Newbie first post

Hello everyone :)

Hi everyone I got my first ball pythons last tuesday. A couple questions. I recieved the snakes normal females 400gms and I gottem in a rack. With a herpstat thermo with night drop cable and digital timer. I keep the day temp at 92 dgs and at night drop it to 78 dgs. I left them alone to get acclimated for the first 3 days. So last friday I tried to feed them but only 1 of the took the mouse. The only one that fed was the only one thats not begining to shed. The 2 that didnt eat look like thier beging thier sheds. Her colors look dull and eyes dont look clear Will a ball python refuse to eat when she's shedding. Or should I just wait for them to get more comfortable in thier new surroundings.

I left the mouse with the other 2 snakes that didnt eat for 10-15 min. they refuse so I removed the mouse and offered it to them again the next day Sat. and Sun. still wont eat. The mouse was a small/meduim mouse so I fed it to the first ball that ate on friday. She didnt waste no time at all

I try to handle them often so that they can relax. When I first take them out of thier racks thier alittle stiff but after a few minutes they relax and seem fine.

If Im doing something wrong let me nkow any advice would great appreciated thanks

Hi and welcome! :handshake:


Just a few things I want to note for you:

1. You should not have a night-drop in the temps. Get a proper gradient of 92-94 warm side and 82-84 cool side...and keep it just like that.

2. You should give them at least a full week to settle in before attempting any handling at all. While you think handling them relaxes them, it is in fact doing the opposite. They need time to adjust to their new homes and feel safe and secure...then you can start with brief, regular handling, but not more than once a day at the very most. I would recommend starting off even slower than that.

3. And only offer food once a week...period. If they don't eat it that day, they can easily wait another week to try again. Doing so will get them onto a consistent, predictable feeding routine that they seem to thrive on.

Good luck with them! We'd love to see pics if you got'em!

So the 2 who havnt eaten has nothing to do with that thier shedding ?

~shrug~ It might. But it could just as easily be the fact that they are stressed. There are certainly snakes with plenty of appetite that will eat no matter what the circumstances are, including the occassional bp. But as a general rule, most bp's will refuse to eat until they are feeling completely secure in their home. And just because some ate doesn't mean they don't need a "settling in" period.

The trick is to remember that they are not social creatures like most pets we are used to having. They don't need us to hold them and talk to them. Doing so is primarily for our own benefit. Of course, regular handling is a good idea to keep them used to the process and less likely to feel defensive about it....but it's not something they have an emotional or mental need for.

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Originally Posted by Mr. Morph

So the 2 who havnt eaten has nothing to do with that thier shedding ?

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It could have something to do with their shedding or it could be that they are still stressed from being moved. My bp doesnt eat when she is in shedding. It all depends on the snake itself and if it wants to eat while in shedding or not.

(Edit: You beat me to it JLC!!!)

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Originally Posted by Mr. Morph

So the 2 who havnt eaten has nothing to do with that thier shedding ?

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The stress of moving, shedding and such low temps could all contribute to their refusal to eat. No big deal. I currently have a new girl, who refused food last Thursday after a move and is shedding. I have not handled her, and don't plan to until I have at least one successful feed. I also adhere to a strict rule of no handling 48 hours after a feed. (which is also only offered once a week)

No handling until feeding
Only once a week feeding
No handling of 48 hrs after feeding

check.check,check

Congrats on acquiring the three new females and welcome to BPNet.

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Originally Posted by frankykeno

Congrats on acquiring the three new females and welcome to BPNet.

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Thanks

Well the one female that has begun to eat has a strong apetite I put a live mouse in the rack close walk away and by my third step I hear a SQWEEEEEEEEK Oh she goes to town.

Unfortunatly my 2 other females still show no interest in feeding. I put a live mouse 2 weekends in a row for 15-20 minutes nothing I go to check and the mouse is sleeping in the middle of the balls coils Im like :irkd: . Todays the 3rd feeding attempt but this time I put the mouse out of its misery first and left the dead mouse 45 minutes first with 1 snake then the other. Think mabey they prefer and dead mouse. NOTHING I got pissed and flushed it in toilet

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Originally Posted by Mr. Morph

Todays the 3rd feeding attempt but this time I put the mouse out of its misery first and left the dead mouse 45 minutes first with 1 snake then the other. Think mabey they prefer and dead mouse. NOTHING I got pissed and flushed it in toilet

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You're trying way too often to feed them if you just got them last Tuesday.

Once a week is all they need. Since you tried to feed today, don't try to feed again until next Saturday. Sometimes it takes my new acquisitions a few weeks to get settled, but with a proper acclimation period of no handling, temps corrected (as outlined above) and offering once a week - they'll start.

If there's one thing that ball pythons will teach you - it's patience!

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Originally Posted by rabernet

You're trying way too often to feed them if you just got them last Tuesday.

Once a week is all they need. Since you tried to feed today, don't try to feed again until next Saturday. Sometimes it takes my new acquisitions a few weeks to get settled, but with a proper acclimation period of no handling, temps corrected (as outlined above) and offering once a week - they'll start.

If there's one thing that ball pythons will teach you - it's patience!

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Look like his original post was 2 weeks ago :)


If you pre-killed the mouse, you can leave it in for longer than 45 minutes. Sometimes they want to be left alone in the dark for hours with their prey before they decide they want it. It takes a while before it decomposes ;)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by rabernet

You're trying way too often to feed them if you just got them last Tuesday.

Once a week is all they need. Since you tried to feed today, don't try to feed again until next Saturday. Sometimes it takes my new acquisitions a few weeks to get settled, but with a proper acclimation period of no handling, temps corrected (as outlined above) and offering once a week - they'll start.

If there's one thing that ball pythons will teach you - it's patience!

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PATIENCE Great the one thing I lack :taz: lol

I recieved them on the 2nd of this month and tried to feed them the very next weekend and every weekend after that just 1's every 7 days.

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Originally Posted by Mr. Morph

PATIENCE Great the one thing I lack :taz: lol

I recieved them on the 2nd of this month and tried to feed them the very next weekend and every weekend after that just 1's every 7 days.

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Hang in there and follow all the tips everyone is offering and eventually they'll eat! ;)

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Originally Posted by SnakeySnakeSnake

Look like his original post was 2 weeks ago :)


If you pre-killed the mouse, you can leave it in for longer than 45 minutes. Sometimes they want to be left alone in the dark for hours with their prey before they decide they want it. It takes a while before it decomposes ;)

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I wasnt sure how long I can leave a pre killed mouse in there. So how long can I leave a pre killed in with the snake. I dont want the snake eating a rotting mouse. :confuzd:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by rabernet

Hang in there and follow all the tips everyone is offering and eventually they'll eat! ;)

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Thanks :sweeet:

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Originally Posted by Mr. Morph

I wasnt sure how long I can leave a pre killed mouse in there. So how long can I leave a pre killed in with the snake. I dont want the snake eating a rotting mouse. :confuzd:

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I keep F/T rats in the cage overnight without any problems. If my picky Ball doesn't eat it, my BCI will get it the next morning.

how about feeding each snake in separate containers? read somewhere that they might develop a hierarchy when housed together, so the other 2 that are not eating may feel intimidated

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Originally Posted by Jessica

how about feeding each snake in separate containers? read somewhere that they might develop a hierarchy when housed together, so the other 2 that are not eating may feel intimidated

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I have them in a rack thier housed alone and fed alone

That night drop is probably at the top of the list of reasons why your girls aren't eating. I've brought rescue cases home and after warming up for a few hours, eat right away.

The ONLY time you drop temps on a ball python is when its an adult size (1500 grams and up) for the purpose of stimulating breeding behavior.

I wouldn't feed them in a seperate enclosure. All of mine are fed in their tubs in the rack and never show any aggression towards me...well, most of the time ;)

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All of mine are fed in their tubs in the rack

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same here

I dont have the night drop on any longer thanks

That night drop is nice though when you are ready to begin cycling temps. :thumbsup:

Quick question here....did you get these females from a breeder or a pet store or what? If you can contact the seller/breeder and find out exactly what they fed as far as mouse or rat, live/frozen thawed/pre-killed, size offered, time of day offered and what method they used to present the prey it might help. Some BP's seem to imprint really strongly on what they are used to so if you change up anything to much on them they can get a bit put off. We just went through a move and even though we tried like heck to not stress the BP's they all skipped a meal or two until they settled back down again.

I'm just thinking if you can duplicate the way they fed successfully, then maybe they will pick up for you. Then if you want to switch to something other thing, you can do so slowly down the road when they are regularily eating for you.

Well just got my new digital camera here the first pic of one of my normal females. This girl still hasnt begun feeding but she still looks beautiful and healthy. She weighs in at 400 grams. My other female who has begun feeding ate yesterday so I dont wanna disturb her by taking some shots I'll take them tomarrow and post'em up.


http://81x.com/Authors/BallPython/python_normal2.jpg

http://81x.com/Authors/BallPython/Python_normal1.jpg

She looks lovely. Just follow the advice here and also use the search function for threads on feeding and I'm sure you'll get them all going within a reasonable time. You may want to get fecals done on them to rule out any issues. Are they all captive born and bred?

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Originally Posted by frankykeno

She looks lovely. Just follow the advice here and also use the search function for threads on feeding and I'm sure you'll get them all going within a reasonable time. You may want to get fecals done on them to rule out any issues. Are they all captive born and bred?

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Will do thanks.

Yes born and bred the first three (0.3 normal ....400grams)witch just 1 has begun feeding are from Mike Willbanks from Constrictors Unlimited witch I got on May 2ndof this year. Today I got my new 1.0 Pastel Jungle (235 grams) and 0.2 normal (500 grams & 1500 grams) from Tracy Barker of VPI

Nice! :)

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Originally Posted by frankykeno

Nice! :)

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THANKS :D

Of my 2 ballsthat I recieved on 5/2/06 1 ate probably about a week after I recieved them. She has been eating weekly2 lrg mice aweek. The 2nd hasnt eaten at all. She doesnt look sick or skinny or like she's starving. She has shed 1 since I got her. The one that is eating is going in to her second shed now. Today makes about 1 month and 15 days since I got her and she hasnt eaten. I have tried giving live mice, freshly killed mice frozen thawed out mice. I have tried different sizes. small mices meduim mices nothing. I offer her her meals 1 a week. Live mices I stun'em and leave them knocked out or twitching for a couple hours. Freshly killed or frozen thawed mice I have left in the tub for 5-6-7 hours and still nothing.

She's in a rack . for large balls that has been divided in the middle. The tub measures 33long / 17wide / 6high. Her space is 33 long 8 1/2 wide 6 high. She has a hide box in the back water bowl in the front. Since she hasnt eaten I rarely rarely handle her. I might just pull the tub open to check if she's alive cause she hasnt eaten. I probably handle her in my hands a hanful of times in the last month. I open her tub to change her water. She stays in her hide all the time or at least whenever I check on her or when I change her water. I have a herpstat therm. attatched to the rack 92 degrees in the back 84 in the front. 24/7 The other female is housed under the same conditions in the same tub seperated by a divider she thriving and has grown noticbly bigger since I recieved them.

I feel very uneasy and I dont want to lose her. Im not scared of her dieing because she looks so healthy and she's strong. When should I start to think about force feeding her. Should I be thinking about it or be preparing to force feed soon. If thats the case I dont have a pinky seringe can I force feed by hand.

Not that I have the experience that other keepers here do have, I can only speak from my own experience with Kashmire - 1.5 months is no where near long enough time to even think about force feeding.


Instead, I would recommend waiting 2 or even 3 weeks before offering food to her again and let her get really settled in.

Kashmire went almost 4 months (starting at 350 grams) without eating. He's just started eating again. He started back up with hoppers only, and would only eat one a week. Last week he took his first adult mouse in the past four months. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that he takes another this week. When I weighed him today, he's over 400 grams now with three weeks of hoppers and one week of an adult mouse and he's opaque today - Yayyyyy, hasn't shed since January!

At this point, I don't think that you need to be too concerned, but I do understand the worry! Good luck with her!

balls, can go several months without food and be fine.


double check all your temps! make sure each shelf in the rack is working. what are your room temps the rack is in? do the room temps drop at night? try the newspaper balls trick, give it a couple of weeks. give mike a call and discuss this with him. i'm pretty sure he can tell you how and what he was feeding them.


vaughn

Nice female, and welcome to the forum; also, welcome to the addicting world of ball pythons :)
I have noticed that with my snakes, they tens to not eat as reliably while in shed, so I have stopped feeding at that time. I just think it is a stressful time for them, and I also have a theory that the added bulk of the food item could possibly make shedding a little harder; not that this is backed up by any scientific evidence, but it seems logical to me :) Also, when i did feed during shed, it seemed like my snakes either refused to eat or had sloppy, uncoordinated strikes if they tried; I just let them relax now til shed time is over.

She finaly ate. I put a live rat weanling checked on her awhile later and gone. PHEWW what a relief. almost 2 whole months. I was nevous after 2-3 weeks sheeees

I droped an email to mike and he helped me out. So did VPI. Tracy said my temps were to high and she had me droped them. 5 days latershe finaly eats. She got some catching up to do She was the same size as the other 2 I got from Mike Wilbanks. She's much smaller then the other 2.