i try feeding ball python but

so ball python hasnt eaten in 4 weeks. a few days ago i put in syrian hamster in its cage to eat i left it there with snake for about an hour. i saw snake try to coil around it by syrian hamster bite or something it let go. happen twice. idk what size my snake should eat. it is 263 grams 1yr old and owner told me to feed it medium size rat prefers live. i thought syrian hamster would be same size. i also try a large X mouse frozen to feed but it wouldnt take it...

also how to tell if snake is hungry or not? i see her(female snake) coiled up by the heat in the day and then pretty active at night wandering around cage. the cage is 90 degrees hot max. and drop it to 80 at night. always a cool water bowl fresh.
im stressed out that my snake is acting like a holocaust jew and will die slowly..pls help/advice

A good article by ColinWeaver on BP appetite

Can you post a pic of the cage setup? What are you using to measure temps, what's your heat source, etc?

1 Feeding an alternative prey that is not readily available could be an issue so I would not try to offer Hamster again. Your temps should be stable, day and night.

Can you give us details.

How long have you had that BP for?

Has it ever ate for you?

How often do you handle him?

What is the enclosure size?

Ho do you measure your temps (where and what type of thermometer do you use?)

Do you provide hides? Are they tights?

How do you offer food?

Medium rats are way too big for a BP that size a rat pups on the larger side or weaned rats on the smaller side are what you are looking for.

http://i.imgur.com/62jGJYR.jpg
compasslike thermometer with humidity. light bulb(a lot of heat) with heating pad on side.. water bowl in there. a little jar thingie for a hide. paper "substrate" and a cover which i took off for the pic.

How long have you had that BP for?
about 4 weeks.

Has it ever ate for you?
nope.

How often do you handle him?
2x a week

What is the enclosure size?
10g tank
Ho do you measure your temps (where and what type of thermometer do you use?)
compasslike thermometerwih humidty guage.
Do you provide hides? Are they tights?
in the jar. big enough for it. look pic


How do you offer food?

i place the live prey in with the snake. if frozen i swing it around make it jerk so it looks alive but wont eat anything

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it is 263 grams 1yr old

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Just want to double check that this is correct, a one year old that weighs 263 grams?

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owner told me to feed it medium size rat

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Assuming the above information is not a typo, a medium rat, 85g to 175g is WAY to large for your snake. And maxing out at the low end of that range a hamster is still too large. You should be looking at the largest being rat pups in the 20g to 30g range maybe even one step down called weaned. Photos of the animal with something for scale would help.

Though as it has already been said changing out food items, specially right after a move is a bad idea.

The 90 to 80 change you describe should be the gradient in the enclosure not a fluctuation. This means that there should be a hot spot under the hide that is at 90 and stays at 90 controlled by a thermoSTAT. And an ambient temp in the rest of the enclosure of 80ish day and night.

All the of information Deborah lists would be really helpful in narrowing the problem down even further. That being said there may be no problem. I once bought an animal that didnt eat for 2 months then began eating regularly once a week and has not slowed down since. It will eat when it's hungry but at 263g it should be eating more regularly.

Hey sorry you posted while I was posting.

Assuming you have a screen cover add a towel over the top to increase humidity.

Why is the heat pad on the side of the tank? I would suggest putting it under the hide. But when you do...

You have no control for the heat, I would suggest a thermoSTAT to control the heat pad.

The opening on the jar is far too large and does not function well as a hide. You can tell because your snake would rather hide behind it than in it...

Even a small box with a hole cut in the side would be a better alternative. Just be sure to keep it dry.

I would suggest that you do not handle the animal again until it is comfortable and eating.


Unless you can get live rats of the appropriate size i would suggest sticking with frozen/thawed food.

When you offered the f/t mouse how did you heat it? What temperature was it when you offered it to your snake?


From what can be seen of the snake it does not look to be overly hungry. So I would suggest focusing your attention on increasing the quality of the environment in the enclosure before getting it to eat. One should even facilitate the other.

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Originally Posted by Velrys

Hey sorry you posted while I was posting.

Assuming you have a screen cover add a towel over the top to increase humidity.

Why is the heat pad on the side of the tank? I would suggest putting it under the hide. But when you do...

You have no control for the heat, I would suggest a thermoSTAT to control the heat pad.

The opening on the jar is far too large and does not function well as a hide. You can tell because your snake would rather hide behind it than in it...

Even a small box with a hole cut in the side would be a better alternative. Just be sure to keep it dry.

I would suggest that you do not handle the animal again until it is comfortable and eating.


Unless you can get live rats of the appropriate size i would suggest sticking with frozen/thawed food.

When you offered the f/t mouse how did you heat it? What temperature was it when you offered it to your snake?


From what can be seen of the snake it does not look to be overly hungry. So I would suggest focusing your attention on increasing the quality of the environment in the enclosure before getting it to eat. One should even facilitate the other.

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humidity is usually at 50-60%. When it gets low I just sprinkle some water on the glass. im going to look for a large mouse soon to feed it. i had a feeling the hamster would be too large but thats what owner told me rat medium size. and yes it weighs 263 grams idk if thats small or what. he did say she was slow to eat and has irregular eating schedule. and yeah about the hide, i dont see it in there that often maybe 30% of the time,70% its usually on the side of the tank or on top of it.

for the mouse. i took it out the freezer and put it in really hot water for 15 min while inside a plastic bag.

Temperature are likely off get a digital thermometer or even a temp gun, spend a little money and invest in 2 tight identical hides in which the animal really feel secure.

No handling until the snake eats for you.

Now if it was me here is what I would do.

15 quarts tub, aspen bedding, two plastic bowls for hides, 78/80 on the cool side - 88/90 on the warm side....wait a week (no handling) and offer a live rat pup. If that fails wait another week and offer a live mouse.

This is a small snake for a year old and if this snake did not eat on a regular basis with it's previous owner it could be husbandry related or prey related.

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Originally Posted by Deborah

Temperature are likely off get a digital thermometer or even a temp gun, spend a little money and invest in 2 tight identical hides in which the animal really feel secure.

No handling until the snake eats for you.

Now if it was me here is what I would do.

15 quarts tub, aspen bedding, two plastic bowls for hides, 78/80 on the cool side - 88/90 on the warm side....wait a week (no handling) and offer a live rat pup. If that fails wait another week and offer a live mouse.

This is a small snake for a year old and if this snake did not eat on a regular basis with it's previous owner it could be husbandry related or prey related.

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Ok . If nothing works should I try assist feeding it? I don't want it to lose weight

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Originally Posted by fried

Ok . If nothing works should I try assist feeding it? I don't want it to lose weight

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No you do not assist a snake that knows how to eat, you solve your husbandry issues until the animal does eat.

Assist feeding is for hatchlings that will not take their first meal on their own.

Truly picky BP are not that common in the majority of cases with new owner it is HUSBANDRY related.

i noticed the past two days she's been curled up in a ball in the same spot.
should i be concerned?

I fed her a small mouse and she ate it yay. Owner said medium rats LOOOOL. Feeding her small mice until she gets bugger

Medium rat for a 263 gram BP is way too large. Probably intimidated your BP so she didn't eat. Probably could swing a rat pup if you want to feed rats. That's what I fed mine at that size in grams.

Good luck

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Originally Posted by fried

I fed her a small mouse and she ate it yay. Owner said medium rats LOOOOL. Feeding her small mice until she gets bugger

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Small mice will be too small, unless you feed her multiple mice.

If she'll eat rats, I think you'd be better off switching her to rat pups or small-ish weaned rats.

Why don't you just feed her pray that is the same girth as she is around the thickest part of her body? It's a lot easier to pick out rats that way.

Also, you might want to stick to rats if that is what she eats. Once you get her on mice, it might be hard to switch her back to rats, and mice will become a pain in the behind in the long-run. You'll have to buy more mice at a time to feed her because they will not be big enough. If mice is more convenient for you to find, then go for it, but keep in mind that you'll be feeding her a bunch of mice when you could be feeding just one appropriately sized rat.

well petco doesnt sell those smaller rat pups. they have small mice or large rats nothing in between. the rats are wayyy too big.
and if i try frozen she wont eat, i tried frozen that before i threw in the syrian hamster.


im just thankful shes even eating makes me happy.

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Originally Posted by fried

well petco doesnt sell those smaller rat pups. they have small mice or large rats nothing in between. the rats are wayyy too big.
and if i try frozen she wont eat, i tried frozen that before i threw in the syrian hamster.


im just thankful shes even eating makes me happy.

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Ah, that's a bummer. Have you tried looking for local rat breeders in your area? If you're interested in buying from a local/independent breeder, you can try putting out feelers on Facebook (I join local reptile communities when I move) or Craigslist. Just a thought! Good luck with your snake, I'm glad she's eating!