I know my problem is common, but I really want to rant...

I feel like my Pastel YB loves to be a pain. I'm about 50/50 on feeding with her. She refused to first two times I feed, ate really well the past 3 weeks and refused again tonight. The worst part is she acts super interested in it for a few minutes and then decides she doesn't want it. :mad:

As the title says, I know it's common. She's the only problem feeder I have so far and it's just annoying. :(

are you sure your food item is hot enough? It sounds like she might be smelling food but not able to locate it.

I know how you feel. My het pied female is exactly the same way. I got her feeding in the fall, and then she went on a winter fast, and has only eaten twice since coming out of it:rolleyes:. The things we go through with them. It's feeding night here as well, so we'll see what happens.

Umm, I don't know if this will help, but my female will only take the rat if it's blow dried and really hot. It may help with yours?

Good luck with her. It's always the females:rolleyes:

yea i know its aggravating. especially when everything is right and they still don't want it. they just like to stare at it for 5 minutes and then just go away from it. I only have one that is picky but it is defiantly a pain.

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Originally Posted by carlisleishere

I know how you feel. My het pied female is exactly the same way. I got her feeding in the fall, and then she went on a winter fast, and has only eaten twice since coming out of it:rolleyes:. The things we go through with them. It's feeding night here as well, so we'll see what happens.

Umm, I don't know if this will help, but my female will only take the rat if it's blow dried and really hot. It may help with yours?

Good luck with her. It's always the females:rolleyes:

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Blow dried is that only way she will take them. :P That was how I got her to eat the first time. It didn't seem to work tonight.

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Originally Posted by cinderbird

are you sure your food item is hot enough? It sounds like she might be smelling food but not able to locate it.

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I'm pretty sure it was warm enough. I thaw mine in the fridge over night, then 1-2 hours before I feed I let them sit out to get to room temp, then they go into hot water 20 minutes before I feed and I blow dry them before I offer. I'm pretty sure she can sense where it is too because she comes up to it and licks it, that's when she decides she doesn't want it.

I feel you. Although neither are ball pythons, we do have two problem feeders in our collection. It's particularly annoying since they are both smaller snakes and mouse eaters, as if any of the larger snakes skip a meal I can just chuck their rat feeder to my dumpster carpet python who never refuses and would happily eat his weight in rats, given the opportunity.

I get particularly frustrated with the female hognose, as I'd love for her to eat more/grow bigger/grow faster for both breeding and cosmetic purposes. Luckily she is up to size, but I still have dreams of a 1000g+ hognose female in the future, which probably won't happen with a girl who insists on eating small meals, infrequently.

Have you tried leaving it in with her? What about heating up the head of the prey really well?(unless you feed live haha)

Mine was a great feeder and over the last couple months he has grown pickier. He does the same thing, acts super interested and then goes away. I just leave it in for a couple hours partially in his hide and usually he will take it that way.

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Originally Posted by AkHerps

Have you tried leaving it in with her? What about heating up the head of the prey really well?(unless you feed live haha)

Mine was a great feeder and over the last couple months he has grown pickier. He does the same thing, acts super interested and then goes away. I just leave it in for a couple hours partially in his hide and usually he will take it that way.

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She won't touch it if I leave it in over night, I tried that the first two times. It's kind of funny because I have on BP that will not touch it unless I leave it in over night, but she almost always eats it, so it doesn't bother me. :P

As for heating up the head, I use a blow dryer on high to give them a little extra heat before I offer.

Hahah welcome to the club I've been struggling with that for 4.5 months now..

My male normal finally decided to eat last night after a 43 day fast. He is always afraid of the live prey so I had to give him a live rat pup. Yes, I know it is to small, but I am just glad that he ate something. He wants nothing to do with f/t prey at all, been there, tried it.

I had a ball that never ate. he might would eat 2 or 3 times a year tops. it used to drive me crazy then.... i traded him for a carpet. problem solved! this guy eats like hes never going to be offered another meal in his life. I just fed him 2 large rats this morning. I couldnt be happier. haha.

Out of over 100 Ball pythons maybe 6 will eat pre-killed, all the rest eat only live. My advice, feed live;)

I don't know i'm starting to think it's a pastel yb thing:rage:. All my bp's are back on feed as of this weekend even the ones that have not eaten in 9 months:banana: But i have 1.2 2010 pastel yb that just drive me nutttts:rolleye2: these things eat about every third week:rage: I see asf's in the coming months for them.

I've got an 09 pastel female at about 500 grams... she was over 800 at one time... absolutely won't eat... rats, asfs, mice, f/t, live... doesn't matter. She used to eat fine on F/T rats and was putting some size on but when fall came around, nothing. No interest. You put a prey item near her and she smells it, but then balls up and hides her head. She's never been bitten or anything, I've taken her to the vet who says she's fine... done a stool sample and everything, but there is apparently nothing wrong other than her lack of appetite.

I've tried all the tricks from leaving it overnight, heating it up extra, braining, even assist feeding once to see if she'd wrap once it was in her mouth (I didn't try to shove it down her throat)... no dice.

She just ate a live mouse a few days ago and thats her second meal in about 3.5 months. She's getting really thin looking and I feel so bad for her but I don't know what else I can do. I'm hoping she'll eat again in a few days, I'm going to stick to a live mouse again... hopefully she'll take 2... as long as she'll eat something and doesn't starve herself I'll be happy. Its very frustrating.

She is in the same rack as my other balls and they all eat fine. I've got one female who will only eat every 2 weeks but that doesn't bother me because she'll at least take Med-Lg F/T rats and never goes for a 3rd week. My others would eat their weight in rats while in full shed, I swear... just savages lol. Jumping out of the tub at you the day after a big meal... lol

I really wouldn't worry about missing one feeding, well not much anyways... if your husbandry is right, no sign of RI or mites or anything...you're probably fine. A lot of people feed every 10-14 days and think once a week is "power-feeding." Its when they start going over a month that I'd be getting a bit concerned, but even that isn't very uncommon.

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Originally Posted by West Coast Jungle

Out of over 100 Ball pythons maybe 6 will eat pre-killed, all the rest eat only live. My advice, feed live;)

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When I got my first BP I feed her live for a few months, but it was a huge pain to keep going to the store and I have no interest in breeding or keeping rats or mice. They smell nasty. :(

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Originally Posted by Drewp

I've got an 09 pastel female at about 500 grams... she was over 800 at one time... absolutely won't eat... rats, asfs, mice, f/t, live... doesn't matter. She used to eat fine on F/T rats and was putting some size on but when fall came around, nothing. No interest. You put a prey item near her and she smells it, but then balls up and hides her head. She's never been bitten or anything, I've taken her to the vet who says she's fine... done a stool sample and everything, but there is apparently nothing wrong other than her lack of appetite.

I've tried all the tricks from leaving it overnight, heating it up extra, braining, even assist feeding once to see if she'd wrap once it was in her mouth (I didn't try to shove it down her throat)... no dice.

She just ate a live mouse a few days ago and thats her second meal in about 3.5 months. She's getting really thin looking and I feel so bad for her but I don't know what else I can do. I'm hoping she'll eat again in a few days, I'm going to stick to a live mouse again... hopefully she'll take 2... as long as she'll eat something and doesn't starve herself I'll be happy. Its very frustrating.

She is in the same rack as my other balls and they all eat fine. I've got one female who will only eat every 2 weeks but that doesn't bother me because she'll at least take Med-Lg F/T rats and never goes for a 3rd week. My others would eat their weight in rats while in full shed, I swear... just savages lol. Jumping out of the tub at you the day after a big meal... lol

I really wouldn't worry about missing one feeding, well not much anyways... if your husbandry is right, no sign of RI or mites or anything...you're probably fine. A lot of people feed every 10-14 days and think once a week is "power-feeding." Its when they start going over a month that I'd be getting a bit concerned, but even that isn't very uncommon.

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She still looks great, so I'm not worried yet. The breeder I got her from said she was eating f/t rat pups and that's what I've been offering her. If she wants to skip a week every now and again that's okay, it's just annoying because then I have to figure out what to do with the refused food. :P

Have you tried other types of prey other than rats?

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Originally Posted by AkHerps

Have you tried other types of prey other than rats?

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Not yet, as far as I know she's only ever had rat pups. I've been trying the handle her more as she's not the friendliest of snakes and I think that might be stressing her out a little. I'm going to see if she will eat if I leave her alone this week.