HELP PLEASE! Ball python possibly starving?

So I got three ball pythons about two weeks ago and one (a four month old spider) just doesn't seem to be doing well?

he won't eat and when he came to me he was already thinner than his clutch mate normal female I got as well which didn't really surprise me as males are smaller.
but the more I handle him (which at this point is at a minimal) I realise how skinny he is and after refusing to eat these two weeks, I wonder how long he can go on like this.

just now I was inspecting him and as he slid over my finger I could actually FEEL his heart. not just his heartbeat, but the actual organ.

he's weak and is a bit like a noodle

WHAT CAN I DO BEFORE RESORTING TO GOING TO THE VET?

Do you have photos of the snakes for reference? How old are they? What was their living situation before coming to you?

What is your habitat like for each snake? Temperature of cool end, temperature of warm end? What have you tried feeding, and how did you do so?

Ideally, you should not be handling them until they have started eating for you, and have had a proper chance to settle in.

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Originally Posted by Anatopism

Do you have photos of the snakes for reference? How old are they? What was their living situation before coming to you?

What is your habitat like for each snake? Temperature of cool end, temperature of warm end? What have you tried feeding, and how did you do so?

Ideally, you should not be handling them until they have started eating for you, and have had a proper chance to settle in.

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the female normals are temporarily in a 20 gallon glass tank with hot and cool hides, a UTH, plastic plants and a soaking/water dish. temps are 75 on the cool end and 85 on the hot end. they feed on baby mice just fine in a separate tub.

the spider male in question is in a plastic tub about the same size as the tank, same set up. temps range from 78-90. he will not eat and hasn't eaten for me these two weeks.

Are you feeding live or F/T? What size mice? Might want to try rats.

Pics would be good. It's pretty easy to tell when a BP is malnourished. They will look like a triangle and their skin will be loose.

Try feeding him in-cage instead of in a separate enclosure.

yeah his skin is definitely loose.
and atm i've been feeding f/t crawlers I think they're called?
still new to the feeder world. :(
and everyone i've ever talked to told me not to feed in their enclosure because it would associate me reaching in with feeding so idk.

If you have a smaller enclosure It won't hurt to try that, also place hides in with them, and what I do is get a fuzzy crawler rat and place in the tub at bed time and leave it over night. I have only had to assist feed once and its not fun for you or the snake.

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Originally Posted by lavenderlolita

yeah his skin is definitely loose.
and atm i've been feeding f/t crawlers I think they're called?
still new to the feeder world. :(
and everyone i've ever talked to told me not to feed in their enclosure because it would associate me reaching in with feeding so idk.

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Cage aggression is total bs... I'd feed in his tank, make sure the food is warm enough for him to sense it and try givin it the "zombie dance" if he doesn't take no harm in leaving It in over night. Hopefully he eats for you

Feeding a live fuzzy will help also.

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dont have much experience but if all else fails try live. I cant get mine to eat f/t at all. also since he wont eat at all leave him in the enclosure till he starts eating on a regular basis and gets his weight up. and try not to handle him i'm sure hes already stressed as it is.

A picture of the spider would definitely help us to determine the real condition of the animal. If he's a hatchling and still small, I would try a live hopper mouse. You can leave a hopper in the tank with him for a few hours, even overnight and leave him alone with it. If you can really feel the internal organs, it sounds like a pretty dire situation, so the sooner the better. If he's really that bad off, you may need to make a mouse pink slurry and feed him from a feeding syringe. Again, this is where a picture would come in handy so we can tell you the appropriate course of action based on the real condition of the snake.

Try feeding in the enclosure, a live small meal. Also if the tub is clear it may be helpful to do a black out. Which is papering or spray painting the outside of the tub black so that he has full seclusion. Obviously no handling at all. Make sure your temp and humidity is spot on. Humidity is going to keep him hydrated which will make or break him at the moment. Seriously though try live and in the tub. All that moving around is freakin him out and most babies don't take to ft right off.


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Originally Posted by Inknsteel

A picture of the spider would definitely help us to determine the real condition of the animal. If he's a hatchling and still small, I would try a live hopper mouse. You can leave a hopper in the tank with him for a few hours, even overnight and leave him alone with it. If you can really feel the internal organs, it sounds like a pretty dire situation, so the sooner the better. If he's really that bad off, you may need to make a mouse pink slurry and feed him from a feeding syringe. Again, this is where a picture would come in handy so we can tell you the appropriate course of action based on the real condition of the snake.

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I disagree with this because I have seen first hand what a Hopper mouse (yes, Hopper) can do to a healthy hatchling, let alone a weak or malnourished one. Fuzzies are safe to leave alone, even the stage just before their eyes open, but do not leave a Hopper mouse in a tub unattended, or any longer than you would an adult mouse.

Spiders with the wobble are not IMHO for Novice Snake owners, You may very well have to Assist Feed this guy.

But I agree pics would be good, Also get yourself a scale and weigh him that would also help us

The wobble would explain if he was missing his strikes and eventually giving up but not not eating at all. I've heard it said a lot that even wobbly spiders will eat just about anything you put in front of them. This guy must be really stressed to have not eaten in so long.

x however many-ing the pics + scale weight. Without seeing what kind of state he's in, it's really hard for anybody to give suggestions for what to do.

I just had the same issue with my new pastel female, not eating from the moment I got her.
Was about 8 weeks already. She was in a glass tank with proper temp/humidity and enough hides. Tried everything, but no luck. Last option was to put her in my curver rack, and that was the solution. After 2 days in the rack feeding day arrived and she ate without any problems, currently no problems for a few weeks in a row.

I guess some just cannot function properly in a glass tank, to much stress from the environment. Don't know if this is the case for your snake, but maybe this info can help you.

You could try fresh killed if you are uncomfortable feeding live.You can pick up dry ice at the grocery store. just a thought. :oops:

Couple things….

You've been asked for a photo several times with no response. In this situation, a photo is truly worth a thousand words and will go a long way in helping us determine the condition of your Spider. I recall the photos you posted when you got this BP, and he looked to be in fairly good shape then. Hard to believe he's gone that far down hill in such a short time.

Also, quit trying to feed this snake in a seperate tub. I know you have to do that for your females, because you house them in the same tank, but they are a seperate issue.

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Originally Posted by lavenderlolita

everyone i've ever talked to told me not to feed in their enclosure because it would associate me reaching in with feeding

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Then everyone you've talked to is tremendously uninformed. Cage aggression is a myth and has been debated on this forum multiple times, including in two current threads that are active right now. Makes me wonder if you did any research on feeding outside the enclosure, or if you just listened to everyone?

If your Spider is not taking F/T, try feeding him the correct sized live prey. It's doesn't mean you can't go back to F/T later, but you may need to use live to get him jump started.

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Originally Posted by ExotixTowing

Spiders with the wobble are not IMHO for Novice Snake owners, You may very well have to Assist Feed this guy.

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Ok. I have to respond to this because this is just BS! ALL spiders wobble, some worse than others, but they ALL do it and ALL carry the gene. 99% of the time it is merely a personality quirk. Out of the hundreds of snakes we've had over the years, our spiders were almost always some of our best feeders and breeders. The wobble in those 99% of cases does NOT affect their feeding at all outside of the occasional missed strike. Those who have kept a number of spiders will understand this. So your theory on them only being for more experienced keepers is quite flawed.

Assist feeding is very stressful to your snake and should only be done as a last resort by a vet or an experienced keeper. If you don't know what you're doing you may very well cause more harm than good.

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Originally Posted by Slim

Couple things….

You've been asked for a photo several times with no response. In this situation, a photo is truly worth a thousand words and will go a long way in helping us determine the condition of your Spider. I recall the photos you posted when you got this BP, and he looked to be in fairly good shape then. Hard to believe he's gone that far down hill in such a short time.

Also, quit trying to feed this snake in a seperate tub. I know you have to do that for your females, because you house them in the same tank, but they are a seperate issue.



Then everyone you've talked to is tremendously uninformed. Cage aggression is a myth and has been debated on this forum multiple times, including in two current threads that are active right now. Makes me wonder if you did any research on feeding outside the enclosure, or if you just listened to everyone?

If your Spider is not taking F/T, try feeding him the correct sized live prey. It's doesn't mean you can't go back to F/T later, but you may need to use live to get him jump started.

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Yup. :gj: