why live food isn't a good idea for me - LOL!