New owner and new ball python with feeding problems

Hey there. So about 2 weeks ago I got my first ball python and first reptile ever. I’ve had birds before, and those come with their own sets of challenges, but I’ve never had a snake. The day I got her the breeder told me he had been feeding her live but was offering her pre killed for me and that seemed to be working- although I'm not sure what size. The last time she had eaten when I got her was 2 weeks ago (it’s now been almost 4). A few days after I got her, I figured she’d be hungry and I tried to feed her a small rat. She was interested in the small rat but didn’t attempt to strike- I assumed it was too big. I picked up a medium mouse from a local store but was hesitant since I had known she had only been eating rats. She was curious but seemed less interested, still no strike. After that I waited a week- today exactly- to try and feed her again. I read that starting off small is good and got her a small fuzzy rat. She actually struck at the rat, but missed, and since hasn’t attempted to try again. I kept dangling it and wiggling it around for 20 minutes hoping she’d take it but she started to ignore it. I notice that she seems to become more interested in the tongs that are holding the rat than the rat itself after a while. I placed the rat in her cage since I also read that sometimes they prefer to be left alone and might take the rat later. I even timed this last feed, she comes out at 11:30pm almost every night and roams for a few hours. I tried to distance myself as far away from her in case she was a shy feeder. I’m feeling rather frustrated, since I’m not sure what to do next. I don’t know if the breeder located her to a separate bin when he fed her, or if it was in her enclosure. I guess I could try a live mouse, but I’m not sure how she’d respond to it since she hasn’t been fed mice, but there are no stores around here with feeder rats. I’m also not sure how long I should wait again to feed her? Everyone says a week, but she seemed like she was interested in this food. I feel like I’m doing something wrong on my part and feel very guilty and stressed because of it but I’m not sure what.

I’ll give the tank info and picture of her too, they were taken the day we got her two weeks ago. Her ambient is currently at 78 and her cool side reaches 78-80, her warm spot is at 90-92 and outside from above hide it’s about 85 average. I’m using a UTC and CHE. She has two hides and a ton of clutter. She’s definitely gotten a lot more comfortable since I’ve gotten her, like I mentioned earlier she has her own little schedule now. I really want to do my best for her but I’m so afraid I’m being a bad owner. Here is a picture of her- she is a few months old, I think born in October or November I think.


https://imgur.com/K0emswI


https://imgur.com/XAoCOGA

Ball pythons are notorious for being picky eaters. If she was fed live and then pre killed rodents and has now been switched to f/t (frozen thawed) that may be why she is being picky.
How are you heating them up? You want to make sure you are warming them up past room temperature and to a temp similar to their body temperature when they are alive. Make sure you don't heat them up so much that their insides start to cook. It may turn her off of them and can also cause their skin to soften and bellies to explode.
Also if she was previously being fed rats she may not take mice. Some snakes will not go back to mice once they try rats... apperantly they taste better lol.
I personally feed in cage because I don't like having to handle and disturb them so soon after eating. It can stress them out and sometimes even make them regurgitate their meal. Some people feel that feeding in cage can cause cage aggressiveness but I have never had an issue with it (just make sure they don't accidentally swallow any of their substrate while eating).
A good way to tell what size of rodent to be feeding is to go off of the largest part of their body. Snakes can eat 1.5x their largest girth. I typically go for meals the same size or slightly larger than their biggest part. From the looks of her in the picture she should be able to small rats or rat pups if those are too big.
There are some risks associated with feeding live which is why it is better to pre-kill the rodent before offering. Mice are typically pretty dumb and docile and won't fight back but rats can take pretty large chunks out of your snake and cause injury. If you do choose to feed live make sure you supervise until the rodent has passed out and never leave them running around in there overnight. You also may have trouble switching her back to f/t if she starts eating live, and you'll be faced with this same issue later.
In regards to getting her to start eating, you are on the right track. Feeding her at nighttime when she is most active and wiggling the prey infront of her nose with tongs should do the trick eventally. You can try rustling the rat around in some of the clutter, sometimes it tricks them into thinking the prey is running around. Just make sure the rodent is warm enough and dab them with a paper towel if they are wet.
Do not feel bad! You are not a bad owner and there is no reason to feel guilty. Lots of people have issues getting new additions to start eating regularly. You sound like you've got her viv set up nicely, my only advice there would be to get a hygrometer so you can keep track of the humidity in the tank (you want it around 50-60%).
Good luck and :welcome:

Something I forgot to mention: for feeding you can also go off of the "10-15" rule where you offer meals that are approx 10-15% of your snakes body weight. Every snake is different, some prefer very large prey less frequently and some will only take multiple smaller prey one after the other or smaller meals more frequently. However, if you're having trouble figuring out which size is best you can weigh her and then her food. For example, if she weighs 330gs or 0.33 kilos you should offer a rodent that is 33-50gs. Again, this is only a general guideline, but it can be very helpful for new owners. :)

Take a look:
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...=feeding+guide

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Ksophiat

Ball pythons are notorious for being picky eaters. If she was fed live and then pre killed rodents and has now been switched to f/t (frozen thawed) that may be why she is being picky.
How are you heating them up? You want to make sure you are warming them up past room temperature and to a temp similar to their body temperature when they are alive. Make sure you don't heat them up so much that their insides start to cook. It may turn her off of them and can also cause their skin to soften and bellies to explode.
Also if she was previously being fed rats she may not take mice. Some snakes will not go back to mice once they try rats... apperantly they taste better lol.
I personally feed in cage because I don't like having to handle and disturb them so soon after eating. It can stress them out and sometimes even make them regurgitate their meal. Some people feel that feeding in cage can cause cage aggressiveness but I have never had an issue with it (just make sure they don't accidentally swallow any of their substrate while eating).
A good way to tell what size of rodent to be feeding is to go off of the largest part of their body. Snakes can eat 1.5x their largest girth. I typically go for meals the same size or slightly larger than their biggest part. From the looks of her in the picture she should be able to small rats or rat pups if those are too big.
There are some risks associated with feeding live which is why it is better to pre-kill the rodent before offering. Mice are typically pretty dumb and docile and won't fight back but rats can take pretty large chunks out of your snake and cause injury. If you do choose to feed live make sure you supervise until the rodent has passed out and never leave them running around in there overnight. You also may have trouble switching her back to f/t if she starts eating live, and you'll be faced with this same issue later.
In regards to getting her to start eating, you are on the right track. Feeding her at nighttime when she is most active and wiggling the prey infront of her nose with tongs should do the trick eventally. You can try rustling the rat around in some of the clutter, sometimes it tricks them into thinking the prey is running around. Just make sure the rodent is warm enough and dab them with a paper towel if they are wet.
Do not feel bad! You are not a bad owner and there is no reason to feel guilty. Lots of people have issues getting new additions to start eating regularly. You sound like you've got her viv set up nicely, my only advice there would be to get a hygrometer so you can keep track of the humidity in the tank (you want it around 50-60%).
Good luck and :welcome:

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hey there. Thank you so much. I was very stressed after she had not eaten again and I really appreciate your help!
so what I had been doing to the ft rat was soaking it in hot water (still bearable to the touch) for about 30 minutes, then soaking it in very hot water for 5 minutes to get the temps up. We don’t have live feeder rats here so I’d like to keep trying to feed her frozen thawed food. I might have to order some rats from petco if no local stores have any.

I do have a hygrometer and I’ve noticed my humidity has been escaping a lot, it usually settles to 40% after 6-8 hours so I usually end up spraying her tank twice a day to get it back up.

I’m trying to see if anyone around me has rat pups, but do you think I should wait a day or two before trying to feed her again or another week?

What is the snake's weight and what is the enclosure size?

Im wondering if by leaving it in hot water for so long, you are 'cooking' it a bit and may have a smell or something that is putting your snake off.

I put frozen rats in cool water until thawed and then hot water for about 5 minutes. You could also blast it with the hair dryer for a few seconds, but my snakes dont seem to care so much about temps, so I havent done it.

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I don’t actually know her weight, I don’t have a scale for her yet. I have been hesitant to handle her since I don’t want to stress her out since she’s still new. Her enclosure is 30 inches long but I made sure to add a ton of coverage.

I could also definitely try thawing the rats out at a lower temperature longer, I was wondering the same thing since I noticed when they thaw the last two I’ve had smelled weird, where as the first one did not. I do have a temp gun I’ve been checking her enclosure with but I’ll use it to check the rats next time.

I thaw mine the same way Turningstar mentioned. Lukewarm until thawed and then hot water or blowdryer to get them hot. If she hasn't eaten for quite a few weeks I would keep offering every few days rather than waiting a week each time. The pet stores around me do not have rat pups either, I order all my frozen rodents in bulk from a local breeder. You should look into seeing if any are in your area.
As for the humidity being inconsistent and dropping on you, its very dry where I am so I use a fogger to keep it nice and humid. You can get them for like $60-80 CAD. If you have a mesh top you can also cover a portion of it to keep the heat and humidity in, but just make sure there is still adequate air flow in there.
A scale is a very worthwhile investment. You can keep track of your snakes growth and they can help you indentify any health issues early on.
Hopefully she gives up the hunger strike soon! Snakes can be stubborn lol.

That snake came out of a rack from the breeder and into a 30" enclosure with with high sides. That is a recipe for food strikes. It was also fed live. I am convinced that regardless the amount of clutter you put in there it still leads to security issues. Any move in environment is enough in and of itself. I have snakes that have moved from breeder racks into my my racks that strike and end up having to go to live mice to break strikes. I would try live and if that doesn't work you will have to downsize the enclosure.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Moose84

That snake came out of a rack from the breeder and into a 30" enclosure with with high sides. That is a recipe for food strikes. It was also fed live. I am convinced that regardless the amount of clutter you put in there it still leads to security issues. Any move in environment is enough in and of itself. I have snakes that have moved from breeder racks into my my racks that strike and end up having to go to live mice to break strikes. I would try live and if that doesn't work you will have to downsize the enclosure.

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She was fed live as a baby but was eating pre killed to help transition to frozen thawed. Do you think I should try live regardless? I guess I could always get a tub from target to put her in. Would a 10 gallon be too small or do you think 20 would suffice?

I recommend 10 gallons to people who purchase my animals. When I first started out that was the direction I got and it has never failed me. They just do noticeably better in smaller enclosures. I might catch some hell for this comment but I go with what works. Some snakes you can throw in a 100 gallon and have no issues, that's the exception to the rule.

It is more important to get them feeding consistently at that age.

Nothing wrong with the tub idea either.

6 qt tub relatively cheap from Target. I buy all my tubs there. The Clearview Sterilite ones are great. Find Deborah's 101 sticky in the forums and follow it. It works.

Forget about f/t. I usually give new baby snakes 2 attempts at f/t, then I go live after if no success. Just not worth waiting it out on a babe when they physically can't do it but they will try. I usually start with a hopper mouse since most breeders sells them feeding hoppers. Or you can start with a rat crawler. Not knowing the size and weight of your snake, I can't tell exactly which is the right size but you can locate that info too in the forums sticky. I'm assuming it falls under 100g? After it starts eating for you and gained some weight, then you can slowly transition back to rats or f/t or both.

I agree with all the people above. If a baby ball python won’t take f/t, do live a few times just to ensure they are still maintaining their weight. When she grows a few weeks older, she’ll most likely become less picky about food. I had a ball python the same age and couldn’t get her to feed for 5 ish weeks, and I was worried to death as well but once I offered live instead of f/t, she took it after 2 hours of leaving it in the tank (it was a pinky rodent and was being monitored). Try to first get her feeding, then switch her over once you feel she is ready.

Good luck!!


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I’ve sent you details of the ‘hairdryer’ feeding trick !!




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So good news, I went ahead and got a live mouse from the feed store and that did just fine. I’ll definitely be keeping her on these for a while before I transition her to frozen thawed. I had one of the store owners recommend that I block off part of her cage to shrink it down, which I think I’ll go ahead and do as well (if not completely transfer her to a new tub) to make it smaller. I also got her weighed finally, she’s 266 grams.

thanks for your help everyone, I learned a lot and I appreciate all of you taking the time and effort out to help me!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by crowcadile

So good news, I went ahead and got a live mouse from the feed store and that did just fine. I’ll definitely be keeping her on these for a while before I transition her to frozen thawed. I had one of the store owners recommend that I block off part of her cage to shrink it down, which I think I’ll go ahead and do as well (if not completely transfer her to a new tub) to make it smaller. I also got her weighed finally, she’s 266 grams.

thanks for your help everyone, I learned a lot and I appreciate all of you taking the time and effort out to help me!

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I'm glad he ate!!

I wouldn't transfer him to a separate feeding container though. Seperate feeding tubs are old school and proven counter productive over time. They actually...

A) lead to more refusals. Moving the animal = stress. Stress = refusals.
B) lead to regurgitation. Moving the animal again = stress. Stress = regurge.
C) increase your chances of getting tagged. A snake in feed mode is going to be much more inclined to strike. And it'll likely be a food strike, which is worse than a defensive strike.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Craiga 01453

I'm glad he ate!!

I wouldn't transfer him to a separate feeding container though. Seperate feeding tubs are old school and proven counter productive over time. They actually...

A) lead to more refusals. Moving the animal = stress. Stress = refusals.
B) lead to regurgitation. Moving the animal again = stress. Stress = regurge.
C) increase your chances of getting tagged. A snake in feed mode is going to be much more inclined to strike. And it'll likely be a food strike, which is worse than a defensive strike.

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hey! sorry I didn’t mean to imply I was using a feeding tub, I was referring to making her general enclosure smaller by potentially using a tub! But since she fed well this time I’ll see if she keeps eating consistently before making any further changes. I definitely don’t plan on using a feed tub though. Was not aware that feeding tubs could increase the risk of getting bit though, good to know :O