Babies - How Long To Wait To Assist Feed?

I have 3 babies from my first clutch on 7/4 that haven't eaten yet. I am offering live hopper mice (about 20g). I know the process of assist feeding as I've seen many videos. I just need to know if should go ahead and start assist feeding now or if not when would I need to?

Thanks.

Try a chubby fuzzy mouse overnight first, if that doesn't work then try a rat pink. The fuzzy mouse will not jump around and drive the hatchling crazy all night same with the rat pink. Good Luck, assist feeding should be last resort.

We wait 30 days from first shed IF the baby absorbs the yolk , if no absorption then we don't wait that long.

I don't have a hard and fast rule...for me it just depends on how the babies look. You might want to try smaller hoppers, tho. 20g is bigger than any hopper mouse I've ever seen. In my experience, hoppers are around half that weight. That's more like an adult mouse IMO, so it might be that the prey is too big.

I agree with Jerry, I wait till 30 days after they shed, that can put it pretty close to two months. This year I tried just throwing the babies in tubs with no crumpled newspaper and they were much slower at taking their first meals. What I did to get them eating was pull their tubs out and hold a rat pup in tongs in front of them. They all took it almost immediately because they heard the squealing and it put them in feeding mode. I did the same thing while they were in the rack, left the babies over night, nothing. For some reason pulling the tubs out and putting them on a table was all it took. They are strange creatures.

I have gone a few of weeks longer really depends on how she looks. I leave a live mouse hopper overnight once a week for the problem feeders

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hi
baby balls dont like jumpie stuff, try a rat pinkie or mouse pinkie good luck. I hate when my snakes dont eat...

I freaked a little on my first clutch though one of my albinos started on a pinkyat and has been eating ever since.
The others all get hopper mice, I put a small piece of kibble in for the mice and leave the water bowl. Then I cover the rack and check back in about an hour or so and most of the time the mice are gone.:gj:

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Originally Posted by Snakebite

hi
baby balls dont like jumpie stuff, try a rat pinkie or mouse pinkie good luck. I hate when my snakes dont eat...

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Jumpie seems to entice mine to eat

How are they set up? I used to set mine up on newspaper but have found I get better feeding success if they're on aspen. Maybe it feels more secure?

Also what size container? Enough hides? Etc? By tweaking setups I've gotten most non feeders to become feeders. I've only ever had to assist feed two when other methods failed.

As you know, every BP is different so there is no hard and fast rule. I had a girl last year that would not eat and I tried everything. I finally decided to assist feed her, 4weeks after her first shed. And I had to continue to assist feed her for the next two months and then finally one day she just decided to do it on her own and now she is one that never misses a meal. And I had no trouble switching her over to rats either.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Snakebite

hi
baby balls dont like jumpie stuff, try a rat pinkie or mouse pinkie good luck. I hate when my snakes dont eat...

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That is not what most people feed hatchlings.
Hatchling LIKE hoppers and fuzzy's, pinkies can work if the snake is aggressive enough to strike it off of tongs.
I've had terrible luck starting ball pythons on pinky anything, but that's just my experience...

I'd try some different food types before assist feeding. In my first clutch this season I had 6/7 take hopper mice the first try. Round 2, I offered pinky rats(something different for the one who didn't go for the hopper) and they all ate.

I have 3 non eater right now I wait until they lost a max of 20 grams of waight then I start force feeding. but most thetime I lucked out with leavign a small mouse hopper or fuzzy in the tank a couple hours. (example) the baby hatched weighting in at 54 grams does not eat after 2 weeks I wait until the little guy/gal loses about 10-15 grams ( looks really loose kin) then I force feed them a small critter each week/othe rweek until they start or eat on own. (more often if they still lose a grams during so) a trick that seems to help when assit/force feeding a wet rodent and tweezers the mositen prey tiems slides down easier and the tweezer work to puch the prey to the back without getting pricked by the teeth. )
But be prepared to fight up to 20 minutes per force feeding with the snakes cause they got a lot of spunck,( most mine stop struggling once i get the prey item down far enough that iw won't comeout just by swinging their head, ( one butter seems to start doing the job once you put it in his mouth and set in his tub ( hopping he realizes he entire proccess today when I offer food again.