Third Refused mouse, starting to freak out....

Alright so I bought my BP just over a month ago, and hes only about 3 months old. I fed him his first F/T fine a few days after I got him and he at 3 more F/T after that. Well two weeks ago I went to feed him and he wanted nothing to do with the mouse, then again a few days later, then again the other night and then again tonight. I left it in his cage and put some new plants in so maybe he will feel more secure. I dont know what to do. Should I buy some pet mice from Earl May and see if he will take them?

How long are you waiting between attempts?

2 to 3 days with different F/T mice.

Don't fret it yet. I have had snakes not feed for months. I know being a juvi this is more strenous. I wonld try a live hopper and see what happens. Just a thought. If all else fails there are soft furred rats. Never had 1 of those refused ever!

Well unfortunatly I dont have anywhere even remotely close that sells feeder mice, we have an Earl May Garden/Pet store that sells pet white mice about the size of small adults and thats the closest I can get. Should I try that? If all else fails should I really try to feed it a Gerbil?

I would recommend giving it a week between the next offering, then try

I wouldn't try the gerbil yet. I have never had to go that route but I have heard of problems getting balls weaned off of them. Like I say I have never had to do that so they are stories to me. I would love to hear any stories about gerbils being used as feeders. Yes a small white mouse will do. I have a 2 and a half month old Mojave baby that just ate a hopper for me tonight for the first time. He hadn't ate for me since I got him 2 weeks ago. I am relieved for now. I juts hope he keeps it up. Good Luck

I would not worry too much! Check to make sure your temps, humidity and everything to make sure they are good! Also only feed once every 5 to 7 days! Do not handle the snake until it is eating regularly for you! You can cover the sides and top of the enclosure to add security!

Oh I had him eating regularly then he just stopped, this was also around the same time the weather cooled down but I kept the husbandry right. The humidty is in the high 50s, could that be it?

I wouldnt think so, try giving it a week before you offer again

Don't worry about it, 3 refusals in a week is nothing. DON'T switch prey items, he'll eat what he's been eating.
Check his belly. Does it look pinkish? Are his colors a bit dark and dull? He may just be going opaque, and getting ready to shed. Most ball pythons refuse food when in shed.
If so, just leave him alone, and wait until he has shed, then offer him food again.

No he just shed a week or two ago, its like he smells the mouse and then is just un-interested. I bought two live mice today from Earl May in Fort Dodge and thought I might try pre killing them just to get some food in him. Hes lost a little bit of weight in the last two weeks.

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Originally Posted by Clint Bundy

I wouldn't try the gerbil yet. I have never had to go that route but I have heard of problems getting balls weaned off of them. Like I say I have never had to do that so they are stories to me. I would love to hear any stories about gerbils being used as feeders. Yes a small white mouse will do. I have a 2 and a half month old Mojave baby that just ate a hopper for me tonight for the first time. He hadn't ate for me since I got him 2 weeks ago. I am relieved for now. I juts hope he keeps it up. Good Luck

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I have had my BP for almost 2 years. After eating great for the first few months I got my first refusal. After months of making sure that my temps and humidity were perfect and making sure my BP had nice tight fitting hides I finally decided to try feeding live. I had really good luck with live for quite some time. I started breeding my own because feeders are expensive where I live and the only source is not up to my standards of care. When I started needing to feed 2 mice and then 3 I decided I would need to move away from mice. My BP was better on live but still not a great feeder so I got worried about rats outgrowing my needs.

After reeding a lot of warnings against it I finally decided to start breeding gerbils. I can get a gerbil here for 6 dollars and a rat (regardless of size) was costing me $5.50. My situation is a bit unique so I would not recommend feeding gerbils. I can say that in my case gerbils are only slightly more expensive than rats. They do not outgrow my BP (largest so far 90 grams). I supervise all of my feedings closely. Gerbils have much less oder than any other rodent I have worked with. For my needs they breed and grow fast enough. They are very friendly, breeding for over 6 months with no bites. Finally I can't get ASF's easily either. PM me if you have any specific questions about gerbils as feeders.

Well it would be much more economical to feed frozen thawed, so if I plan on keeping him on frozen thawed then I shouldnt even attempt feeding live?

Unless he's lost substantial weight, it's not a big deal.
ALWAYS wait at least 7 days between feeding attempts. Even skip a week to give him more time.

Ball pythons going off food for months on end is normal, and should only be cause for concern should they lose 30% of body weight.

Trying to feed 2-3 days apart will stress him out, and will add to the problem.

dont know if anyone said yet but next time just clip the top of the mouses head off to get some brain showing before you try asf or gerbils. This usally gets em goin if they are think about going off mice.

So I should wait a week, and just leave him alone. Then if he wont take frozen thawed, as a last resort feed live or pre-killed? Honestly I dont think I could bring myself to kill a poor little mouse. I have no problems feeding him f/t, I just couldnt kill it myself or let it suffer.

And he just shed 2 weeks ago so I dont think thats it.

? Anyone?

Wait a week.

My normal girl will decide suddenly not to eat for 2-3 weeks sometimes(she's a 2 year old though), then suddenly starts eating regularly again.

It's nothing to worry about if the BP won't eat for a week... The point you would start to worry a bit for a youngling would be when you're hitting 3 weeks, though i'm no expert. Just taking an educated guess.

Honestly your BP just might not be hungry, lol.

So would it be a bad Idea to feed it live or fresh killed if I plan on feeding F/T in the future?

I would take this opportunity to try switching to F/T.

Wait a week and by the time you offer up an F/T your BP should be hungry enough to eat it and forget about eating live.

:( Oh how many of these days Ive had... frustrating.... check ur husbandry... and is it time for a shed cycle?

We just went through this situation as well.. A bit different but pretty much the same. Our guy didn't eat for 5 and a half weeks when we first got him home.. I tried everything my go to guy said and even got some advice from peeps here.. What I ended up doing (because he was very skinny) was doing live mice for 5 feedings.. After the 5th live, he went into a shed cycle so we just left him alone until he was done and when he was out looking for food again, I dropped a f/t in there for him and he took it instantly! Haven't had any problems since other than one refusal and I'm quite sure that's because my son startled him.

Also, we are trying to get him to put on weight before winter hits because we are concerned that he may not eat so we are feeding every 4-5 days per advice from several people. He is doing great but if we attempt any sooner than 4 days, he will not take a mouse, lol. Everyone here gives really good advice so be sure to try some of the responses.. Everyone here has been a huge help to us! Good luck :)