Not eating...

My baby wont eat. The second time we've tried this week. It's not in the dirt, i think we're doing all right. It's on top of his hidebox, where he goes often, but the mouse(s) haven't been touched!
I need help! What's wrong?!?
(I checked the temp, the boiling and whatever, the mice and ect.!!!!)


:)BPs FOREVER:)
luff u spud

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Lillyponygirl

My baby wont eat. The second time we've tried this week. It's not in the dirt, i think we're doing all right. It's on top of his hidebox, where he goes often, but the mouse(s) haven't been touched!
I need help! What's wrong?!?
(I checked the temp, the boiling and whatever, the mice and ect.!!!!)


:)BPs FOREVER:)
luff u spud

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Guys? Anyone??

:)BPs FOREVER:)
luff u spud

Im quite confused with your post.

Not in the dirt? WHAT?!?!?

You checked temp, the boiling and whatever, the mice and ect? What the hell does that even mean? LOL

Yeah. . .I'm confused too.

I think she meant she checked the temp of the mice. But it sounds like she is laying them out on top of the hidebox, where the BP frequently visits, and expecting him to discover and eat them?

I'm guessing "in the dirt" might mean in the substrate, getting stuff stuck all over it.

Lillyponygirl - are you laying the mouse on Spud's hidebox and walking away? He may not recognize something unmoving at room temperature as food. I'd try using a hairdryer to warm the mouse pretty good, then using a pair of tongs (like overgrown tweezers) to move the mouse around where he can see it. Try doing this late in the evening, when ball pythons are naturally active. (And keep in mind that they lose weight much more slowly than us warmblooded folk!) Have patience, but if that doesn't work, try a live prey animal.

~Bruce

f/t mice? My BPs will not even bother coming near a f/t rodent in their cage if I just lay it down somewhere. I pick them up in tongs and wave them around a little (not too much, because that seems to scare them), so its more like they are live prey. I only have one snake that will eat a prey item I leave in her cage, and she is a boa.

If you can't get it to take f/t consider live, make sure you are around to supervise and make sure the prey is appropriately sized for the snake.

Live is always a good option if you can't get them to take f/t, so at least they will eat (unless they don't take that either, then you have a problem) - but if you keep trying with f/t I'm sure you will be able to figure it out. I have had some real picky eaters and have gotten all of them to sooner or later accept f/t and now they are all eating regularly for me every week. My adult BP was a little harder to get to switch.

Dirt? Boiling?? what?! Ok just tell us what you mean by dirt and boiling.. are you saying your using dirt for substrate and your boiling his prey? If you are stop this now. Pythons are built to eat prey raw not cooked!!! Dirt.. That just doesnt sound like a good thing to me... Listen to these people. Every word cause its for the good of the snake. Even if some of them are in shock or wonder at your post they are all here to help you in the end :gj::gj::gj:

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Originally Posted by RoyalGuardian

Dirt? Boiling?? what?! Ok just tell us what you mean by dirt and boiling.. are you saying your using dirt for substrate and your boiling his prey? If you are stop this now. Pythons are built to eat prey raw not cooked!!! Dirt.. That just doesnt sound like a good thing to me... Listen to these people. Every word cause its for the good of the snake. Even if some of them are in shock or wonder at your post they are all here to help you in the end :gj::gj::gj:

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OK! I just found this out through looking through videos Here is what I WAS doing (hehhehehh, it's what my mom told me to do!): Leaving the baby mouse (which we boiled to un-freeze it) on the hide box. Now we know we need to take the mouse with the tongs, and after un-freezing it kinda jiggle it a little in front of the snake. So we tried. But he's not excepting the mouse!

Oh yes we are using tongs, and my mom told me to post that I am NOT an adult, so she doesn't really want me to stick my hand in there.

:)BPs FOREVER:)
Luff you Spud

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Lillyponygirl

OK! I just found this out through looking through videos Here is what I WAS doing (hehhehehh, it's what my mom told me to do!): Leaving the baby mouse (which we boiled to un-freeze it) on the hide box. Now we know we need to take the mouse with the tongs, and after un-freezing it kinda jiggle it a little in front of the snake. So we tried. But he's not excepting the mouse!

Oh yes we are using tongs, and my mom told me to post that I am NOT an adult, so she doesn't really want me to stick my hand in there.

:)BPs FOREVER:)
Luff you Spud

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OK - do NOT boil the mouse in the future - let it thaw at room temperature, then gently squeeze the mouse around the belly to see if it feels like it's thawed in the belly as well. THEN, put the mouse in a baggy in HOT tap water, not boiling water for about five minutes to give it a heat signature that your snake will see.

Your snake can NOT digest cooked (which boiling water does) prey.

Since you are not an adult, then one of your parents needs to assist you with feeding off the tongs and be willing to put their hands in the enclosure. When you take on the responsibility of a live animal, you are also responsible for making sure it is getting all its needs met. :)

One last thing, don't offer food again for another seven days. Offering food too often can also stress the animal out and cause refusals.

When all else fails, you may have to feed live.

The only thing I could add is that each animal has it's own quirks, keep trying different things. If you're not thrilled about the idea of feeding live, try pre-killing the rodent to try and get your snake used to eating things that don't move but still smell like live rodents, and then you might have a better chance of feeding f/t eventually.

Some ball pythons don't like it when you leave a f/t mouse laying in it's cage, but that's the only way mine will take f/t. She'll nail a live rat in a huge tub, in front of a group of people, but try it with f/t and she's over it. If i leave that same f/t rat in her tub, she'll mosey on out of her hide and munch it down after about 5-10 minutes.

patience!

also, instead of boiling your mouse, leave it in a cup of warm water, and leave that cup of water near your snake enclosure. Not only are you defrosting your rodent, but you're pre-scenting too! might increase your odds. I change the water out after the first 10-15 minutes or so because the rat-cicle usually drops the water temps pretty quickly initially. Give it 30-45 minutes, keep the water warm, and then right before you're going to try to feed, run the head of the rodent under the hottest tap you can crank out, or blow dry the head.

yeah, tongs are your friend - and get your parents help!

Good luck

Here is what worked for me with my picky male BP..

I fed him live the same day each week around the same time each week, I had a schedule going and once he ate live for me 3 weeks in a row I tried a f/t.. I thawed it out, made sure it was warm, blow dried it completely dry, then did a little rat "dance" with the rat with the tongs. He took it for me after a couple minuets and ate it, the next couple weeks were on/off for me but now he takes f/t for me every week.

Consider live if your snake has refused f/t for you and is still refusing after you have tried everything we have told you.. at least this way he will eat and if he doesn't accept that tell us! That could be a problem if it is not accepting either

It's ok! I used your advice and he's eating very energetically now! He ate two in about 10 minutes (well, it took him forever to get the first in his mouth!) Look for pictures at my other post (Yes! He ATE!) :)



:)BPs FOREVER:)
1 Het. BP--Spud
Begginning of Mouse Colony