New baby ball python won't eat frozen/thawed pinky

So I got a baby ball from petsmart(yes ik what u gonna say but there r no reptile shows around here) and he/she(idk the gender) was about a month old when I got her and I've had her for bout 3 weeks. She about 14 inches long and when I got her I got a 6 pack of pinky mice. Now at the time I thought they would be fine but they are too small. Ik u feed them mice the same diameter as their thickest part and 2 pinkys side by side would be the diameter of her. So I tried to feed a thawed pinky the day after I got her bc that was when the pet store said was feeding day(wed), she didn't eat, tried again on sun bc that was when I wanted to be feeding day. She didn't eat and ik I'm not supposed to handle her for a week but I did so after the second fail I waited a week without handling(except for once for 5 min) then tried feeding again in sun, she didn't eat. That brings me a week later to today and I'm wondering if I should try and get a bigger frozen/thawed so it's the right size or get a live one and pre-kill it then feed it to her. Bc I'm not sure if it being a mouse pinky that it was too small and she wouldn't eat it? I'm thinkin maybe if it's the right size she'll take it? Also btw I handled her like once or twice for a short time this week.

Pinky mice are too small way too small.
I doubt the age of the snake as well, sorry to say.
Double check all of your husbandry.
Read and understand all of this --> http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...-hatchling-101
And if all else fails, a live hopper mouse will do it almost every time.

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Originally Posted by PitOnTheProwl

Pinky mice are too small way too small.
I doubt the age of the snake as well, sorry to say.
Double check all of your husbandry.
Read and understand all of this --> http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...-hatchling-101
And if all else fails, a live hopper mouse will do it almost every time.

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So I'm about to go out should I get a frozen hopper or a live hopper?

Live hopper. Get it comfortable and eating then transition to f/t.

Dave

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Originally Posted by SnekIsNoodle

So I'm about to go out should I get a frozen hopper or a live hopper?

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First thing before even attempting any feeding make sure your setup is optimum for an hatchling follow the link Pit posted to a T, once you do that offer live hopper (as mentioned pinkies are not appropriate for a BP), and do so for 3 to 5 feeding before attempting to switch to F/T.

Right now the priority is for the animal to eat not to be switch, and you will have better results if you attempt to switch a well established animal rather than switching one that is not.

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Originally Posted by Deborah

First thing before even attempting any feeding make sure your setup is optimum for an hatchling follow the link Pit posted to a T, once you do that offer live hopper (as mentioned pinkies are not appropriate for a BP), and do so for 3 to 5 feeding before attempting to switch to F/T.

Right now the priority is for the animal to eat not to be switch, and you will have better results if you attempt to switch a well established animal rather than switching one that is not.

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So I got a frozen fuzzy at the pet store today(they didn't have hoppers at the time) and I thawed it and dangled it and stuff and she got interested in it and stared at it and even followed it with her head when I moved it then eventually slowly moved away. I Did this like 10 times and I've been trying for like an hour but she still didn't eat it. So I'm guessing I should feed live now? Or pre-killed? And when should I try agin in a week or less than that? Also by live should I actually feed it to her alive or kill it with my tongs and then feed it?

Why are you asking questions if you don't want to listen to the answers?
This seems to be a trend recently.

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Originally Posted by PitOnTheProwl

Why are you asking questions if you don't want to listen to the answers?
This seems to be a trend recently.

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I didn't see the reply until after I went to the store

So I'm going to get a live mouse, when should I get it and feed her, and should I feed it live or kill it then feed it?

If she was on f/t before (and I think Petsmart snakes are), I wouldn't resort to live yet. Mice are usually more easily accepted, and Petsmart was probably using mice anyway (or, at least, they don't sell frozen rat pups, and I'm assuming they use regular stock to feed the animals). Depending on her size, a mouse hopper or small adult mouse would work (my little guy was eating adult mice when I got him but he was already 120g, she might be smaller).

Some snakes like to eat in private. Try just leaving the (f/t) rodent in the tank overnight, so she can look it over in her own time. One of mine prefers to eat that way. You can even cover the tank if she seems shy.

But definitely double-check the enclosure conditions---BPs won't eat unless everything is perfect. Make sure the tank is cluttered up and has a lot of tight dark spaces, that makes a hatchling feel more secure.

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Originally Posted by SnekIsNoodle

So I'm going to get a live mouse, when should I get it and feed her, and should I feed it live or kill it then feed it?

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Let her kill it. But you have to supervise. Never leave a live rodent (with eyes open; pinkies and fuzzies are OK) with your snake unsupervised.

But, again, I wouldn't resort to live yet. It hasn't been that long, you haven't been offering the right size, and she looked interested in the f/t rat. So I think she'll take f/t if you keep trying. Your choice.

Oops, just saw you tried a fuzzy mouse, not a rat. Still too small. They don't recognize it as food if it's too small. If you can't get a hopper mouse, try a small adult mouse---they're easier to find. She should be able to take that, as long as it's about as big as her widest girth.

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Originally Posted by Willowy

If she was on f/t before (and I think Petsmart snakes are), I wouldn't resort to live yet. Mice are usually more easily accepted, and Petsmart was probably using mice anyway (or, at least, they don't sell frozen rat pups, and I'm assuming they use regular stock to feed the animals). Depending on her size, a mouse hopper or small adult mouse would work (my little guy was eating adult mice when I got him but he was already 120g, she might be smaller).

Some snakes like to eat in private. Try just leaving the (f/t) rodent in the tank overnight, so she can look it over in her own time. One of mine prefers to eat that way. You can even cover the tank if she seems shy.

But definitely double-check the enclosure conditions---BPs won't eat unless everything is perfect. Make sure the tank is cluttered up and has a lot of tight dark spaces, that makes a hatchling feel more secure.

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I have aspen bedding tho and I heard that u shouldn't feed them in the same cage if u have aspen bc it can get stuck in their mouth

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Originally Posted by Willowy

Let her kill it. But you have to supervise. Never leave a live rodent (with eyes open; pinkies and fuzzies are OK) with your snake unsupervised.

But, again, I wouldn't resort to live yet. It hasn't been that long, you haven't been offering the right size, and she looked interested in the f/t rat. So I think she'll take f/t if you keep trying. Your choice.

Oops, just saw you tried a fuzzy mouse, not a rat. Still too small. They don't recognize it as food if it's too small. If you can't get a hopper mouse, try a small adult mouse---they're easier to find. She should be able to take that, as long as it's about as big as her widest girth.

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The fuzzy looked like it was the right size, it was as thick as the thickest part of her body

It would be best if you could get a scale, take the guesswork out of it. If she really is as big around as a fuzzy mouse, she's very skinny :(. BPs start on hopper mice or rat fuzzies and should be eating adult mice or rat pups by the time they go to new homes. So a mouse fuzzy is normally too small even for a new hatchling.

You can get a digital postal or kitchen scale for around $20. Weigh her, than find a feeder that's about 10%-15% of her weight.

You should feed her in her enclosure. BPs get stressed from being moved to eat. Plus, they can digest bones, so a little aspen isn't gonna hurt ;). Sand and rocks are what cause impaction/blockage, not a little bit of wood shavings. But if you're really worried, you can put a paper towel down, or completely ditch the aspen and just use paper towels.

Yeah, if you've been moving her to feed her, that could be one reason why she hasn't eaten. It rarely works with BPs.