First ball pythons, need advice on feeding?

Hey everyone, just wanted to give you an update on the situation

My male mystic potion has still not eaten and it's been almost a month since I got him. The female super mojave ate one rat pup last week but refused food this week. Am I doing something wrong?

I put two F/T rat pups in a small ziplock bag and let them thaw out in a cup of warm tap water for 3 1/2 hours prior to feeding. The rat pups seemed fully thawed when I tried to feed them.

Temperatures for both bins are sitting at 90 degrees Fahrenheit on the warm side.

I am getting kind of worried about the male mystic potion because he has not eaten since I brought him home. He seems healthy and I have not handled him even once - he has a small hide that he always goes in for cover. I haven't handled him because I don't want to stress him out.

Is there something I can do to try and get them to eat? The male mystic potion poked his head out of his hide to look at the rat pup but didn't attempt to strike or do much. I slowly removed his hide from the bin after a few minutes and tried to dangle-feed the rat pup with no luck. I have waited 7 days between each feeding attempt and have not bothered the mystic potion at all. Right now, I left the rats in the bins with the snakes and put their hides back in case they are nervous about eating when I'm around.

Should I try braining/crushing the skulls of the rat pups prior to feeding them next time to see if that gets them interested? I would like to get them eating as consistently as possible. I am not equipped to breed/raise my own live feeders. When should I try feeding my BP's again?

Any help is appreciated.

Rat pups should not take that long to thaw in water.

Once they were thawed and you were about to feed them did you warm them again?

I thaw and then I drain that water and put fresh hot water on them. I let them set for 10-15 minutes and then start to feed my collection. You want to feed the prey at a temp that mimics live prey. A mouse has a body temp around 100F to give you an idea of how hot they should be.

If I try warming them up again do you think they might be more interested or am I too late to try a second time in the same evening? I could put them back in the bag, fill the cup up with warm water, wait fifteen minutes, and then try again.

I guess I'm not used to the intricacies of feeding BP's just yet. My corn snake eats F/T and always strikes at her food very readily.

Some snakes can be very picky.

You could try again but I really doubt you will have success. I would try my suggestion on the next feed day.

Also once they take the prey sometimes it helps to grab the tail with tongs and wiggle and pull on it. This makes the snake think the prey is fighting and will really kick their feed drive into gear.

I will try to feed again (warmed up rat pups) and see if they take it - if not, I will make sure the rats are warm enough next feeding day. I heard BP's can be finicky eaters but I wasn't expecting them to be this finicky. However, it was my mistake and at least if I'm not successful this time around they will (hopefully) be extra hungry next week. Thank you for your help!

I know the breeder said he was feeding them wet f/t, I will let you know I've never had much luck getting a snake to eat a dripping wet rodent. I don't know why, I just haven't.

Here is how I do it most of the time:

Select the rodent to be thawed; if you have time, let it stand at room temperature in the same room with your snake for 4 - 5 hours. If you don't have the time, place in a small container and run a thin stream of hot water into the container and over the rodent for 10 - 15 minutes. If you had to wet the rodent, use an old rag or towel to blot off most of the water and then use a hair dryer to dry it completely. If you did not wet the rodent, you can use the hair dryer to just warm the rodent all over. It is best to do this right near the snake tub, if possible blow the air in the direction of the snake tub. The warm rodent scented breezes should have the baby good and ready to go. Carefully remove the hide. Grasp the rodent with tongs just behind the head, by the scruff of the neck and hit just the head with the hair dryer for 15 - 20 seconds. You want that rodent putting off a massive heat signature. Gently offer the rodent to one side of the snake's head, and not too close. Chances are good it will hit it right away. If not, gently wiggle the rodent back and forth a little bit. We call this the "zombie dance". The goal is not to make the rodent into a Rockette, but to fool the snake into thinking it's alive. If a few good wiggles doesn't entice a strike, you can try re-heating the head an offering again in much the same way. You want the rodent close to the snake, but not right on top of it. If the baby still refuses, you can gently lay the rodent down nearby, cover the tank, turn off the lights and leave the room for about 20 minutes. Most of the time when you return the rodent will be gone. If not, you can try re-heating the head one last time. If this fails completely, and it sometimes will, trash the rodent or feed it to another snake if you can. Wait at least 3 or 4 days before trying again. The big thing with most f/t refusal really is not getting they prey hot enough. Wet prey especially will chill really fast.

Well, that and the fact that ball pythons, baby or not, are just stubborn little monsters when it comes to refusing to feed and scaring new parents.

One last thing. These guys can really key in to your mood. If you are anxious and nervous and " What if it doesn't eat ?" I can just about promise they won't eat. Calm yourself down before you go into their room. Breathe deep and tell yourself, if they eats that's good, if they don't no big deal. And MAKE yourself believe that. I've stressed out more than one snake to the point of not eating, just by being worried they would not eat. They can sense your moods and they will react to them.

I've only ever heard of a ball python starving itself to death maybe once or twice, and it's usually a safe bet there was something wrong with the snake to cause it. I have had a few babies I had to assist feed from hatching for a while to get them going, but if they were eating before they should again.

Gale