All of a Sudden my Ball will not eat out of cage

Hey everyone, its been a while since i have posted here, been busy with a move and other real life issues so i didnt have a lot of free time as of late.

Anyway here goes..

Iv had a ball python for a little over a year now and everything has been great, she loves her home and has never given me any problems with eating at all. But as of late she is becoming more finicky about eating. She has been on 2 mice for quite some time now, and since i got her( she was no bigger then a pencil) she was always fed in a feeding box and showed abslolutly no signs of anything unusual.

In the past few weeks she has been giving me a little bit of a problem eating. When i put a mouse in the box with her( feeding box) she seems to show absolutly no interest in the mouse what so ever. Some times she would only eat one, sometimes she ate none. In the case when she ate one i would have to keep the other mouse overnight, try the next day and she ate it.

So tonight i tried again, and again when i dropped the mouse into the box she showed no iterest. So tonight i tried to feed her in the cage after she did not show any interest in the hide box, and boom she snatched both of them up in no time.

Now i know that some of you will say what is the problem, but my concern with feeding in the tank is that she will eventually assiciate my hand coming into the take as possible prey when she is hungry and possibly become mean and snippy. To this point she has NEVER snipped, bit or even looked like she would strike anything. She dose not mind my other animals in the house or any human. And i would really like to keep her that way.

I have herd some talk of this being true, then others tell me that it really don't have have much effect. But i would like some solid info on this. Also it is dead winter here ( jan ) and i have herd that some snakes eat less in the winter time but this has never been a factor for me.

Anyone that can shed some light on this issue for me would be great! thanks.

First off, the eating less may just be seasonal.

Second.. I have 21 snakes. I feed all of them in their cages. I open the cages at least once a week other than feeding time, and I have NO problems with them thinking my hand is food. Most of my snakes are dog tame, and the others are just bratty babies. ;)

I second what Shelby said. While I only have one snake, she has always been fed in her home and while she bit me once (last year, about this time) it was my own fault due to husbandry errors. Outside of that, I reach my hand in there a minimum of once a day to change water and mist the tank and she has never once bitten me. I don't see any problem with feeding in the tank.

The first bp I had, I fed her outside of her cage in a seperate container. One day, it seemed she never wanted to be in that container again...and has been feeding regularly in her enclosure ever since. No problems with biting or snippiness or anything like that.

They all have their own personalities. One female I have will ball up when you reach in to change her water bowl, another girl wakes up and fearlessly attempts to crawl up my arm and escape. You just have to get to know each of them on an individual basis, and do whatever works for each one.

Ok cool, i know her pretty well, she is always out wandering around the cage( plotting escape wich will never happen hehe) and when i go to open the cage she comes right to me and like yousaid attempts to use my arm as means to escape heh, its really funny actually.

But ya she is one of the most personable snakes i have been in contact with, i just wanted to make sure that she stays that way, because more so then me being bitten which woudl really not bother me. im turning a lot of peopel on the typical " god i hate snakes" attitude and also because my 3 year old nephew absolutly LOVES her and i would never want to put him in any danger of being bitten or anything like that because of a change that i could have avoided.

Kashmire has always been a really "mellow fellow" and I've always fed inside his enclosure. He's never hissed or struck at me since I got him in July. Not saying he might not in the future, but I don't think that it will be because I fed him in his enclosure.

not to be a pest or anything but has there been any studies on this topic, that that im expecting a scientist to come in here and show me results. Im just wondering if people have any evidence on the side that it DOES in fact cause the snake to become more aggressive.

Sorry to be annoying i just really dont want my snake to get like this. I enjoy her company a lot and if she got nasty i woudl have to get rid of her and im really not trying to do that.

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Originally Posted by DrEwTiMe

not to be a pest or anything but has there been any studies on this topic, that that im expecting a scientist to come in here and show me results. Im just wondering if people have any evidence on the side that it DOES in fact cause the snake to become more aggressive.

Sorry to be annoying i just really dont want my snake to get like this. I enjoy her company a lot and if she got nasty i woudl have to get rid of her and im really not trying to do that.

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No, no stuides on the topic ... but if it helps, I have been feeding over 200 snakes in their enclosures for over 10 years and there is no consistent pattern of aggressive behavior when entering their cages for handling or cleaning any of them.

In my mind, based on real world, practical experience, there is absolutely NO link between feeding in the cage and aggressive behavior in ball pythons as long as you are also regularly entering the cage for other reasons (handling, cage cleaning, etc).

-adam

I agree. I know boas can get agressive if you don't handle them often enough... and the same is probably true for other snakes. But as long as you're coming and going often enough, they shouldn't have a problem with you.

The best advice I got for this issue is just to follow the same pattern with feeding every week. I scent the room about 20 minutes before actually introducing the food or opening the tubs. I wouldn't want to stick my hand in their tubs after/during this scenting. :) But any other time of the week, I can stick my hands in no problem at all.

Even if you don't follow the "scenting", find a routine, and stick to it... (for handling/cleaning as well), and your snake will figure out what time it is.

Good luck!

when i got my bp in november... on the advice of this forum i fed dexter inside his viv... they told me that i go in, changing water and fussing about etc that dexter would not associate my hand with food... they also suggested i set up a routine with him for picking him up. which i've done (remove his hide, stroke his side a few times, talking to him and then i pick him up, securely placing him in my hand so he feels safe).

dexter hasn't struck or bit anyone. :D:D:D

the breeder i bought dexter from gave me the same advice as i got here, by the way. :)

Thanks everyone for your advice, its really been a huge help. I think im going to try one more week using the feeding box and if she doesn't take to it ill be swiching to in her cage feedings for good.

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Originally Posted by ddbjdealer

The best advice I got for this issue is just to follow the same pattern with feeding every week.
Even if you don't follow the "scenting", find a routine, and stick to it... (for handling/cleaning as well), and your snake will figure out what time it is.

Good luck!

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See thats the weird thing though. i have given her a routine since i have owned her for more then a year at this point. She has been taken otu of her cage, i put her in the feeding box( sometimes with hide and sometimes without) give ehr a min to settle in and then i put a mouse in. Its just weird that all of a sudden she will not feed in the box, yet i know she is hungry. oh well hehe

Occas. they'll go on a fast too. I've been told that as long as the snake's not experiencing a dramatic weight loss, it's not likely hazardous.


Either way...Good luck!:thumbsup:


R.

Feeding in or out of the cage is just personal prefference...if you have alot of snakes and use papertowels or newspaper for bedding then feeding inside the enclosure is much easier and faster then taking each snake out indivisualy..I use aspen and only have 3 snakes so I just go ahead and take them out of the tank to feed

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Originally Posted by Diceman

Feeding in or out of the cage is just personal prefference...if you have alot of snakes and use papertowels or newspaper for bedding then feeding inside the enclosure is much easier and faster then taking each snake out indivisualy..I use aspen and only have 3 snakes so I just go ahead and take them out of the tank to feed

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It may be personal preference with other snakes, but with a shy skittish species like p. regius, the stress of moving into a seperate enclosure for feeding might be enough to actually cause them to refuse food. I have seen it time and time again over the years and I personally feel that there is no reason to not feed a ball python inside it's enclosure.

As far as aspen bedding ... a ball pythons gastric acids are designed to break down the bone and hair of their prey ... a little aspen isn't going to be a problem if ingested.

-adam

A little wont? lol your the first person to tell me its ok

I fed him inside the tank once and he did take in a few small pieces which boy did I get barked at on another forum when I posted it asking if he would be ok lol

Do you think that could be the cause of him going off feed? the method ive fed him with for 3 years is stressing him out now?

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Originally Posted by Diceman

A little wont? lol your the first person to tell me its ok

I fed him inside the tank once and he did take in a few small pieces which boy did I get barked at on another forum when I posted it asking if he would be ok lol

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LOL ... it's a myth that has been around forever and most people buy into it because they don't know any better. Think about it, rodent BONE and HAIR get broken down and digested by the snake .. a little bit of aspen doesn't stand a chance. If you're really concerned, put a sheet of newspaper on top of the aspen about an hour before you feed. ;)

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Originally Posted by Diceman

Do you think that could be the cause of him going off feed? the method ive fed him with for 3 years is stressing him out now?

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Could be ... but as I said in the other thread ... it's most likely temps or humidity or both ... I've been doing this a LONG time, trust me. ;)

-adam

I agree with you its deffinatly the temps its just the fact that they drop maybe 5 degrees at most for about 6 hours one sometimes twice a week lol while im asleep if thats all it takes for a ball to flip out and think it cant digest its food then hes just gonna wait till it gets hotter lol good thing hes a snake not a dog or something

Yeah your right I never thought about the fact they digest bone and hair a little wood wont hurt..course it would help to remove the water dish too I guess lol

My ball bit the mouse started constricting it and in the process of moving it around to swallow it he decides to flip it into the water bowl then back out onto the bedding lol so I then had to take him out put him in the foot locker and pick pieces of aspen off the rat as he ate it

Perhaps next time ill try feeding him inside his tank and see how he does

Ya i am thinking of going back to putting cypress mulch down again. I had swiched to paper towels when she was sick last year and have been so lazy with how easy it is to clean the tank that i havnt swiched back yet hehe.

She seemed to really like the mulch because i often found her when not in her hide making littl borrows under her climbing branches and hiding under them. She was her happiest when she had that as her substrate.

Is there any greater chance of getting bacteria and other bad stuff with using mulch. Since i hear it holds moisture better so does that make ir more prone to diseases?

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Originally Posted by Adam_Wysocki

In my mind, based on real world, practical experience, there is absolutely NO link between feeding in the cage and aggressive behavior in ball pythons as long as you are also regularly entering the cage for other reasons (handling, cage cleaning, etc).

-adam

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True for me !!!

If you buy mulch at a petstore than it is free or pesticides or pests or bacteria, but cypress repels pests just as pine and cedar do when used for pet hamsters, of course. I have used wet, moist, and dry cypress with my snakes no problems. One of my cousin's BP's swallowed a fairly large chunk of cypress with the butt of the mouse and that piece came out fine a few days later.

Right on ya it make sense that if they can eat bones and hair that mulch would not pose a problem for their systems. I find it kind of amazing that they are able to process the entire body of a mouse/rat and it comes out as if there were no bones at all.

We buy our aspen from WalMart and it's a really nice fine cut so we've never been concerned at all about feeding in their tubs. As others have said so well, if you have routines with the snakes and they are used to them, they don't seem to equate your hand entering their tub with an automatic offering of prey. We've always used hemostats with f/t or p/k prey anyway and now that we feed live, the live prey is put in the opposite side of the tank from wherever the snake is at so again they don't get much of anything but a flash of our hand as we pop in dinner in.

We handle all the snakes regularily and other than some aggressive behaviour from an adult female we adopted from a local pet store, we haven't had any issues with nipping. Our normal practise is to be pretty hands off though on feeding day as most of ours are raring to go that day and why set yourself and the snake up for a needless nip from a hungry snake (just our way though, not the "only" way). I do an early morning cage check on feeding day but that's about it for contact. Our little male, Malachi, will try to go for me on feeding day (only time he ever does that) but it's just his strong feeding response kicking in so that I don't really ever count as a problem. I actually see that as a bonus!


~~Jo~~

ya i thihk soon i am going to go back to the cypress mulch because my snake really seemed to like it..
As far as feeding goes, i also put the mouse on the complete other side then the snake is on and i take out smoe climbs abd hides so taht the snake can see the mouse better.; My snake is NEVER touched less then 48 hours after feed and i do not leave the room unless the snake has or has not eaten both mice. Im just glad that this does not make a differnece

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Originally Posted by DrEwTiMe

i take out smoe climbs abd hides so taht the snake can see the mouse better.

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Try leaving that stuff in there after "scenting" the room for 20 or 30 minutes. You'd be surprised how quickly they "see" the mouse after you introduce it to their cage.

On a side note... they don't see real well anyway... they use their tounge and heat sensing labial pits to smell/detect the warm rodent anyway. They'll find it.. (it's also safer for the snake to leave the hides in while you feed live)

Snake won't eat. I have been having a problem just like this. We have had our snake for about a year. He would eat once aweek with no problem but in the last month he seems for to be interested in the food at all just tries to get out of the feeding box. I have not tried food in his home.

ya, give it a try... :) it works really great!

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Originally Posted by ddbjdealer

Try leaving that stuff in there after "scenting" the room for 20 or 30 minutes. You'd be surprised how quickly they "see" the mouse after you introduce it to their cage.

On a side note... they don't see real well anyway... they use their tounge and heat sensing labial pits to smell/detect the warm rodent anyway. They'll find it.. (it's also safer for the snake to leave the hides in while you feed live)

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I get the mice in a carbord box from the pet store. Do you think it would be bett er for me to just leave the box in the cage for 20 mins or so and then release one into the cage?

Sorry for so many questions, i kinda new to the whole feeded in the cage thing.

Just leave the box of mice on top of the cage or if it's in an enclosed area, leave it in the room... I haven't tried, so I can't recommend, leaving the cardboard box INSIDE the cage.... might work.. but I haven't tried it.

Awsome, thanks for ur advice, all of you.

If you want to try doing that you might want to consider hitting your local dollar store for a sturdy plastic container (then put vent holes in it) rather than leaving the live mice in a cardboard container. Mice can get through cardboard pretty fast if they are determined enough and you don't want dinner running off to hide under your bed or something LOL.

Just a thought.


~~Jo~~

LOL ya i definitly had that happed just 2 weeks ago!!! I left the box on my kitchen table, and they either ate through teh box. I walk into the kitchen and i see the box thrown out and im like...ummm ma, why the hell did you just throw my 2 live mice out. ANd she says, ohh there was noting in there.

Needless to say i had to atult mice running around in my house for about a hour before i was able to find them, im lucky that i did. But i do have 6 cats so im sure they woudl be found eventually, that just may be a little messy lol.

But anyway ya i went to a petco and picked up one of the critter carriers that are made of plastic in case i have to hold them over night for any reason. It cost me like 6 bucks so there was no reason not to get it.

I would wait a week or so, after your snake refuses food. It might be a seasonal thing; but if your temps and humidity are all right, all you can do is wait them out :)
My adult male was on a feeding strike these past few months. Then last week I get home from work to find that my boyfriend successfully fed him. He ddnt really know about the strike; I usually feed the snakes while he is out snowmobiling or watching TV, lol. But I was a bit shocked that HE got Gobby to eat and I couldn't lol
Of course I don't mean that he would just feed the snakes, say, a day after I did. I mark their feedings on a calendar. But still.. it is just messed up!

LOL Gin maybe they were male bonding or something!

Yep those mice are monster chewers. Back before we smartened up and got a few hard plastic carriers we were bringing home feeder mice in a paper box. It is NOT fun to chase an escapee mouse through a station wagon with your children standing there laughing their butts off at the parental units! :P

Caught the little bugger though!


~~Jo~~

Gin- Ya she wasn't really on strike, she has eaten every week. Just ONLY if i put the mice in her cage and not the feeding box she has been fed in for over a year now, i can't figure it out. But im giving up on the feeding box and just putting the mice directly in her cage and she has eaten like there has never been a problem.

Hehe and by the way chasing mice around is the worst thing ever, because you can't give up or in a week or so its not gonna smell to nice lol. I had to move my frige out and get the little bugger from up inside the bottom of it, was NOT fun hehe.

There IS one thing you should be cautious about though, when feeding your snake inside its cage.......there is always the possibility that she could swallow some bedding when she tosses the prey back.....just keep a close eye to make sure this doesn't happen.A freind of mine would shove a paper plate or piece of news under the snake while constricting, to prevent any bedding being ingested.

Kashmire might get a stray piece or two of aspen that goes down with the mouse. I'm not too concerned about it. If that belly can digest fur and bones, that stray piece of aspen doesn't stand a chance! ;)

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Originally Posted by 4theSNAKElady

There IS one thing you should be cautious about though, when feeding your snake inside its cage.......there is always the possibility that she could swallow some bedding when she tosses the prey back.....just keep a close eye to make sure this doesn't happen.A freind of mine would shove a paper plate or piece of news under the snake while constricting, to prevent any bedding being ingested.

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Like Robin said ... a snakes gastric acids are designed to break down and digest rodent bone, hair, and the celluloid contents of their stomachs ... a little bedding here and there isn't really going to be a big deal.

I've fed on shredded and chipped aspen as well as cypress mulch and have never had a problem.

-adam

Adam gave me the same advice about
1. Feeding in cage
2. Aspen bedding
And I have been doing both for about a year now w/ no problems what so ever.
The only thing I would be careful of , and I know this was a freak thing, w/ the aspen bedding is my bp got a pc lodge in his mouth sideways like a bit for a horse and he needed help getting out. So as I am sure you know never feed unsupervised as strange things can happen :)

Here is a update on the snake feeding problems. I noticed over the pasted few weeks that when i was going to feed her she is in the mood of escaping the cage( IE climbin up the sides of the cage all the time). During these times she shows little to no interest to the mice at all.

However, this week i waited till she was not in that mood and curled up in the hide, dropped a mouse in and she was on them like flies on " you know what" heh.

So im guessing that when she is set on trying to escape she does not care much about feeding. I will try this again next week and see what goes on.

I`m going thru the same thing, and it`s been months. Please do give an update thx.

She is due for another feeding this week, so i will definitly keep you posted. It seems then when she is climbing all around she comes face to face with the mouse, give a little flicker of the tongue, then goes right back to climbing the sides of the glass. It was really frustrating to watch lol. I tried making wait up to 12 days( usually feed her every 7) and that did not help. But the one thing that was happening everytime i was attempting to feed her was she was in that " exploring" mood.

Last week when i waited till she was curled up in her hide she looke like her old self. If she eats again this week when i do the same thing, it will be pretty safe to assume that its the problem. Ill let ya know.

Kashmire will not eat when he's out exploring. One time I tried that and he went rushing into his hide with a disgusted "Geesh mom, I like to AMBUSH them" look on his face. Got himself all positioned and then took his food like a champ! Silly boy!