Ball python refuses rats!

My ball python has always eaten live mice throughout the course of her 3 year life and now she needs to move on to medium rats but just wont make the change. Can anybody offer some help or provide tips on how to do this?

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Originally Posted by Justin Li

My ball python has always eaten live mice throughout the course of her 3 year life and now she needs to move on to medium rats but just wont make the change. Can anybody offer some help or provide tips on how to do this?

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There's absolutely nothing wrong with a snake being a mouser her entire life.

She doesn't NEED to move to medium rats, if mice are sustaining her. YOU may need her to move, but SHE doesn't need to move.

I would recommend small mediums, or small rats. Ask for some mouse bedding at the pet store (in a paper sack is fine), and then put a handful of the mouse bedding in the front of her enclosure. When you see her start actively looking for the source of that scent - drop in a small white rat. She should be "turned on" by the scent of the mouse bedding and then when presented with a live warm rodent will immediately hit on it.

If that doesn't work - then you have to use "tough love" (only if she's in good body condition). Offer rats and only rats each week. No more mice - until she gets hungry enough to take a rat.

If she loses significant amounts of weight, you'll want to offer her mice again. Don't ever extend tough love if you have a particularly stubborn animal to the point of risking your animal's health.

She isnt growing any larger or heavier

I have a 2 1/2 year-old who refuses rats, so I've let her stay with mice - that's my feeding preference anyway, and she's growing fine on them! I just add more prey as she grows, and she's now up to 3 mice per week & weighs around 1000g. Not quite as big as my rat eater of the same age, but I think it's good enough. :gj: Have you been giving multiple mice per feeding, or just one?

multiple, im feeding her 4 mice a week!

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Originally Posted by Justin Li

She isnt growing any larger or heavier

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:confuzd: Without knowing how large or heavy she is, how often you feed her and how many mice you feed her - that doesn't tell us very much.

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Originally Posted by Justin Li

multiple, im feeding her 4 mice a week!

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So - have you been tracking weight with a gram scale?

She's 3ft 3inches long, weighs 725 grams. I feed her every week and feed her 4 mice per week

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Originally Posted by Justin Li

She's 3ft 3inches long, weighs 725 grams. I feed her every week and feed her 4 mice per week

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Just curious how old is your girl and that its incredible to me that she eats four mice a week,have you ever tried to feed her frozen rodents,my female has never fed off live prey

shes 3 years old and refused frozen every single time

Does she eat every week, or does she refuse a lot?

If she's truly eating 4 adult mice a week, then I'd be concerned about internal parasites at that weight. I easily raised most of my females to 1200 grams and higher on just 2 mice a week.

I'd recommend taking a fecal sample into your vet to rule out internal parasites as a cause for her not to grow on 4 mice a week.

I have a female ball that doesn't like rats either.

I tried feeding her rats for months and she just wouldn't eat them. She was up to 6 adult mice per WEEK at one point. She's a little over 1,700g right now at 2.5 years old. I only feed mine Frozen Thawed.

I tried offering only rats, then tried pre-scenting, nothing worked until I tried something new.

The trick I used to get her to eat some rats was to feed her an adult mouse first, then right after she was done with it, I nudged a rat against her nose veeeerrrryyyy lightly. She flicked her tongue at it a few times then finally snapped it up. I just want to note did not force the rat into her mouth, just rubbed it against the front of her mouth. I guess she just sort of took to the smell of them. mixed with the smell of mice.

Every week now I feed her an adult mouse, then a rat, then another mouse (sometimes two) depending on how hungry she is. Saturdays are her feed days.

I'd like her to eat two rats a week instead of mice and rats but I don't think this is going to happen. She's always refused a second rat after the first but will gobble up mice Lol.

With that age, that length, that weight and the amount you feed her, are you sure she's a female? Sounds more like a male body type to me. Are you feeding adult mice? BTW I only feed medium rats to my largest females. ALL others get small rats of between 40-80 grams and I've got some ball pythons that are in their 20's

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Originally Posted by MarkS

With that age, that length, that weight and the amount you feed her, are you sure she's a female? Sounds more like a male body type to me. Are you feeding adult mice? BTW I only feed medium rats to my largest females. ALL others get small rats of between 40-80 grams and I've got some ball pythons that are in their 20's

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I'm sure she's a female, I got the vet to probe her and the vet said that she was definitely a she.

No success with priming and pre scenting. Will take her to the vet once she defecates, thanks rabernet! I've been told tuna really gets some snakes going, any experience with this?

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Originally Posted by Justin Li

No success with priming and pre scenting. Will take her to the vet once she defecates, thanks rabernet! I've been told tuna really gets some snakes going, any experience with this?

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You don't even need to take her with you - just drop off the fecal sample in the morning and wait for the results.

I've never pre-scented with chicken broth or tuna, etc. If the fecal comes back clean, and she's got good body weight for her size - you may have to try the "tough love" approach.

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Originally Posted by rabernet

You don't even need to take her with you - just drop off the fecal sample in the morning and wait for the results.

I've never pre-scented with chicken broth or tuna, etc. If the fecal comes back clean, and she's got good body weight for her size - you may have to try the "tough love" approach.

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would assist feeding work? Or is she too old and too large?

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Originally Posted by Justin Li

would assist feeding work? Or is she too old and too large?

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I don't assist feed adults. She would need to be weak and emaciated before I'd ever consider assist feeding an adult.

Are you offering live or f/t? Are the mice she's currently feeding on live or f/t?

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Originally Posted by rabernet

I don't assist feed adults. She would need to be weak and emaciated before I'd ever consider assist feeding an adult.

Are you offering live or f/t? Are the mice she's currently feeding on live or f/t?

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I always feed live as she refuses dead prey items

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Originally Posted by Justin Li

I always feed live as she refuses dead prey items

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I feed live as well - I was just wondering if this issue was related to the state of the prey being offered.