Snake refuse F/T and live, what can I do?

[Maxifruit]

This is my new and first snake ever, a Ball Python, and when i Bought it, the seller (in a general pet store) told me that it never refused a meal.

after 3 weeks of no-eating, I went back to the petshop, and they told me that my snake was part of a "batch" of 3 snake they received, and no one of them had ever eat some thing, (well, in fact the seller lied to me) so they shipped the 2 other back....

what can i try!!! I really love my snake!!

[Oxylepy]

Step 1: Leave it alone, for 2 weeks. Pretend it does not exist, you dont own it, all there is is a tub/aquarium with a dish of water in it that you have to change. There is no snake in there.

Step 2: Offer food.

Step 3: Wait a week and offer again.

Then just keep waiting a week and offering. If this doesnt work within another month, you may want to get a-hold of some ASFs, frozen or live, either way.

Also, what are your temps, humidity, size of the snake, size of enclosure, etc?

[RichsBallPythons]

Wait and keep offering weekly.

Also down grade the size of the cage to one half its size and leave snake in there till it begins to eat well.

I have a female albino back on a 3 month fast at 950grams and hasnt lost any weight, they hit points where they just wont eat.

[dr del]

Hi,

First step is to have a read through the caresheet and see if that raises any questions or possible thigns to try.


dr del

[Samara]

I have to disagree with all the post so far.

1) You should handle your python at least once every 2-3 days after purchasing him.

2) Try feeding in a separate cage at night and try only thawed mice and heat it up with a hair dryer.. Try feeding him once a week and if he does not take it than try live mice. I would not try every day one than the other.

3) Size of the cage make no sense... Python are born in the Wild and have an extremely large area where they are found. If size really was an issue I do not think they would have survived and they would be extinct ..

4) If your python refuses food after 4 weeks I would take him to an exotic vet and they may need to force feed him. Once they get older they can go much longer with food. Do not give up.. You snake will eat when it is ready. I have a captive breed python who is also picky and she goes 4 weeks at times without eating.

[RichsBallPythons]

I have to disagree with all the post so far.

1) You should handle your python at least once every 2-3 days after purchasing him.

2) Try feeding in a separate cage at night and try only thawed mice and heat it up with a hair dryer.. Try feeding him once a week and if he does not take it than try live mice. I would not try every day one than the other.

3) Size of the cage make no sense... Python are born in the Wild and have an extremely large area where they are found. If size really was an issue I do not think they would have survived and they would be extinct ..

4) If your python refuses food after 4 weeks I would take him to an exotic vet and they may need to force feed him. Once they get older they can go much longer with food. Do not give up.. You snake will eat when it is ready. I have a captive breed python who is also picky and she goes 4 weeks at times without eating.

I think you should take a look at the care sheets too. You have much to learn young grasshopper

1. No you should NEVER handle a snake when first buying it. They need accumulation periods to adjust ot the new smells.

2. Feed in the enclosure, moving from one cage to another is enough to cause refusals. Feeding in their home is enough to keep them relaxed and comfortable to eat.3

3.Size of the cage makes HUGE sense, ball pythons are not free roaming snakes in the wild of Africa. They live in SMALL tight holes like termite mounds in the ground. They barely come out and spend 80%+ of their life hiding.

4. 4 weeks is nothing to make a vet trip for, seriously what kind of advice is this. Sounds like a petco employee

[izoid]

I think you should take a look at the care sheets too. You have much to learn young grasshopper

1. No you should NEVER handle a snake when first buying it. They need accumulation periods to adjust ot the new smells.

2. Feed in the enclosure, moving from one cage to another is enough to cause refusals. Feeding in their home is enough to keep them relaxed and comfortable to eat.3

3.Size of the cage makes HUGE sense, ball pythons are not free roaming snakes in the wild of Africa. They live in SMALL tight holes like termite mounds in the ground. They barely come out and spend 80%+ of their life hiding.

4. 4 weeks is nothing to make a vet trip for, seriously what kind of advice is this. Sounds like a petco employee

Hogwash....I have 16 snakes; balls and boas and they all get handle regularly....starting on day one. I also feed each on the day they get here and most, not all, have readily taken the meal. They ALL eat in a separate feeding tub and there has been zero negative consequence to doing so.

I do agree that balls like the safety and security of a smaller enclosure than you would think.

[dr del]

Hi,

Then the ball pythons you have were not as nervous as many we see.

If you do buy one of the more nervous ones in the future bear in mind the advice about a settling in period and in cage feeding.

Since the OP already has a snake that is not eating then I really don't think this is the thread to argue about it however.


dr del

[RichsBallPythons]

Hogwash....I have 16 snakes; balls and boas and they all get handle regularly....starting on day one. I also feed each on the day they get here and most, not all, have readily taken the meal. They ALL eat in a separate feeding tub and there has been zero negative consequence to doing so.

I do agree that balls like the safety and security of a smaller enclosure than you would think.

Boas are completely different than balls. They are garbage disposals and eat anything.

Also feeding same day they arrive is up to you, especially if coming fro ma reputable source it wont harm anything. But is not recommended to someone just getting into the hobby still learning the basics to husbandry.

Some to feed in different tubs and while its fine there's no way i would do that with many snakes i have. Too much time when i can just open tub toss in and done.

Handling a snake is up to you, they do NOT like it no matter what you make yourself believe, they TOLERATE it to an extent. You must know how to read their body language and breathing to know when they have had enough contact you. Snakes are to be admired from their enclosures, their not a cat or dog and wants our companionship.

Edit- To add, what works for one WILL NOT work for another, advice we give is generalized on what we know works, its up to you to fine tune it.

[SlitherinSisters]

You should NEVER be handling a snake that is not eating.


To the OP, this is a snip-it of my feeding tips page. There is A LOT of info on there, and I don't want to take up the entire page. It's the same steps I follow when I have a tough feeder. The two most important things: never handle a bp that isn't eating, and put it in a smaller tank/tub or at the very least fill it with crumpled newspaper or fake plants.

http://www.slitherinsisters.com/feeding-tricks.php

Feeding can be a bit tricky, especially with baby bps. They haven't quite figured everything out and could be stressed from traveling, being at pet store, or being in a tank/tub they don't feel secure in. If your bp isn't eating the problem probably lies with his feeling secure if everything else is good. Also remember that if your snake is not eating you should not be handling it. Don't even look at it!!! I also have a "things to remember" at the bottom of this page that I suggest reading through.

Take these steps and see if it helps and only offer food once a week to minimize the stress:


1st Week
Make sure his hide is snug for him, a big hide is a big problem. He should have to ball up or squish himself a little inside of it. They like to feel snug!

Continue to offer a prey item once a week. If you are feeding frozen thawed (and warmed up!) leave it in overnight. A few of my snakes won't eat frozen thawed till about 2 in the morning when I put the F/T in at 9pm. If you are feeding live you can leave it in for 10-30 minutes ONLY if it is well watered and fed. If you got it from the pet store I suggest setting up a cage and feeding and watering it yourself before putting it in the tank. Pinkies and hoppers are fine left in the tank/tub for the night because they don't have teeth, if you aren't sure, check for teeth it's simple.

You can also try putting the bp in a paper sack with a pinky or a hopper overnight (be sure that the hopper doesn't have teeth).

I've heard of dipping them in chicken broth, but I've never had success with it, nor have I ever heard of anyone having success with it.


2nd Week
Add some crumpled newspaper to his tank/tub to help fill in the open spaces. If you're looking for a nicer look you could add fake plants to fill the space, but keep in mind right now the main issue is getting him to eat, not tank aesthetics.

Continue to offer whatever your snake was eating before, ONCE a week.


3rd Week
Try a different food item. If you are feeding frozen thawed offer live. If you've done that and it didn't work offer a different rodent than you've been trying (mouse/rat). You will most likely have more luck with live than F/T.

My advice at this point would be to offer live mice once a week. If your ball python is still very small you might be able to find some very small adults, or if you're lucky hopper mice. I suggest mice because they are smelly and move a lot more than rats.


4th Week
If these don't work and you still have your snake in a tank you may want to move him to a shoebox size tub if the he is still a baby/juvenile/subadult. If not, you can continue to try the tank, and switch later on if you wish. However, if your snake has been eating regularly before, 6+ feedings, and you haven't changed his tank around other than the advice I offered earlier you may not want to change it. It's one of those, if it ain't broke don't fix it.

If you move your bp to a tub you will want to use a heat pad to warm 1/3 of the tub. If you use the lid you do not have to put holes in the tub because those tubs are not air tight. You will have to watch and make sure the humidity doesn't get out of control. I also suggest putting a towel over the tub, or taping construction paper to the outside of the tub to help block out the light and make your bp feel more secure.

Continue with a live mouse/hopper once a week from this point.


5th-8th Week
A recap: you can leave the mouse in for 10-30 minutes at a time as long as the mouse is well fed and watered. You do run the risk of the mouse eating your snake if it is malnourished. If you got the mouse from the pet store, set up a tank or cage for it, and feed and water it before putting it in with your snake.

You should leave the room during this time and turn off the lights. Some snakes are very shy and will not eat with someone in the room. You can try the paper sack during these weeks with a pinky or hopper again if you wish. Remember that nothing with teeth should be left in for more than 30 minutes.